Passport photo file size: the right pixels, the right KB
Portals reject files, not faces. This page is the file-first view of the checker: pick the document, add your photo, and the export lands at its exact pixel size and inside its published kilobyte window — including the windows with a floor, where a file can be too small.
We measure, we don’t certify. IDPhotoCheck checks your photo against the published measurements — the issuing authority makes the final decision, and no tool can promise approval.
What this tool will not do to a US photo
The official US rule requires your original, unedited photo: no filters, no retouching, and no software-changed backgrounds. So this checker measures and crops — and refuses to replace the background or “beautify” a face — for US documents. If your background is not white, the honest fix is a retake against a plain white wall or sheet. Why we refuse to edit your photo →
Tap to choose a photo, or drop it here
JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC — processed on your device, never uploaded
We measure, we don’t certify. IDPhotoCheck checks your photo against the published measurements — the issuing authority makes the final decision, and no tool can promise approval.
The windows, in one place
| US visa (DS-160) | 600×600 – 1200×1200 px · JPEG ≤ 240 KB |
|---|---|
| DV Lottery | exactly 600×600 px · JPEG ≤ 240 KB |
| UK digital | ≥ 600×750 px · 50 KB – 10 MB |
| China COVA | 354×472 – 420×560 px · JPEG 40–120 KB |
| India e-Visa | square · JPEG 10 KB – 1 MB |
Sources: U.S. Department of State “Digital Image Requirements”; GOV.UK “Photos for passports”; MFA China photo requirements via the Visa Application Service Centers; Government of India e-Visa instructions. Checked 2026-11-08. Per-document source lines appear on each checker page.
Ceilings, floors and exact sizes are three different problems
- Ceiling only (US visa, DV): compress until under the limit — quality steps down, dimensions stay exact.
- Window (UK, COVA, India e-Visa): too big fails, too small fails. This tool compresses into the window from above, or grows the file into it from below with inert JPEG padding — picture unchanged.
- Exact pixels (DV): dimensions are produced exactly; a file 1 pixel off is a different, wrong file.
The full face-and-background measurement lives on the passport photo checker; printing the result is the print sheet generator’s job. How the numbers are proven: how we check.
Questions
What file size does a passport photo need to be?
It depends on the document: US visa (DS-160) and DV Lottery — JPEG at 240 KB or less. UK digital — between 50 KB and 10 MB. China COVA — between 40 KB and 120 KB. India e-Visa — between 10 KB and 1 MB. Print-first documents (US passport, Schengen, China paper) publish dimensions in millimetres rather than a KB limit.
How can a file be made bigger without changing the photo?
A JPEG can carry inert padding data that decoders ignore — the picture is bit-for-bit the same picture, only the file is larger. That is how this tool meets minimum-size rules (UK 50 KB, COVA 40 KB) honestly, instead of upscaling or re-encoding tricks that degrade or alter the image.
Is the download really free?
Yes — no email gate, no queue, no watermark, no “premium” version of your own photo. The file is made in your browser and the download is a plain download.