Passport and visa photos: what changed in 2025 and 2026

If you last needed a passport or immigration photo a few years ago, some of what you remember is out of date. Most of the change is not in the photo rules. It is in who takes the photo and where you send it. This post collects the changes from the last two years in one place, with the date of each one, so you can see what applies to you today. For every US passport photo rule in detail, see our passport photo requirements guide.

The short version

USCIS stopped using photos you send in (December 12, 2025)

On December 12, 2025, USCIS announced that it will no longer accept self-submitted photos. It now uses only photos that USCIS or another authorized office takes, normally at your biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center. According to NAFSA’s summary of the change, “self-submitted” probably also covers photos from a commercial photographer.

Two details matter in practice:

• Reuse: USCIS can reuse a photo it took at an earlier biometrics appointment only if it is no more than 36 months old when you file. It can still ask for a new one.
• Always a new photo: Form I-485 (green card), Form I-90 (green card renewal), Form N-600 (certificate of citizenship) and the naturalization application (N-400) always get a new photo at the appointment.

There is one confusing exception. The Form I-765 (work permit) instructions still list two passport-style photos. NAFSA’s advice to international student offices is to keep sending them until USCIS updates its instructions, even though USCIS makes the card from its own photo. Our EAD photo guide explains what to send, and the green card photo page covers the I-485 and I-90.

What to do: read the instructions of your exact form on the day you file. If they list photos, include them: two identical 2 × 2 inch colour photos.

Passport photos on your phone: what was announced

In July 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department is preparing to move passport applications “almost all” online. Applicants would take the passport picture with a phone, laptop or desktop camera at home, and the department would verify the face in real time. He said it would roll out “in a few months when it’s ready” (Biometric Update, July 13, 2026).

On September 29, 2026, at the launch of America.gov, he went further: people applying for their first passport will be able to apply entirely online starting next year. The goal is that the vast majority of Americans can apply online by the end of 2027 (Boston Globe). Applicants will upload a selfie or an existing photo, see a live preview, pay online and track delivery. Children under 16 will still need to apply in person (Time Out).

What this means for you today:

• No launch date has been announced yet. Until it launches, a first passport (Form DS-11) still needs a printed 2 × 2 inch photo that you bring to an acceptance facility.
• Online renewal already exists for adults who qualify. You upload a digital photo, and a State Department employee reviews it after an automatic check.
• The rules for the photo stay the same. A phone photo still needs a plain white or off-white background, even light and a neutral face. A live preview will help you see problems sooner, but it will not make a bad photo pass.

The same announcements mention a redesigned passport book by 2028. Passports that are already valid past that date stay valid until the date printed in them. We follow the phone photo plan on our page Will you be able to take your passport photo on your phone? and will update it when there is a date.

DV lottery: a passport is now required (DV-2027)

The State Department published a final rule in the Federal Register on March 11, 2026. From the DV-2027 entry period, every Diversity Visa entrant must enter the details of a valid, unexpired passport and upload a JPEG scan of its photo page and signature page with the entry form (DS-5501). Stateless people and a few other groups can say they are exempt instead (EIG Law summary of the rule). There is also a $1 registration fee, which you pay only on the official State Department website.

The entry photo itself is a separate file, and its rules did not change: a new colour JPEG of exactly 600 × 600 pixels, 240 KB or less, with no glasses, taken for this entry. Registration dates change from year to year, so check dvprogram.state.gov before you plan anything. Our DV lottery photo page lists the photo rules.

Fewer places to get a photo: Rite Aid closed

Rite Aid closed all of its remaining stores in 2025, after its second bankruptcy filing, so its photo counters are gone. Many locations were sold to other pharmacies. Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and many post offices still take passport photos; see what each store charges and what happened to Rite Aid.

What did not change

The US passport photo rules from the State Department are the same as before:

• 2 × 2 inches, with the head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
• Taken in the last 6 months, in colour
• A plain white or off-white background, with no shadows
• A neutral face or a natural closed-mouth smile, with both eyes open
• No glasses (a rule since 2016), unless a doctor’s statement says you must wear them
• No hats or head coverings, except for religious or medical reasons with a signed statement
• No filters, retouching or background edits: the photo must be the original

You can still take the photo at home. The State Department accepts a photo taken by a friend or a family member, as long as it meets every rule.

A quick checklist

1. Passport (first or renewal): the photo rules above. Print a 2 × 2 photo for a paper application, or upload a digital photo if you renew online.
2. Green card, citizenship or work permit: expect USCIS to take your photo at the biometrics appointment. Include photos only if your form’s current instructions list them.
3. DV lottery: a valid passport and its scan, plus a new 600 × 600 pixel photo.
4. Check the date at the top of anything you read about these rules, including this post. We will update it when the phone photo service gets a launch date.

Sources: Passport photos - travel.state.gov , NAFSA: USCIS will no longer accept self-submitted photos (Feb 18, 2026) , Biometric Update: US passport photo plan (Jul 13, 2026) , Boston Globe: first passports online next year (Sep 30, 2026) , Time Out: online first-time passport applications (Oct 3, 2026) , EIG Law: new DV passport requirement (Mar 10, 2026) . Checked on Nov 4, 2026. How we keep the rules up to date