UAE visa photo requirements: Make sure your picture meets these standards
Ensure your photo meets UAE rules for visas and Emirates ID to avoid delays or rejection
Dubai: If you are planning to apply for a UAE visit visa, whether a standard tourist visa or the multiple-entry five-year visit visa, it is essential to ensure that all your documents meet the required standards. This includes having a valid passport (with at least six months of validity remaining) and a recent, compliant personal photograph.
A tourist visa is typically required for individuals who are not eligible for visa-free entry or visa on arrival in the UAE. Applications for tourist visas can be submitted through airlines, hotels, or authorised travel agencies.
Personal photo requirements for UAE visa applications
The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has specific guidelines for photographs submitted with visa applications. Ensuring your photo meets these standards will help you avoid delays or rejections.Personal photo requirements for UAE visa applications
The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has specific guidelines for photographs submitted with visa applications. Ensuring your photo meets these standards will help you avoid delays or rejections.
General specifications:
The photo must be no older than six months.
Dimensions should be 40mm x 35mm.
Your face should occupy 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the image, showing a close-up of your head and the top of your shoulders.
The photo must be in sharp focus, of high quality, and free of ink marks, creases, or damage.
Technical requirements:
The image must show you looking directly at the camera.
Your skin tone should appear natural, with balanced brightness and contrast.
It must be printed on high-resolution, photo-quality paper.
If using a digital camera, the photo must be in colour and of high resolution.
Style and lighting guidelines:
The image should be colour neutral with even lighting.
Eyes must be open and clearly visible; no hair should cover the eyes.
Your face should be positioned straight toward the camera, not angled or in a portrait pose.
Both edges of your face should be visible, without shadows or flash reflections.
The background must be plain and light-coloured.
Red-eye effects must be avoided.
Guidelines for glasses and head coverings:
Glasses:
Your eyes must be clearly visible, with no flash reflection on the lenses.
Tinted lenses are not allowed.
Frames should not cover any part of the eyes. If possible, wear light-framed or rimless glasses.
Head coverings:
Permitted only for religious reasons.
The photograph must still show your facial features clearly from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, including both edges of your face.
Expression and composition:
The photo should feature only you, no other people, furniture, or items in the background.
You must have a neutral expression, with your mouth closed and eyes looking straight at the camera.
Emirates ID photo requirements
If you are applying for a UAE residence visa or renewing your Emirates ID, you will also need to submit a recent photograph as part of your application.
The ICP has updated its electronic application process, aligning photo requirements with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
This means that your photograph may be automatically rejected by the system if it does not meet the prescribed criteria.
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