UAE passport photo requirements
A UAE passport photo is 35 × 45 mm with a white background. The face fills 70–80% of the photo’s height (31.5–36 mm). No pixel size or file-size limit is published for passport renewal on the ICP website or app. Source: ICP, the UAE’s identity and citizenship authority, checked September 29, 2026.
Sources: icp.gov.ae and khaleejtimes.com, checked September 29, 2026. One source is a news report about the rule, and the list marks it.
The rule
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 × 45 mm |
| Face height | 70–80% of the photo height (31.5–36 mm) |
| Digital file | No pixel size or file-size limit published |
| Background | White |
| Glasses | Allowed with no glare |
| Expression | Neutral |
| Head coverings | Religious head coverings only, with your face visible from chin to forehead and both edges of your face showing. |
| Editing | Natural skin tones. ICP’s own pages don’t mention editing; a Khaleej Times report of ICP’s photo criteria (December 2022) says digitally edited photos are not accepted. |
| What to wear | News reports of ICP’s criteria say citizens wear national dress in the photo. |
| Other rules |
|
Sources: ICP, Frequently asked questions (opens in a new tab) (icp.gov.ae); Face height, glasses and expression: ICP, Personal Photo Specifications (opens in a new tab) (icp.gov.ae); Digital file: ICP, Renewal Passport service (opens in a new tab) (icp.gov.ae); What to wear: Khaleej Times, UAE updates personal photo criteria (opens in a new tab) (khaleejtimes.com, a news report). Checked .
What we check, and what we can’t
On your device, we measure the head size and where it sits, the eye line, the wall behind you, the light on your face, the pose and the sharpness against this rule, and we crop the photo to its size. We level, resize and crop it, and nothing else.
We can’t tell how recent the photo is, whether it still looks like you, or what the office’s own reviewer will see on the day. The passport office decides whether to accept it.
Why a real photo matters
The UAE passport rule on editing, in short
Natural skin tones. ICP's own pages don't mention editing; a Khaleej Times report of ICP's photo criteria (December 2022) says digitally edited photos are not accepted.
Our summary of ICP, Frequently asked questions and Khaleej Times, UAE updates personal photo criteria (a news report).
Start with your original camera photo. Check the document’s rules, including whether your face fills 70–80% of the photo’s height.
We don’t generate your photo. We level, scale and crop your original pixels to 35 × 45 mm, then show you the head height and the margins before you pay.
Our guides cover AI and passport photos and changing a photo’s background.
The files
studioless-ae-passport-digital
.jpg For passport renewal on the ICP website or app. ICP doesn't publish a pixel size or file-size limit; we export 35 × 45 mm at 600 dpi (827 × 1063 px).
827 × 1063 px JPEG
studioless-ae-passport-print-4x6
.jpg Print it as a regular 4 × 6 in photo at any drugstore kiosk, then cut on the lines.
1800 × 1200 px at 300 dpi, 6 photos at 35 × 45 mm
studioless-ae-passport-print-5x7
.jpg The same photos on a 5 × 7 in sheet, printed and cut the same way.
1500 × 2100 px at 300 dpi, 9 photos at 35 × 45 mm
Paper: high-quality photo paper. Your check results come with the files, and everything is deleted 7 days after your order.
Sources
Changes to this page’s rule
- Document pages now show a short list of key facts, each naming its source authority and record date, before the complete rule table.
- Photo for USCIS forms: the page now says first that USCIS will not use or reuse self-submitted photographs (Policy Alert PA-2025-29, December 12, 2025), and the editing rule now uses the form instructions’ own words (unmounted and unretouched). Both come from the September 28 check; they were missing from the page.
- Added 6 documents (Saudi tourist eVisa, Egyptian passport, Jordanian passport renewal, Philippine dual citizenship, Lebanese passport extension, UAE passport), each checked against its government’s pages.
Every document’s rules in one table: passport and visa photo sizesEvery change to the rules we check
Questions
Can I use ChatGPT or an AI app for my UAE passport photo?
For a generated or retouched photo, follow the document’s editing rule. Natural skin tones. ICP’s own pages don’t mention editing; a Khaleej Times report of ICP’s photo criteria (December 2022) says digitally edited photos are not accepted. That is our summary of the rule, from ICP, the UAE’s identity and citizenship authority. Reading or checking rules with a chatbot is a separate use; verify its answer against the authority’s source. We only level, scale and crop your photo.
Can I wear glasses in a UAE passport photo?
Only with no glare, no tint and your eyes fully visible. Taking them off is the safest choice.
What do I get for $9.95?
You get a 827 × 1063 px JPEG for the online form, plus printable 4 × 6 in and 5 × 7 in sheets you can print at any drugstore.
Where do I get my files?
On your order page after you pay, with no account to make.
