DV lottery photo guide for applicants from Nepal

Nepal is consistently among the highest DV lottery entry and selectee countries, and photo compliance decides entries here like everywhere: a square JPEG at exactly 600 x 600 pixels, under 240 KB, taken within the last 6 months, plain light background, no glasses, head filling 50 to 69 percent of the frame. Studio retouching, common by default in Nepali photo shops, is a disqualification risk since edited photos are rejected.

Check your United States visa photo against the official spec → Free check, accepted-or-money-back.

Check your photo right here, free

Measured against the official United States visa spec: head size, eye line, background, brightness and file limits. We never edit your photo.

Upload a photo

Use a clear, front-facing photo against a plain white wall in even light. We measure and crop it. We never edit the pixels you submit.

Ask the studio for the unedited file

Skin smoothing and background cleanup are standard service in many studios. For a DV photo they are a liability: reviewers flag edited images, and US authorities reject digitally altered photos. Ask for the raw digital file, or shoot at home against a plain wall in daylight.

Family entries

Spouse and every unmarried child under 21 need their own compliant photo, including infants. One noncompliant photo voids the whole entry. Registration is expected in early autumn at dvprogram.state.gov and is free.

Frequently asked questions

My interview is in Kathmandu. Does the entry photo matter after selection?

Yes. Photos are re-checked during processing and at the consular interview, and a noncompliant or edited entry photo can void a selection.

Is a phone photo acceptable for the DV entry?

Yes, and it is often safer than a retouched studio shot. Plain wall, even daylight, no filters, cropped square to 600 x 600 pixels under 240 KB.