head 70–80 %
Free: cropping, background replacement, check
14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceFederal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), UAE
Verified
Quick answer: The recommended UAE resident visa photo size is 35 × 45 mm. Strictly white, high-quality background. Head occupies 70–80% of photo height. Neutral expression, medical glasses only. Last verified .
Requirements
| Format | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 70–80% of photo height |
| Background | Strictly white, high-quality background. Make photo background white — UAE resident visa → |
| Pose | Face directly into the camera, no rotation or tilt. |
| Expression | Neutral expression. |
| Glasses | Sunglasses prohibited; medical glasses only, provided they do not cover the eyes. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Shadows and reflections on the face not permitted. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| Attire | Clothing must not blend into the background; face and shoulder line must be clearly defined. |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| Millimetres | 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Centimetres | 3.5 × 4.5 cm |
| Inches | 1.38 × 1.77″ |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 413 × 531 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 827 × 1063 px |
For a UAE residence visa (residence permit) ICP — the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security — lists a «Personal Photo» among the documents of every category (family of a foreign resident, retiree, property owner, family of a UAE or GCC national, Green, Golden and Blue Residence, employment, foreign student). Its Services Guide gives the photo line as «a recent personal photo with a white background, size 6/4» (and «4/6» for the humanitarian category), with no unit, and asks for a passport valid for more than 6 months, valid health insurance and a medically-fit report.
The residence permit is linked to the Emirates ID application: you submit one unified application, check the data that ICP retrieves from the systems, and attach the documents — including the photo — only if the data retrieval fails; once the residence is issued the Emirates ID card follows. ICP's approved photo standards (ICAO) are the same ones it explained to photographers in a workshop in December 2021, when it updated the standards for pictures submitted electronically for residence permits and ID cards: a recent photo on a white background, high quality, with clear face and eyes and no shadows or reflections, a straight face, a neutral expression, no hats or sunglasses, only medical glasses that do not cover the eyes.
The ICP photo leaflet adds the numbers: no more than 6 months old, image width 35–40 mm, the face filling 70–80 % of the picture.
Examples and mistakes
A photo that will be accepted, next to the six most common reasons UAE resident visa photos get rejected.
Typical reasons a photo is rejected under the rules Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), UAE publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| A background that is not white, shadows or reflections on the face or the background | Use a plain white background and even light with no flash reflection. |
| A photo that is not recent or not to ICAO (older than 6 months, face outside 70–80 %) | Take a new photo within six months with the head and top of the shoulders filling 70–80 %. |
| Hats, sunglasses, or glasses that cover the eyes or reflect light | Remove hats and sunglasses; keep only medical glasses that do not cover the eyes. |
| A turned head, a smile or an expression that is not neutral | Face the camera straight with a neutral expression. |
| A passport valid for less than 6 months | Renew the passport before applying for the residence permit. |
How to take it
Background: plain white
The tool puts in the required background. Stand half a metre from a plain light wall, face a window and shoot without flash — then there are no shadows on your face or on the wall.
Head: 70–80 % of the photo height
Camera at eye level, about a metre away; head and shoulders in the shot. The tool crops it to 35 × 45 mm.
Medical glasses only
Without a medical reason, take them off before the shot.
Neutral expression
Look straight into the lens with your head level; keep hair away from your eyes and eyebrows.
An ordinary selfie will do: we fix the background, light and framing ourselves — to this document's rules. The preview is free.
Head straightHold the phone at eye level and your head straightens by itself.
Face uncoveredMove your hair away so your eyes and eyebrows show.
No glare on glassesStand so that no light reflects in the lenses.Printing and submission
| 10 × 15 cm · 4 × 6″ | 8 (4 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 36 (6 × 6) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
A UAE residence permit is applied for through the ICP smart services website or the ICP smart application by the sponsor (employer, family head or host), linked to the Emirates ID application; in Dubai the GDRFA services are used.
icp.gov.ae — Issuing Residency Permit (choose the category)
Personal photo with a white background; passport valid for no less than 6 months.
Authority page| Authority | Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), UAE |
|---|---|
| Source | ICP UAE FAQ / ICAO standards |
| Verified |
Questions
A recent personal photo with a white background, high quality, with clear face and eyes, no shadows or reflections, a straight face and a neutral expression, no hats or sunglasses (only medical glasses that do not cover the eyes); the passport must be valid for at least 6 months.
The ICP Services Guide writes «size 6/4» (and «4/6» for the humanitarian category) without a unit, and its ICAO leaflet gives an image width of 35–40 mm with the face filling 70–80 %. The residence service page lists a personal photo without a size. The «35 × 40 mm» in some articles since December 2022 is that width range read as width × height: neither the Services Guide, the photo leaflet nor the ICP FAQ gives a height of 40 mm. Where ICP writes out a full size — for the ID card and the passport — it is 3.5 × 4.5 cm, hence 35 × 45 mm on this page.
ICP says the application retrieves the data by integration and that the required documents are attached in case the retrieval fails; the personal photo is listed among the documents of every category, so have a compliant photo ready.
The residence permit is linked to the Emirates ID application and both follow ICP's ICAO photo standards; the guide writes the ID card photo as 4.5 × 3.5 cm and the residence photo as «6/4» without a unit, and for the ID card ICP adds that the photo must not be identical to the one printed on the current card.
The recommended size for the UAE resident visa photo is 35 × 45 mm. The head occupies 70–80% of the photo height.
Strictly white, high-quality background. The wall should be evenly lit, with no shadow around the head and no pattern. You don’t need a studio backdrop: the tool sets the right background colour.
Consulates usually ask for a photo taken within the last six months, sometimes within three. Take a new one that looks like you today.
Often yes, but not always: tourist, student, work and transit visas can have different size or background rules. Compare the requirements of each UAE visa — if they match, one photo will do.
We refund the payment in full. Email us within 14 days of purchase with your order number and the consulate’s rejection notice.
Sunglasses prohibited; medical glasses only, provided they do not cover the eyes. If you need glasses for medical reasons, check the photo: no reflections on the lenses, eyes clearly visible.
35 × 45 mm = 3.5 × 4.5 cm = 1.38 × 1.77 inches. At 300 dpi that is 413 × 531 pixels; at 600 dpi, 827 × 1063 pixels.
Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. The face must stay fully visible from chin to forehead and on both sides, with no shadow across it.
Yes. The same 35 × 45 mm format and head size apply to: golden visa, green visa, tourist visa, work permit.