The requirements, the portal errors, and the at-home setup — written from the same published specs our checks measure against, and nothing we cannot back.
US Visa 5 guides
Every DS-160 photo requirement: a square JPEG of 600x600 to 1200x1200 px, 240 KB or smaller, head 50 to 69 percent, white or off-white background.
AUG 3, 2026DS-160A DS-160 photo upload error names no rule. What each CEAC message means: your file, your photo, or the portal being down, and the fix for each.
AUG 3, 2026DS-160You can take a US visa photo at home with a phone: one window, one plain wall, and the head at 50 to 69 percent of the frame the DS-160 measures.
AUG 3, 2026DS-160Service Unavailable on the DS-160 is CEAC returning HTTP 503, not your photo. How to tell an outage from a session timeout, and what the form keeps.
AUG 22, 2026DS-160A passport photo upload reads the bytes inside your file, not the extension: an iPhone HEIC renamed .jpg is still a HEIC. Re-export, do not rename.
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US Passport 14 guides
Most rejected US passport photos broke one of three rules: background, shadows or head size. Every reason, with examples, and what happens next.
AUG 4, 2026US-PPYou can smile in a US passport photo. The rule allows a neutral face or a natural smile and bans only the exaggerated one. Here is the real line.
AUG 4, 2026US-PPWhat to wear for a US passport photo is what you wear on a typical day. Uniforms, uniform-like clothing and camouflage are the three clothing bans.
AUG 4, 2026US-PPBaby passport photo requirements match the adult spec: 2x2 in, head 50 to 69 percent, white or off-white background. Newborn eyes may be closed.
AUG 4, 2026US-PPHow much a US passport costs in 2026, every fee in a table: first adult, renewal, child, book and card, expedite, delivery. Core fees did not rise.
AUG 4, 2026US-PPWhat a passport photo costs in 2026 at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, USPS and The UPS Store, printed and digital, with the fine print under each price.
AUG 4, 2026US-PPThe December 2025 USCIS policy changed photo reuse, not the spec: a 36-month limit, four forms that need a fresh photo, and who still sends prints.
AUG 13, 2026US-PPPassport photo hair rules are about coverage, not style. Hair must stay clear of your eyes, and head height is measured to the skull, not the hair.
AUG 22, 2026US-PPA US passport photo background does not have to be white. The manual allows off-white and any light color, with no large dark shadows or objects.
AUG 22, 2026US-PPPassport photo size in pixels is a range: a US passport upload takes any square, 600x600 to 1200x1200 px, 54 KB to 10 MB. DPI alone decides nothing.
AUG 22, 2026US-PPA beard is allowed in a US passport photo, and you do not have to shave. Head height is measured to the bottom of the chin, not to the beard tip.
AUG 22, 2026US-PPEyeglasses are not acceptable in a US passport photo, and have not been since November 1, 2016. The exception is medical, and the UK rule differs.
AUG 22, 2026US-PPA US passport photo should be taken within six months of the day you submit, and still be a good likeness. GOV.UK's digital rules say one month.
AUG 22, 2026US-PPA rejected baby passport photo is a request, not a refusal: an information request letter asks for one replacement photo and gives you 90 days.
AUG 22, 2026UK Passport 1 guide
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