UAE passport and Emirates ID photo maker

ICP asks for a personal photo of 3.5 × 4.5 cm with a white background for a UAE passport and for an Emirates ID card. Your face must take up 70 to 80% of the photo, and the photo must be no more than 6 months old and follow ICAO specifications.

Free, no watermark
Photo stays on your device
No retouching
Rules checked 12 November 2026

ICP does not publish a pixel size or file-size limit for photos uploaded through its website or app. The digital file made here keeps the 35 × 45 mm shape. ICP visa and residence services list a different size, written only as “4/6”; see below.

ICP photo requirements

Size	3.5 × 4.5 cm
Width	35 to 40 mm
Face size	70% to 80% of the photo: a close-up of your head and the top of your shoulders
Background	White
How recent	No more than 6 months old
Standard	ICAO specifications
Glasses	Medical glasses only, not covering the eyes; no sunglasses or tinted lenses
Renewals	Must not be the same photo as on your current passport or ID card

Checked against the official source on 12 November 2026. Source: ICP: Guide of the Services of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security · ICP: Personal photo specifications · ICP: Frequently asked questions · GDRFA Dubai: Visit visa requirements. Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the photo must show

Only you, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed.
Your face square on to the camera, not tilted or turned over one shoulder, with both edges of your face clearly shown.
Eyes open and clearly visible, with no hair across them.
Even lighting with no shadows, no flash reflections on your face or glasses, and no red eye.
Natural skin tones, with suitable brightness and contrast.
No hats, caps or sunglasses. Head coverings only for religious reasons, with your face visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead.
Your hands must not appear above shoulder level, and the photo must have no frame.
No chair backs, toys or other people in the photo.
Printed photos: sharp, on high-quality photo paper, with no ink marks or creases.

Framing for this document: the head, from chin to the top of the hair, should fill about 70 to 80% of the photo height. The tool measures this for you.

Why there is no background remover. Official photo rules refuse photos whose background has been changed by software, so this tool never alters your photo. If the check says the background is not plain, retake the photo against a plain, light wall: how to get a plain background at home.

Which documents this covers

ICP's services guide lists a personal photo of 3.5 × 4.5 cm with a white background for issuing and renewing UAE passports, including renewals for citizens abroad, and for issuing a new Emirates ID card to UAE nationals, residents and GCC nationals. The photo controls in the guide add: recent and conforming to ICAO, white background, hands not above the shoulders, eyes open, no frame, and a width of 35 to 40 mm.

UAE visas and residence permits

For entry permits and residence permits, the same guide asks for “a recent personal photo with a white background” and gives the size only as “4/6”, without units. ICP's FAQ for visit visas asks for a coloured personal photo with a white background. Because ICP does not explain the 4/6 size further, this page does not offer it as a separate preset. Follow the size shown in the application you are using.

Dubai (GDRFA)

Dubai visit visas and residence entry permits can be applied for through Amer centres or the GDRFA Dubai app. GDRFA Dubai's requirements list “one photo of the sponsored with white background”, with no size given.

Why ICP photos are rejected

Reusing the photo from your current passport or Emirates ID for a renewal.
Wearing a hat, cap or sunglasses, or glasses whose frames cover the eyes.
Shadows on the face or behind the head, or flash reflections on glasses.
Too close or too far away: the face must fill 70 to 80% of the photo.
A light-coloured or grey background instead of white.
A frame or border around the photo, or a hand raised above the shoulders.

A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall. The background row in the table above gives the exact colour this document asks for.

How to use this tool

Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.

Questions about the UAE passport and Emirates ID photo

What size is a UAE passport photo?

ICP asks for a 3.5 × 4.5 cm personal photo with a white background for a UAE passport. Its photo controls give a width of 35 to 40 mm and say the face should take up 70 to 80% of the photo.

What is the Emirates ID photo size?

ICP's services guide lists a personal photo of 4.5 × 3.5 cm with a white background for a new Emirates ID card, for UAE nationals, residents and GCC nationals.

Can I wear glasses in a UAE passport or Emirates ID photo?

Only medical glasses, and only if they do not cover the eyes. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not allowed, and there must be no flash reflection on the lenses.

Can I reuse the photo from my current passport or Emirates ID?

No. ICP says the photo for a renewal must be recent and must not be identical to the photo printed on your current passport or ID card.

What size photo do I need for a UAE visa?

ICP's services guide asks for a recent personal photo with a white background and gives the size as “4/6” without units. ICP's FAQ for visit visas asks for a coloured photo with a white background. Follow the size shown in the application you use.