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Saudi Arabia work permit photo requirements

The photo rules set by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for the Saudi Arabia work permit, 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 work permit photo requirements?

A Saudi work permit needs no photo: the Ministry of Human Resources issues it electronically through Qiwa, with no documents required. The photo belongs on the Iqama, the resident identity issued by Jawazat. For an Iqama photo update on Absher, Jawazat said in August 2026 that the background must be completely white, lighting and dimensions must meet its standards, nothing may be added to the face and men must have their heads uncovered.

Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia hold two documents that are often confused. The work permit, or work licence, is issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development through the Qiwa platform. It is an electronic service for employers, it lists no required documents, and it must be issued within the first 90 days after the worker enters the Kingdom. The ministry calls it one of the conditions for issuing or renewing regular residency.

The residency itself is the Iqama, called the Muqeem or resident identity, and it is issued by the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat). After paying for the work permit, the employer follows up with the passports office for the residence permit. The Iqama carries the photo, so this page covers the Iqama photo.

Photos are now updated online. In the Absher service called Update Resident Photo, the new picture is attached, checked with artificial intelligence and then approved by the authority, with the user's identity confirmed through Nafath. In August and September 2026 Jawazat and Absher repeated the conditions a photo must meet to be accepted.

Saudi Arabia work permit photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development:[1]

Print sizeNo print size published; Jawazat says lighting and dimensions must meet its official standards
Digital sizeNot published; the new photo is attached in the Absher Update Resident Photo service
BackgroundCompletely white (Jawazat, Absher photo update)

Key requirements

  • The work permit carries no photo

    Qiwa's Issue and Renew Work Licence service lists no required documents. Only the Iqama, issued by Jawazat, needs a photo of the worker.

  • Completely white background

    Jawazat's conditions for an Absher photo update start with a background that is entirely white, with nothing visible behind the resident.

  • Men photographed bareheaded

    Men must have their heads uncovered. Jawazat applied the same rule in 2022 to the passport photo used when changing an Iqama photo at a passports office.

  • Nothing added to the face

    No additions may appear on the face. The lighting and the dimensions of the picture must also match Jawazat's official standards.

  • Valid passport for office changes

    In 2022 Jawazat said a photo change made at a passports office required a valid passport whose personal photo was recent and showed the head uncovered.

  • Permit first, then residency

    The employer must issue the work permit within 90 days of the worker's arrival and may renew it when 180 days or fewer remain, because the permit is a condition for issuing and renewing the Iqama.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a completely white background for an Iqama photo update
  • Light your face evenly from the front
  • Remove caps, ghutras and other head coverings if you are a man
  • Keep your passport valid if you change the photo at a passports office
  • Ask your employer to issue the work permit within 90 days of arrival

Don't

  • Do not look for a photo upload in the Qiwa work permit service
  • Do not add stickers, filters or other additions to the face
  • Do not use a cream or grey wall behind you
  • Do not use a dim or harshly lit picture

Glasses

Jawazat's published conditions for an Iqama photo update do not mention glasses by name. They say no additions should appear on the face and that the lighting must meet official standards.

Jawazat has not said whether ordinary prescription glasses count as an addition. If you wear them, ask Jawazat or check the Absher service screen before you take the photo.

Headwear and religious dress

For men the rule is explicit: the head must be uncovered, so caps, ghutras, shemaghs and turbans come off for the Iqama photo. Jawazat said this for Absher photo updates in 2026, and in 2022 it required the passport photo used for an office change to show the head uncovered.

Jawazat's statements do not set a rule for women's head coverings in the Iqama photo, and they do not mention the niqab. The background must stay completely white and the face must carry no additions.

Iqama photo updates are digital: the picture is attached in Absher's Update Resident Photo service, either on the Absher website under My Services or in the Absher app under My Workers. Jawazat has not published a pixel size or file size, only that the dimensions and lighting must match its standards.

A digital photo can be cropped and resized for upload or printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter if an office asks for paper.

Where to submit the photo

The work permit is handled by the employer in Qiwa: it selects the establishment, chooses Issue and Renew Work Licence, adds the workers and pays the fee through a bank, then follows up with the passports office for the residence permit. Workers themselves submit no photo in this step.

To change the photo on an existing Iqama, log in to Absher, choose Update Resident Photo and attach the new image. Jawazat said in 2022 that a change made at a passports office needs a valid passport with a recent photo showing the head uncovered.

How to get your Saudi Arabia work permit photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Saudi Arabia work permit: completely white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: the work permit carries no photo; completely white background; men photographed bareheaded; nothing added to the face.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Iqama photo updates are digital: the picture is attached in Absher's Update Resident Photo service, either on the Absher website under My Services or in the Absher app under My Workers.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. The work permit is handled by the employer in Qiwa: it selects the establishment, chooses Issue and Renew Work Licence, adds the workers and pays the fee through a bank, then follows up with the passports office for the residence permit.

Make this photo online

Saudi Arabia work permit photo FAQ

No. The Ministry of Human Resources' Issue and Renew Work Licence service is an electronic service for employers on Qiwa and lists no required documents. The photo goes on the Iqama, which Jawazat issues once the permit is in place.

Completely white. Jawazat's conditions for updating a resident photo on Absher say the background must be entirely white, the lighting and dimensions must meet official standards and nothing may be added to the face.

Log in to Absher and choose Update Resident Photo, then attach the new image. In the Absher app the service sits under My Workers; on the Absher website it is under My Services.

No. Jawazat says men must have their heads uncovered in the photo. The rule appears in its 2026 conditions for Absher photo updates and in its 2022 answer on photo changes at passports offices.

No. The work permit is issued by the Ministry of Human Resources through Qiwa and is a condition for residency. The Iqama is the resident identity card issued by Jawazat, and it is the document with the photo.

Related photo specifications

Other Saudi Arabia documents

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Issue and Renew Work License hrsd.gov.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ajel, quoting the General Directorate of Passports. Saudi Passports Directorate outlines steps to update resident photo on Absher english.ajel.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ajel, quoting Absher and the General Directorate of Passports. Absher outlines steps to update resident ID photo online english.ajel.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ajel, quoting the General Directorate of Passports. How to update resident ID photo online via Absher app english.ajel.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ajel, quoting the General Directorate of Passports. Passports clarifies the controls for changing the photo in the resident identity ajel.sa. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Saudi Arabia work permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/saudi-arabia/work-permit-photo

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