Digital passport photos: is 600 × 600 right for you?
"600 × 600 pixels" is the most common digital photo size people search for, but it is only correct for some applications. Online passport services in different countries ask for very different files, and sending a pre-cropped square to a service that wants an uncropped photo is a common mistake.
Official specs side by side
| Application | What to upload |
|---|---|
| US visa: DS-160, Diversity Visa | Square JPEG, 600 × 600 to 1200 × 1200 px, 240 kB or less, head 50–69% of height (source) |
| US passport online renewal | JPG, PNG, HEIC or HEIF, 54 KB to 10 MB. Not pre-cropped to a square: frame from the top of the head to the edge of the shoulders; you crop inside the application (source) |
| UK passport online | Uncropped photo of head, shoulders and upper body, at least 600 × 750 px, 50 KB to 10 MB. GOV.UK crops it (UK guide) |
| Canada passport online renewal | Studio-taken JPEG, 3:2 portrait, at least 1200 × 1800 px, 200 KB to 5 MB, face 45–50% of height, plus the studio's name, address and date (Canada guide) |
| India Passport Seva | 630 × 810 px colour photo, white background, face filling 80–85% (India guide) |
US online renewal: do not pre-crop
For online renewal, the State Department wants an original photo: taken in the last 6 months, sharp, not a scan or photo of a print, and not edited with filters or retouching. It says you can reposition or crop the photo in the application, and its own crop tool page notes it should not be used for online renewal. So upload the original file from your camera, with your head centred and the bottom of the frame at your shoulders. Do not send it through a text message first, since that lowers the quality.
When 600 × 600 is right
Use a square 600 × 600 JPEG for the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa form, the Diversity Visa entry, and forms that state a square size. PassPhotoSnap's US setting exports exactly that. See the DS-160 guide for upload errors.
Same composition rules everywhere
- Plain, evenly lit background with no shadows.
- Facing the camera, eyes open, mouth closed, no glasses unless the country allows them.
- No beauty filters, face smoothing, or AI enhancement. Most countries also forbid digital background replacement.