DV Lottery Photo Checker

Why DV lottery photos get rejected

A photo that doesn't meet the rules can disqualify an entry, and every person listed on it needs their own photo. Most problems are with the file, not the face.

• Straight from the phone. Camera photos are rectangular and several megabytes; the entry needs a 600 × 600 JPEG of 240 KB or less.
• Head too small or too big. A photo taken from too far away leaves the head under half of the height; a close selfie can push it over 69%.
• Busy or coloured background. Patterned walls, shadows and coloured rooms are a common reason for rejection; a plain white or off-white wall avoids it.
• Edited or filtered. Beauty filters and heavy editing can make a photo unacceptable; use the photo as the camera took it.

Tips for a photo that passes

Taking the photo well is most of the work; the tool takes care of the file.

• Ask someone else to take it. Stand about 1 to 1.5 metres from the camera, facing it straight on, with the phone at eye level.
• Use a plain wall and daylight. Stand a little away from a white wall so there's no shadow behind you, and face a window rather than a lamp.
• Neutral face, eyes open, no glasses. Look straight at the camera with both eyes open; take glasses off and keep hair away from the face.
• One photo per person. Make a separate photo for your spouse and each child listed in the entry, each checked on its own.

Official DV photo requirements

These come from the published DV instructions and the Department of State's photo guidance. They can change from year to year, so confirm them in the official instructions for the year you enter.

• File: JPEG, square, exactly 600 × 600 pixels, 240 kB or less, in colour.
• Head: from the top of the hair to the chin, 50–69% of the photo's height.
• Eyes: 56–69% of the height, measured up from the bottom of the photo.
• Background: plain white or off-white.
• Pose: facing the camera directly, neutral expression, both eyes open.
• Recent and new: taken in the last six months, and not a photo used in a previous entry.
• Glasses: not allowed in DV entry photos.

What this tool can't check

Some rules need a person's judgement. Instead of guessing, the tool lists them for you to confirm, and marks anything it estimates from the pixels as a possible issue rather than a fail.

• When and where the photo was used. Software can't tell when a photo was taken or whether it was in an earlier entry.
• Expression, glasses and head coverings. These are for you to confirm against the instructions.
• Earlier edits. The tool can't tell whether a photo was retouched before you added it.
• Acceptance. Only the U.S. Department of State decides whether a photo is accepted.

Edits SentrueFile doesn't make

The instructions warn that a manipulated photo can make an entry ineligible. So SentrueFile only rotates, crops, resizes and re-saves the file - the same kinds of change the Department's own photo tool is limited to.

• No background replacement. If the wall isn't plain white or off-white, retake the photo.
• No beauty filters or retouching. Skin, shadows and features stay exactly as the camera captured them.
• No AI enhancement. A blurry or dark photo needs a retake, not artificial sharpening.
• Nothing added or removed. No reshaping, no generated hair or clothes, no objects taken out.

Official sources

Read the current instructions on travel.state.gov, and submit your entry only at dvprogram.state.gov, the official entry site. Only .gov sites are official; other websites may show outdated information or imitate the government.