A USCIS photo from your phone, sized for online filing.

Green card, naturalization, work permit, travel document, most USCIS forms. The same 2x2 rules as a passport photo, checked one by one, and a digital file that fits the online filing limits. $9.95 by email, $12.95 with prints ready at a Walgreens, CVS, Walmart or Target near you, $14.95 mailed.

Price band: Email delivery $9.95. Email plus prints picked up at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart or Target $12.95, plus about 50 cents to the store for the print, paid at the counter. Email plus prints mailed to you $14.95. One payment, no account.

What USCIS wants, in plain words

USCIS uses the State Department's passport photo standard, so the rules are the ones you would expect, with one difference: the photo has to be more recent.

  • 2x2 inches, in color, head between 1 and 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head, centered, the whole head in the frame.
  • Plain white or off white background, no shadows or pattern.
  • Taken recently. Most USCIS forms ask for a photo taken within 30 days of filing; check the instructions for your form. [Verify the 30 day wording against the current instructions for each form named below before this page goes live.]
  • No glasses. Neutral expression or a natural smile, mouth closed, eyes open, looking straight at the camera.
  • Nothing covering the face. No hat or head covering unless worn daily for religious or medical reasons, and the full face still visible.
  • For online filing: a square JPEG, 600x600 to 1200x1200 pixels, 240 KB or less. Our file comes out inside those limits.
  • For paper filing: two identical prints, with your name and A-Number (if you have one) written lightly on the back in pencil or felt pen.

Which forms take this photo

I-485 (green card), N-400 (naturalization), I-765 (work permit), I-131 (travel document), I-90 (green card replacement) and most other USCIS forms use the same 2x2 photo. A biometrics appointment does not need one; USCIS takes your picture there.

How to take it

1. Take the photo. Stand a few feet in front of a plain white or off white wall, in daylight if you can. Glasses off, nothing on your head, mouth closed, eyes open, look straight at the camera. Have someone take it from four to six feet away, or use the timer. The frame on screen tells you if you are too close, too dark or tilted before you press the button.

2. We do the photographer's job. Head size, centering, tilt, eyes, mouth, glasses, head covering, shadows, background, sharpness, exposure, color, red eye, one face only. Each rule checked on its own, with a plain fix if it fails. Nothing about your face is changed.

3. Get your photo. The JPEG for your USCIS online account and the 4x6 print sheet arrive by email within a minute of paying. Prints, if you chose them, are ready at the pharmacy in about an hour or mailed the same day.

What you get

  • The 2x2 digital file as a square JPEG, between 600 and 1200 pixels a side and under 240 KB, ready for the USCIS online upload.
  • A 4x6 print sheet with two identical 2x2 photos, the pair a paper filing asks for. Print it at home or at a pharmacy kiosk for under a dollar.
  • A results card showing every check that passed.
  • Prints, if you chose them: ready at the pharmacy in about an hour, or mailed the same day in a rigid mailer.

FAQ

Which file do I upload to my USCIS online account? The 2x2 JPEG we email you. It is square, between 600 and 1200 pixels a side, and under 240 KB, which is what the upload accepts. The 4x6 sheet is for printing only.

How many prints do I need for a paper filing? Two identical photos for most forms, and the 4x6 sheet carries exactly two. Write your name and A-Number lightly on the back of each in pencil or felt pen, not ballpoint, so the ink does not dent the print.

Can I reuse my passport photo? Same size and rules, but USCIS wants a recent photo. Most forms say within 30 days of filing, so a passport photo from last year will not do. Take a fresh one; it takes a minute.

Do I have to take my glasses off? Yes. USCIS follows the State Department standard, and that standard allows no glasses at all.

Do you edit my face? No. We handle the crop, the head size and the technical checks. Your face and expression stay exactly as they are, because an altered photo is what gets rejected.

Does the double money back guarantee cover USCIS? [Decision needed before this page goes live: the guarantee and the terms currently cover State Department rejections only. Confirm whether it extends to a USCIS rejection, and on what proof.]