USCIS Photo Requirements for EAD (Form I-765)

What the Form I-765 instructions require

The photo rules are in the Form I-765 Instructions, under Required Documentation, section C, Photographs. USCIS currently accepts the 08/21/25 edition of the form and instructions. The rules for a paper filing are:

• Number: two identical color passport-style photographs of yourself, taken recently.
• Size and view: 2 by 2 inches, full face, frontal view.
• Background and paper: white to off-white background, printed on thin paper with a glossy finish, unmounted and unretouched.
• Head height: 1 to 1 3/8 inches, measured from the highest point of the hair to the bottom of the chin.
• Eye height: 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches, measured from the eyes to the bottom of the photo.
• Head covering: your head must be bare unless you wear headwear required by your religious denomination.

Printed photos and online upload

For a paper filing, use a pencil or felt pen to lightly print your name and A-Number (if any) on the back of each photo. Do not write hard enough to mark the front.

USCIS's tips for filing online say: “If we require passport-style photos, you must either scan them or take a picture with your phone.” Uploaded files generally must be PDF, JPG or JPEG files of no more than 12 MB. USCIS may also take your photograph at a biometrics appointment.

The Form I-765 page repeats that photos must be unmounted and unretouched, and that unretouched means not edited or digitally enhanced. If the background is wrong, take a new photo instead of editing the old one.

A quick check before you file

Go through this list before you file. The instructions do not state a rule on expression, shadows or glasses. Take the photo in even light, look straight at the camera and keep your whole face in view.

1. Are there two identical copies, and are they recent?
2. Is each photo 2 by 2 inches and a full-face, frontal view?
3. Is the background white to off-white?
4. Is the head between 1 and 1 3/8 inches, and are the eyes between 1 1/8 and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom?
5. Is the head bare, unless you wear religious headwear?
6. Are the photos unmounted, unretouched and on glossy paper?
7. Did you print your name and A-Number lightly on the back?

Mistakes that can slow a filing

Photos that do not follow the instructions can slow a case. The usual problems are:

• a background that is not white or off-white;
• the wrong size, or a head that is too large or too small for the frame;
• a photo that is not a straight frontal view;
• photos that are mounted, on thick paper, edited or filtered;
• two photos that are not identical;
• a missing name or A-Number on the back of a paper photo;
• using the instructions of an older or different form edition.

Other forms and visa photos

Photo rules differ by form and by edition. Do not assume that the Form I-765 rules apply to another form. Read the instructions for the exact form and edition you file.

Photos for visa applications abroad (for example Form DS-160) follow the State Department's rules, not USCIS's. See the State Department's photo requirements page.