Advance Parole and Re-entry Permit Photos for Form I-131

Form I-131 covers several travel documents, and the photo rule depends on which one you request and where you are when you file. The photograph item in the Required Evidence section of the current instructions asks for photos in three situations, shown in the table with the other common requests.

USCIS also asks for a separate Form I-131 for each person, so every family member who needs photos needs their own set.

When Form I-131 asks for photos, the rules match other USCIS forms, with one extra note about cameras. Because of its scanning process, USCIS says a photo made with a digital camera must come from one with at least 3.5 megapixels, which any recent phone camera exceeds.

The instructions do not mention glasses, so remove them to match the U.S. Department of State photo specifications that USCIS links to from its Form I-131 page. Photos must be 'taken recently', so take new ones for each application.

Green card holders and refugees often search for photo rules that turn out not to apply to them. Here is what the current instructions say.

Re-entry permit photo

A re-entry permit is for permanent and conditional residents planning a long trip abroad. While it is valid, USCIS will not treat you as having abandoned your status based only on the length of your absence. You must be physically present in the United States when you file and when you complete biometrics. The photo item in the instructions does not ask re-entry permit applicants for mailed photos; USCIS tells you in writing when to go to your local Application Support Center.

Refugee travel document photo

People in refugee or asylee status, and green card holders who got their status as refugees or asylees, use a refugee travel document. If you file from outside the United States, send two identical photos. If you file from inside the country, the photo item lists no photos, and applicants aged 14 to 79 may need biometrics at an ASC.

Mailing photos and having your photo taken by USCIS are separate steps. Under USCIS Policy Alert PA-2025-29, effective December 12, 2025, USCIS will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs to make secure documents.

For Form I-131, USCIS may reuse a photo taken at one of your earlier biometrics appointments if no more than 36 months have passed at the time of filing, and it can always ask for a new one instead. The Form I-131 instructions still require two photos in the situations above, so send them as instructed and watch for a biometrics notice. USCIS says failing to appear for biometrics may lead it to deny your application.

Your filing method decides whether you need prints or a digital file.

Advance parole can be filed online only in some categories: a pending Form I-485 with a receipt number that starts with IOE, a pending initial TPS application, Deferred Enforced Departure, an approved DACA request or an approved Form I-918. TPS travel authorization can also be filed online. Re-entry permits, refugee travel documents and the other advance parole categories are paper only.

On paper, mail two identical prints on thin glossy photo paper. Online, follow the evidence screens in your USCIS account, and if they ask for a passport-style photo, upload a digital file that meets the same 2 x 2 rules. Our Digital photo costs $16.95.

Advance parole often runs on a deadline, such as a family emergency or a planned trip, so a request for new photos hurts. These are the problems to rule out.

• Sharing photos across forms. Filed with Form I-485 and Form I-765? Each form needs its own two photos, six in total.
• Edited photos. USCIS asks for unretouched photos, which it defines as not edited or digitally enhanced. No filters or face edits.
• Mismatched prints. Both photos must be identical, so print them from the same image.
• Wrong head size or crop. The head must be 1 to 1 3/8 inches, with the eyes 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom.
• Low-quality files. Digital photos below 3.5 megapixels, or blurry and grainy prints.
• Shadows or a colored wall. The background must be white to off-white.
• Mounted or stapled photos. Keep them loose and unmounted.
• Skipping biometrics. Mailed photos never replace a required appointment.

You can test a photo first with the free passport photo checker.

A clear label keeps your photos matched to the right application. Lightly print your full name and A-Number, if you have one, on the back of each photo with a pencil or felt pen, exactly as the instructions say.

Keep the photos loose and unmounted. USCIS does not prescribe a holder, so many filers use a small envelope marked with their name and 'Form I-131 photos' and paper clip it to the front of the form. If you send several forms in one package, keep each pair with its own form. For the work permit part of a combined filing, see the I-765 photo guide.

PhotoForPass prepares your photo the way a careful photo editor would, using the measurements in the Form I-131 instructions.

1. Check. Before payment, the photo check runs on your device and reviews face size, centering, tilt, eyes, lighting, shadows, blur and background.
2. Fix and size. After payment, we fix the lighting, replace the background with plain white and crop to exactly 2 x 2 inches with your head and eyes inside the USCIS ranges. Your features are never altered: no smoothing, no reshaping. A photo taken in soft daylight against a light wall needs the fewest corrections.
3. Print. Photo + print sheet costs $18.95: a digital JPG plus a 4x6 sheet as JPG and PDF, ready in 30 to 60 seconds. One borderless print gives six identical photos, enough for Form I-131, Form I-765 and Form I-485.

Family packs cost $29.95 for 2 people or $39.95 for 3. Every order includes up to 5 photo checks and 3 free redos per person, a 14-day money-back guarantee and a full refund if the agency rejects the photo. PhotoForPass is not affiliated with USCIS; final acceptance is up to USCIS.