EAD photo for Form I-765 – online upload and paper filing
Updated 17 October 2026
A work permit (EAD) photo for Form I-765 is a 2 x 2 inch passport-style colour photo on a white to off-white background, with your head 1 to 1 3/8 inches tall. If you file online, you upload it as a JPEG or PNG. If you file on paper, you mail two identical printed copies.
The I-765 photo rules
From the I-765 instructions (edition 08/21/25):
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Size | 2 x 2 inches (600 x 600 px at 300 DPI) |
| Background | White to off-white |
| Head | 1 to 1 3/8 inches from top of hair to bottom of chin (300–413 px) |
| Eyes | 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the photo (338–413 px) |
| Pose | Full face, frontal view |
| Head covering | Bare head, unless worn for religious reasons |
| Editing | Unretouched |
| Age of photo | Taken recently |
Filing online
Most students filing for OPT or STEM OPT, and many other categories, file I-765 in a USCIS online account. In the evidence step you upload a 2 x 2 photo of you as a JPEG or PNG, alongside your I-94, passport page and previous EADs. Uploads can be up to 6 MB each.
University guides for the online form warn not to reuse the photo from your visa or another application. Take a new one for this application.
The EAD photo tool gives you a 600 x 600 px JPEG, which is exactly 2 x 2 inches at 300 DPI, with your head and eyes cropped into the USCIS ranges. Upload that file as it is.
Filing on paper
If you mail the form, include two identical colour photos. USCIS asks for them to be:
- printed on thin paper with a glossy finish,
- unmounted (not glued or stapled to anything),
- labelled lightly on the back in pencil or felt pen with your name and A-Number, if you have one.
Put them in a small envelope or clear bag clipped to the front of the form so they don’t get lost.
Choose the print sheet option in the tool and you get a 4 x 6 inch sheet with cut guides. Upload it to a same-day photo service such as CVS, Walgreens or Walmart and order one 4 x 6 print, which usually costs well under a dollar. Cut along the guides and you have identical copies.
Common problems to avoid
- Head too small. A photo from too far away leaves the head well under 1 inch on a 2 x 2 print.
- Shadows behind you. Stand about 50 cm in front of the wall and face a window.
- Glasses and glare. USCIS follows passport-style rules, and US passport photos don’t allow glasses. Take them off.
- Filters or beauty mode. The photo must be unretouched. Turn these off on your phone.
- Printed on matte or thick paper. USCIS asks for thin glossy photo paper, which is what a photo lab print is. Don’t print on a home printer on plain paper.
Before you file
Check the photo with the free passport photo checker. USCIS decides whether it is accepted. If the photo is a problem, it may ask you for new photos, or take one at your biometrics appointment, which delays the case.