USCIS photos for the green card (I-485), advance parole (I-131) and N-400
Updated 17 October 2026
USCIS uses the same photo rules for the green card application (I-485), travel documents and advance parole (I-131) and naturalization (N-400): two identical 2 x 2 inch colour photos on a white to off-white background, with the head 1 to 1 3/8 inches tall, printed on thin glossy paper and unretouched.
The rules, same on all three forms
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| How many | Two identical photos |
| 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 |
| Eyes | 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the photo |
| Paper | Thin, glossy, unmounted |
| Editing | Unretouched |
| Head covering | Bare head, unless worn for religious reasons |
| Labelling | Name and A-Number lightly in pencil or felt pen on the back |
Who needs photos
- I-485 (green card / adjustment of status): every applicant submits two photos.
- I-131: two photos if you are in the US applying for an advance parole document or a TPS travel authorization, or outside the US applying for a refugee travel document. Other I-131 applicants, such as those applying for a re-entry permit, usually have their photo taken at the biometrics appointment. Check the photographs section of the instructions for your category.
- N-400 (naturalization): most applicants in the US don’t send photos, because USCIS takes one at biometrics. Applicants living outside the US, such as members of the armed forces and their spouses, send two.
Filing the I-485, the I-765 work permit and the I-131 together? Each form needs its own two photos, so you need six identical photos in all. See the EAD photo guide for the work permit.
Getting identical prints cheaply
One photo session and one print covers every form:
- Take the photo at home: stand about 50 cm in front of a plain white wall, face a window, and ask someone to take it from 1–2 m away at eye level.
- Upload it to the green card photo tool. It crops it to 2 x 2 inches with your head and eyes inside the USCIS ranges.
- Choose the print sheet option. You get a 4 x 6 inch sheet with cut guides.
- Order 4 x 6 prints of the sheet from a same-day photo service such as CVS, Walgreens or Walmart. Each print is usually well under a dollar, and one print holds several copies.
- Cut along the guides and label each photo on the back.
Because every copy comes from the same file, they are truly identical, which is what USCIS asks for.
Common problems to avoid
- Photos that don’t match. Two photos from different sessions aren’t identical. Print all copies from one file.
- Glasses. USCIS asks for passport-style photos, and US passport photos don’t allow glasses. Take them off.
- Home printing on plain paper. USCIS asks for thin glossy photo paper. Use a photo lab.
- Stapled photos. Photos must be unmounted. Put them in a small envelope clipped to the form.
- Head too small or too big. Measure the printed photo: from top of hair to chin should be 1 to 1 3/8 inches.
Before you file
Check the photo with the free passport photo checker. USCIS decides whether photos are accepted. If yours are a problem, it may ask for new ones, which delays the case.