Rules log, every check we made.
Each time we read a form's official page, it is listed here with the date, what we found and the page we read. Follow it with the Atom feed.
OCI photo (Overseas Citizen of India) First check
Read the OCI FAQ and the photo specification PDF. The FAQ asks for a light background that is not white, a square photo of 200 to 900 px and a JPEG of 200 KB or less; the PDF gives the 2 × 2 in size and the head and eye positions. The signature has a 200 KB limit and no pixel size.
Rules as recorded
Shape and size Square, at least 200 × 200 px and at most 900 × 900 px File JPEG, 200 KB or less Background Plain light colour, not white, no border Head size Top of hair to bottom of chin 1 to 1 3/8 in (25–35 mm) in a 2 × 2 in photo Eye height 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 in (28–35 mm) from the bottom Pose Head and shoulders, full face in the middle, eyes open, natural expression Glasses Allowed without glare; no tinted or dark glasses Signature JPEG, 200 KB or less - OCI FAQ 9: photograph specifications (Ministry of Home Affairs)Read through an Internet Archive copy captured 2026-10-09; the live site did not load in our browser.
- Requirement of photograph for OCI Registration (Ministry of Home Affairs, PDF)Internet Archive copy captured 2026-09-24.
US visa photo (DS-160) First check
Rules as recorded
Shape and size Square, at least 600 × 600 px and at most 1200 × 1200 px File JPEG, 240 kB or less Compression Ratio of 20:1 or less (so a 600 × 600 file needs at least 54 KB) Colour Colour, 24 bits per pixel, sRGB Head size Top of hair to bottom of chin is 50% to 69% of the image height Eye height 56% to 69% of the image height, measured from the bottom Background Plain white or off-white Age of photo Taken in the last 6 months Printed photos 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm); head 1 to 1 3/8 in (25–35 mm) - Digital image requirements (U.S. Department of State)Read through an Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09; the live page blocks automated browsers.
- Photo composition template (U.S. Department of State)Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-05.
- Photo requirements for U.S. visas (U.S. Department of State)Internet Archive copy captured 2025-12-30.
DV lottery photo First check
Rules as recorded
Size Exactly 600 × 600 pixels, square File JPEG, 240 kB or less Head size Top of hair to bottom of chin is 50% to 69% of the image height Eye height 56% to 69% of the image height, from the bottom Background Plain white or off-white Age of photo Taken in the last 6 months Scanned prints 2 × 2 in at 300 pixels per inch - Digital image requirements, Diversity Visa section (U.S. Department of State)Read through an Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-09; the live page blocks automated browsers.
- Photo composition template (U.S. Department of State)Internet Archive copy captured 2026-01-05.
- Photo requirements for U.S. visas (U.S. Department of State)Internet Archive copy captured 2025-12-30.
US passport photo (2 × 2 in) First check
Rules as recorded
Size 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm) Head size 1 to 1 3/8 in (25–35 mm) from chin to top of head, head centred Background White or off-white, without shadows, texture or lines Paper Matte or glossy photo quality paper Glasses Not allowed Age of photo Taken in the last 6 months, in colour Edits No software, apps, filters or AI changes - Passport photos (U.S. Department of State)Internet Archive copy captured 2026-03-02; page last updated December 15, 2025.
US passport online renewal photo First check
Rules as recorded
File JPG, JPEG or HEIF File size Between 54 kilobytes and 10 megabytes Framing Bottom of the photo at the edge of the shoulders, near where they meet the arms Cropping Do not pre-crop to 2 × 2: the application crops and positions it Background White Age of photo Taken in the last six months, in colour Edits No filters or retouching - Online passport renewal photo requirements (U.S. Department of State)Internet Archive copy captured 2026-03-10.
UK passport photo (online) First check
Rules as recorded
Size At least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall File size At least 50 KB and no more than 10 MB Quality Clear, in focus, in colour, unaltered, no red eye Background Plain, light-coloured, with clear contrast Framing Head, shoulders and upper body. "Do not crop your photo - it will be done for you." Age of photo Taken in the last month - Photos for passports (GOV.UK)GOV.UK content last updated 2026-09-09.
UK passport photo (printed) First check
Rules as recorded
Size 45 mm high × 35 mm wide Head Crown to chin 29–34 mm Copies 2 identical photos Printing Professional standard, on plain white photographic paper, no border Not allowed A cut-down version of a larger picture Background Plain cream or light grey - Photos for passports (GOV.UK)GOV.UK content last updated 2026-09-09.
Canada passport photo (checker) First check
Rules as recorded
Who takes it A commercial photographer, in person Paper photos 50 mm wide × 70 mm high; chin to crown 31–36 mm; professionally printed. "We don't accept photos printed at home" Online renewal file .jpeg or .jpg, 3:2 portrait Online renewal size At least 1200 × 1800 px (w × h), no larger than 3000 × 4500 px Online renewal file size 200 KB to 5 MB Online renewal head Chin to crown 45% to 50% of the photo height Edits None, including cropping or background changes; saved straight from the camera original Australia passport photo (rules) First check
Rules as recorded
Size 35–40 mm wide × 45–50 mm high Head Chin to crown 32–36 mm Age of photo Less than 6 months old Printing Colour prints made by dye sublimation (not inkjet), on heavy-weight glossy paper, at least 200 gsm India e-Visa photo First check
Rules as recorded
Shape Height and width equal (square) File JPEG, minimum 10 KB, maximum 1 MB Pose Full face, front view, eyes open, head centred from the top of the hair to the bottom of the chin Glasses No spectacles Background Plain light-coloured or white, no shadows, no border Passport page scan PDF, minimum 10 KB, maximum 300 KB - e-Visa document requirements (Government of India)Read through an Internet Archive copy captured 2026-10-16; the live site did not load in our browser.
China visa photo First check
Rules as recorded
Digital size At least 354 × 472 px (w × h), at most 420 × 560 px File JPEG, 24-bit colour, usually 40–120 KB Head position (354 × 472) Top of hair 10–70 px from the top edge; eyes at least 256 px from the bottom edge Face width (354 × 472) 205 px, give or take 14 px; eyes more than 60 px apart Print size 33 mm wide × 48 mm high, glossy photo paper Print head Head height 28–33 mm, head width 15–22 mm, crown 3–5 mm from the top, chin at least 7 mm from the bottom Background White or near-white, no border Other Taken within 6 months; ears visible; no thick-rimmed or tinted glasses; no red eye Schengen visa photo (35 × 45 mm) First check
Rules as recorded
Size 35 × 45 mm Face Chin to top of head is 70–80% of the photo height Background One colour, no shadows, clear contrast Pose Neutral expression, mouth closed, looking into the camera Edits In colour, not retouched, no filter
How the checks work
We read each official page again at least once a month, and sooner when someone reports a difference. When a page blocks automated reading, we read an Internet Archive copy and say so next to the source. If a rule here differs from the official page, the official page is right.