USCIS tightens immigration photo rules, limits reuse to three years

USCIS tightens immigration photo rules, limits reuse to three years

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new policy guidance tightening rules on photographs used for immigration documents, sharply limiting how old an image can be and ending the acceptance of self-submitted photos.

The changes take effect immediately and are aimed at strengthening identity verification and preventing fraud within the US immigration system.

Under the revised policy, USCIS will reuse a previously collected photograph only if it was taken no more than 36 months before an applicant files a new immigration form.

The image must have been captured during a biometric services appointment or through another authorised process. Photographs submitted directly by applicants will no longer be accepted; only images collected by USCIS or approved partner entities will be used for secure documents.

Explaining the change, the agency said image integrity is critical to national security and fraud prevention, adding that the new approach ensures photographs are “recent, accurate, and reliable.”

The updated guidance rolls back temporary flexibilities introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when USCIS reused older photographs to limit in-person visits. According to the agency, those measures weakened identity verification and, in some cases, led to documents being issued using photographs that were as old as 22 years by the time they expired.

After pandemic restrictions eased, USCIS had already tightened rules in September 2024 by limiting photo reuse to a maximum of 10 years for most applicants. The new policy goes further by introducing a uniform three-year cap and removing the need to consider a document’s validity period when calculating photo age.

USCIS also clarified that reuse of photographs is no longer automatic. The agency retains discretion to require a new photograph at any time, even if the existing image falls within the three-year window.

Certain immigration applications will always require fresh biometrics, regardless of when the last photograph was taken. These include the Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Form I-90), Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485), Application for Naturalization (Form N-400), and Application for Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600).

Announcing the policy shift, USCIS said, “USCIS is now changing its photograph reuse policy. USCIS may only reuse a previously collected photograph if, at the time of filing, no more than 36 months (3 years) have passed since the date the photograph was collected at a BSA.”

The revised photograph rules reflect a broader tightening of procedural safeguards as in-person services and biometric collection return to pre-pandemic norms across the US immigration system.