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Saudi Arabia ID card photo requirements

The photo rules set by Umm Al-Qura (official gazette), Ministry of Interior decision 15588 for the Saudi Arabia ID card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Saudi Arabia ID card photo requirements?

The photo on a Saudi national ID must be recent, in colour and clear, showing the whole face from the front on a white background, without glasses or non-medical lenses, free of adornment and not in work or group uniform. These are the terms of Article 17 of the Civil Status implementing regulation, amended in June 2022. The regulation sets no print size, and lost-card replacements on Absher take a live phone photo.

The national identity card is issued by Civil Affairs, an agency of the Ministry of Interior, in printed or digital form. Article 146 of the Civil Status implementing regulation, as amended in 2022, lists what the card contains: the holder's photo comes first, followed by the four-part name in Arabic and English, place and date of birth, civil registry number, expiry date, copy serial number, official logos and security features.

The card matters beyond identification. Jawazat asks for a dependant's card to be issued before it accepts a passport application for them, and Jawazat builds passports from the photo already held on the civil record, so the ID photo usually becomes the passport photo too.

The photo rules sit in Article 17 of the same regulation, which the Minister of Interior amended by decision 15588, published in the official gazette Umm Al-Qura on 10 June 2022. They cover both the personal photo and the photo captured by Civil Affairs' automated systems. Many card services now run through Absher; for a lost or damaged card, Civil Affairs said in August 2026 that the photo has to be taken live in the app.

Saudi Arabia ID card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Umm Al-Qura (official gazette), Ministry of Interior decision 15588:[1]

Print sizeNot set: Article 17 gives content rules for the photo but no print or pixel size
Digital sizeNone published; Absher replacement requests take a live photo from the phone camera, not a saved file
BackgroundWhite (Article 17 of the Civil Status implementing regulation)
ColourColour
Photo ageRecent; no number of months is set

Key requirements

  • Every facial feature visible

    Article 17 requires a clear photo that shows all of the face, taken in a frontal position. Hair, scarves or shadows must not hide any feature.

  • White background

    The regulation names white as the background colour, both for personal photos and for photos captured by Civil Affairs equipment.

  • No glasses, no non-medical lenses

    Glasses are excluded outright. Contact lenses are excluded unless they are medical, which rules out coloured or decorative lenses.

  • No adornment and no uniforms

    The photo must be free of any adornment, and the holder may not appear in professional clothing or in the dress of any particular group.

  • Live photo for Absher replacements

    For a lost or damaged card replaced through Absher, Civil Affairs says the photo must be taken live; uploading a previously saved image is not permitted.

  • Special rules for some applicants

    Article 17 lets the Agency for Civil Affairs set separate photo rules for certain age groups, for people with disabilities and for cases the article does not cover.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Stand square to the camera so your whole face shows
  • Use a plain white wall or screen behind you
  • Wear everyday civilian clothes
  • Take the photo live in the Absher app when replacing a lost card
  • Ask Civil Affairs about special rules for babies, young children or applicants with disabilities

Don't

  • Do not wear glasses of any kind
  • Do not wear coloured or decorative contact lenses
  • Do not appear in a work uniform or the dress of a group
  • Do not wear jewellery or other adornment in the picture
  • Do not try to upload a saved photo for an Absher replacement request

Glasses

No glasses. Article 17 says the photo is taken without glasses and without non-medical lenses. Prescription contact lenses are therefore acceptable, but tinted, coloured or decorative lenses are not, and spectacles of any type must come off.

The regulation makes no exception for heavy prescriptions. If you cannot remove your glasses for a medical reason, raise it with Civil Affairs, which has power under the same article to set rules for cases it does not cover.

Headwear and religious dress

Before June 2022, Article 17 said women had to cover their hair and neck in the ID photo. The amendment removed that sentence, but a Civil Affairs spokesman said the following day that it is not true that women may now show their hair or neck in civil status ID photos. He said girls aged 10 to 14 may appear with uncovered hair and that older women with certain health conditions may be exempted.

A headscarf is therefore expected for women, as long as the face is fully visible: the regulation requires every facial feature to show, so a niqab or anything else over the face is not possible. For men, the regulation says nothing about the shemagh or ghutra; it only rules out professional clothing and the dress of a particular group.

Babies and children

Article 17 allows the Agency for Civil Affairs to issue its own photo rules for certain age groups, which can include babies and young children, but the regulation does not publish them. Ask the Civil Affairs office when you book.

Jawazat asks parents to get a national identity card for a dependant before applying for the child's passport, and they book an electronic appointment with Civil Status to get it. For girls aged 10 to 14, Civil Affairs has said the hair may be left uncovered in the photo.

The Civil Status regulation does not give a print size or a pixel size for the ID photo. It speaks of the personal photo and of the photo captured in automated systems, which is the picture Civil Affairs takes with its own equipment.

For lost or damaged cards replaced through Absher, a prepared file is not accepted at all: the app requires a live photo taken with the phone camera. If you need a printed photo for an office visit, a digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to size.

Where to submit the photo

Apply to Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Interior agency that issues the national ID in printed or digital form. Many card services, including replacement of a lost or damaged card, are requested through Absher, where the photo is taken live with the phone camera during the request.

For a first card, and for a child's card, book an electronic appointment with the Civil Status office for your area. The photo you have on record there is the one Jawazat will later reuse for your passport.

How to get your Saudi Arabia ID card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Saudi Arabia ID card: white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: every facial feature visible; white background; no glasses, no non-medical lenses; no adornment and no uniforms.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The Civil Status regulation does not give a print size or a pixel size for the ID photo. It speaks of the personal photo and of the photo captured in automated systems, which is the picture Civil Affairs takes with its own equipment.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply to Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Interior agency that issues the national ID in printed or digital form.

Make this photo online

Saudi Arabia ID card photo FAQ

White. Article 17 of the Civil Status implementing regulation says the personal photo and the photo captured by Civil Affairs systems must have a white background, be recent, in colour and clear, and show all the facial features from the front.

No. The regulation says the photo is taken without glasses and without non-medical lenses. Medical contact lenses are not excluded, but coloured or decorative lenses are.

Yes, according to Civil Affairs. Although the 2022 amendment dropped the sentence on hair and neck covering, a Civil Affairs spokesman said women still may not show their hair or neck in civil status ID photos. Girls aged 10 to 14 are an exception, and some health conditions can be exempted.

No. Civil Affairs said in August 2026 that for a lost or damaged card replaced through Absher the photo must be taken live, and uploading a previously saved image is not permitted.

The Civil Status regulation does not state a size. It sets content rules only: recent, colour, clear, full face from the front, white background, no glasses, no adornment and no uniform.

The regulation requires the photo to be free of any adornment, so leave jewellery and decorative items out of the picture. It also bars professional clothing and the dress of any particular group.

Related photo specifications

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Official sources

  1. Umm Al-Qura (official gazette), Ministry of Interior decision 15588. Amended articles of the Civil Status implementing regulation (Articles 12 and 17) uqn.gov.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Umm Al-Qura (official gazette). Amendment of some articles of the Civil Status implementing regulation uqn.gov.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Arab News. Women in Saudi Arabia must still cover hair and neck in ID photos: Civil Affairs spokesman arabnews.com. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ajel, quoting Civil Affairs. Civil Affairs clarifies ID photo process for lost card replacement via Absher english.ajel.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Saudi Gazette via Zawya. Fingerprint, photo mandatory to obtain passports for children aged 12 years and above zawya.com. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Umm Al-Qura (official gazette), Ministry of Interior decision 15588 before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Saudi Arabia ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/saudi-arabia/id-card-photo

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