Work Permit Photo Requirements for Form I-765 (EAD)

USCIS lists the photo rules for Form I-765 in the Required Documentation part of the instructions, under Photographs. They match the passport-style rules on other USCIS forms, so one good 2 x 2 photo works for your whole package.

Two details are left open. The instructions do not mention glasses, so take them off to match the U.S. Department of State photo standards. They ask for photos 'taken recently' without a set number of days, so take new photos for each application, renewals included.

Every Form I-765 needs its own two identical photos, and every person needs their own set. Count photos per form, per person, before you print.

A common case: one person filing Form I-485, Form I-765 and Form I-131 for advance parole together needs six identical photos, two for each form. A single 4x6 sheet printed borderless holds exactly six 2 x 2 photos. For DACA, the two photos go with the I-765 that every Form I-821D request must include; see the DACA photo guide. For the green card side of the package, see the green card photo guide.

The photos you mail and the photo printed on your work permit are not always the same picture. In Policy Alert PA-2025-29, dated December 12, 2025, USCIS said it will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs, and its news alert added that only photos taken by USCIS or other authorized entities will be used to make immigration documents.

For Form I-765, 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. Otherwise, or whenever it decides it wants a new photo, USCIS sends a notice to visit an Application Support Center.

The Form I-765 instructions still list two passport-style photos, and the USCIS I-765 page still reminds filers that submitted photos must be unmounted and unretouched. So include the photos the instructions ask for, and watch your mail and online account for a biometrics notice. USCIS says it may deny an application if you skip a required biometrics appointment.

How you file decides what kind of photo you need. Paper filings need prints, and online filings follow the evidence screens in your USCIS account.

Filing on paper

Mail two identical prints on thin glossy photo paper. A JPG on its own, a photocopy or a printout on office paper does not meet the instructions.

Filing online

Many categories can file Form I-765 through a USCIS online account. Follow the evidence screens you see. If they ask for a passport-style photo, upload a digital file that meets the same 2 x 2 rules; our Digital photo for $16.95 is made for that. USCIS may still call you to biometrics for the card photo.

Renewing your work permit

USCIS generally recommends filing a renewal up to 180 days before your current EAD expires, though some categories have their own timing. A renewal follows the same photo rules, so take new photos instead of reusing prints from your last application.

Missing or unusable photos can lead to a request for evidence (RFE) or a biometrics notice, and either one adds weeks. Check for these before you seal the envelope.

• Retouched or filtered photos. USCIS says submitted photos must be unretouched, meaning not edited or digitally enhanced, and that mounted or retouched photos delay processing and may lead to an ASC visit to verify your identity.
• Mounted photos. Do not glue photos to paper or staple through them.
• Photos that are not identical. Two different selfies do not make a matching pair.
• Head too small or too large. It must measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches from hair to chin.
• A busy or dark background. Use white to off-white with no shadows or objects.
• Glasses, hats or earbuds. Remove them; religious headwear is fine when your religion requires it.
• Old photos. Prints from a previous filing may no longer look like you.
• No name on the back. Unlabeled photos are hard to match to your file if they come loose.

Not sure about a photo you already have? Try the free passport photo checker, which runs in your browser.

Labeling takes one minute and keeps your photos tied to your case.

1. Use a pencil or felt pen, as the instructions say, not a ballpoint pressed hard.
2. Lightly print your full name and A-Number, if you have one, on the back of each photo.
3. Let ink dry so it does not transfer to the other photo.
4. Keep the photos loose and unmounted. USCIS does not prescribe a holder, so many filers put them in a small envelope marked with their name and 'Form I-765 photos' and paper clip it to the front of the form.
5. If you file several forms, keep each pair of photos with its own form.

PhotoForPass gives you studio-style EAD photos without the trip to the store. You take one photo with your phone, and we prepare it to the Form I-765 measurements.

• Smart check before you pay. Face size, centering, tilt, eyes, lighting, shadows, blur and background are checked in your browser. Your photo stays on your device until you pay.
• Fixed and sized to USCIS rules. 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 face is never changed: no smoothing, no reshaping, no filters. A photo taken in soft daylight against a light wall needs the least correction.
• Print-ready sheet. Photo + print sheet costs $18.95 and includes the digital JPG plus a 4x6 sheet as JPG and PDF, ready in 30 to 60 seconds. Printed borderless, it gives six identical photos for your I-765, I-485 and I-131.
• Families. Family packs cover 2 people for $29.95 or 3 people for $39.95.

Every order includes up to 5 photo checks and 3 free redos per person, a 14-day money-back guarantee with no questions asked, and a full refund if the agency rejects the photo. PhotoForPass is not affiliated with USCIS, and final acceptance is up to USCIS.