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United Arab Emirates residence card photo requirements

The 40 × 60 mm photo rules set by Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) for the United Arab Emirates residence card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 11 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the United Arab Emirates residence card photo?

A UAE residence permit needs a recent colour photo with a white background. ICP's services guide gives its size as 4 x 6 cm ("6/4"), while the Emirates ID issued with the permit uses 3.5 x 4.5 cm. Since 11 April 2022 there is no residence sticker in the passport: the Emirates ID proves residence, and the permit and ID are applied for on one unified form.

Foreign nationals who live in the UAE hold a residence permit, often called a residence visa, sponsored by an employer or a family member, or held without a sponsor in long-term categories such as the Golden and Green residence. ICP issues and renews these permits; for Dubai visa holders the work is done by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai). The u.ae portal says applicants aged 18 and over must pass a medical test, and that every applicant must also apply for an Emirates ID.

The permit no longer appears as a sticker in the passport. ICP stopped issuing residence stickers on 11 April 2022, and the Emirates ID card issued to a foreign resident now serves as proof of residence, carrying the details the sticker used to show. At the same time ICP joined the residence and identity card applications into one unified form, and its residence service now describes itself as a permit linked to an Emirates ID application, followed by the card delivered by courier. The residence permit and the card are therefore applied for in a single application, made by the sponsor.

United Arab Emirates residence card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP):[1]

Print size4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm) in ICP's residence permit service cards ("6/4"); the Emirates ID itself uses 3.5 x 4.5 cm
Digital sizeNo pixel size published: ICP and GDRFA Dubai take the photo as an attachment to the online application
Head heightICP photo guide: head and top of shoulders, face filling 70 to 80% of the photo
BackgroundWhite (ICP, GDRFA Dubai and u.ae)
ColourColour ("a recent coloured personal photo", GDRFA Dubai and u.ae)
Photo ageRecent; ICP's photo guide says no more than 6 months old
Print qualitySharp, high quality, no ink marks or creases; any prints on photo-quality paper
Pixels when printed472 × 709 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1417 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm60 mm42–48 mm
40 × 60 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 42–48 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

A recent personal photo with a white background, size 6/4

Guide of the Services of ICP (issuance and renewal of residence permits)[4]

Personal photo (4.5x3.5 cm) with white background

Guide of the Services of ICP (issuance and renewal of residence permits)[4]

Key requirements

  • White background for the sponsored person

    GDRFA Dubai asks for "a recent personal photograph with a white background for the sponsored" when a private-sector residence permit is issued, and for a recent coloured photo on white when a family member's residence is renewed.

  • One application for permit and ID

    The residence permit and the Emirates ID are issued and renewed through ICP's unified identity and residence form. ICP's ID renewal page names the Emirate of Dubai as the exception for renewals.

  • No residence sticker

    Since 11 April 2022 ICP no longer fixes a residence sticker in the passport and has stopped receiving passports for that purpose. The Emirates ID shows your residence details, and a printed residence details form can be obtained through the ICP app or website.

  • Size depends on which card you read

    ICP's services guide gives "size 6/4" for residence permits and 4.5x3.5 cm for the Emirates ID. Its photo guide sets a width of 35 to 40 mm, which both sizes meet.

  • Medical test from 18

    Sponsored persons aged 18 and over need a medical fitness examination approved by the health authorities before the permit is issued or renewed.

  • Front-facing, neutral pose

    ICP's photo guide asks for a neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and the face square to the camera, lit evenly with no shadows or flash reflections.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a recent colour photo with a white background
  • Ask your sponsor which channel they use: ICP, GDRFA Dubai, an Amer centre or a typing office
  • Face the camera squarely, as your Emirates ID photo requires
  • Have the medical test done if you are 18 or older
  • Make sure only you appear in the photo

Don't

  • Do not expect a residence sticker in your passport
  • Do not use a coloured or patterned background
  • Do not wear sunglasses, a hat or a cap
  • Do not submit an old, creased or blurred photo

Sample photos

How a United Arab Emirates residence card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 60 mm, head height and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

ICP accepts medical glasses in its photos as long as they do not cover the eyes, and it does not allow sunglasses. Neither GDRFA Dubai's residence pages nor u.ae add a separate rule on glasses for the residence permit.

ICP's photo guide is the detailed reference: no tinted lenses, no reflection of the flash on the lenses, frames that leave every part of the eyes visible, and lighter frames rather than heavy ones where possible.

Headwear and religious dress

For residence applications, the head-covering rule is the one in ICP's photo guide, whose standards ICP briefed to photography providers in 2021 for residence permit and ID card photos. Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, and the facial features from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.

GDRFA Dubai publishes no separate headwear rule for residence photos, and ICP's approved photo standards do not allow hats.

Babies and children

Each family member sponsored on a residence permit needs a photo of their own. GDRFA Dubai asks for a recent coloured personal photo with a white background for the sponsored person when a family member's residence is renewed. According to ICP, a resident sponsor can bring in a spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25 and children with special needs.

For children, the documents also include an attested birth certificate, and the medical test applies only from the age of 18. The photo itself must show the child alone, facing the camera, with no toys, chair backs or other people in the picture.

Residence permits are applied for online. ICP's residence service runs through its Smart Services website and app, and GDRFA Dubai's through its website and smart application, with Amer and Customer Happiness centres submitting on your behalf for renewals. In each case the photo is a document attached to the application; no official page gives a pixel size or file size.

Because ICP's services guide gives the residence permit photo as "6/4" and the Emirates ID photo as 4.5x3.5 cm, check the size your sponsor's channel asks for when you upload. A digital photo can be cropped and resized to the required shape, or printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter if a centre asks for prints.

Where to submit the photo

The sponsor applies, not the resident. An employer applies for work residence; a resident, citizen or GCC national applies for family members. Outside Dubai, the application goes to ICP through its Smart Services website or app, using the unified identity and residence form. Work residence for categories under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation runs through the Work Bundle, and domestic workers are covered by the Domestic Workers Package.

For Dubai visas, apply to GDRFA Dubai through its website or smart application; renewals can also be made at an Amer service centre or a GDRFA Customer Happiness Centre. A foreigner who entered on an entry permit for residence must complete the residence procedures within 60 days of entry, or overstay fines apply.

How to get your United Arab Emirates residence card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the United Arab Emirates residence card: 40 × 60 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: white background for the sponsored person; one application for permit and ID; no residence sticker; size depends on which card you read.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Residence permits are applied for online. ICP's residence service runs through its Smart Services website and app, and GDRFA Dubai's through its website and smart application, with Amer and Customer Happiness centres submitting on your behalf for renewals.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. The sponsor applies, not the resident. An employer applies for work residence; a resident, citizen or GCC national applies for family members.

Make this photo online

United Arab Emirates residence card photo FAQ

ICP's services guide lists "a recent personal photo with a white background, size 6/4", which reads as 4 x 6 cm, for its residence permit services. The Emirates ID issued with the permit uses 3.5 x 4.5 cm in the same guide, and ICP's photo guide sets a width of 35 to 40 mm.

No. ICP stopped issuing residence stickers on 11 April 2022. The Emirates ID card issued to a foreign resident proves residence and includes the details the sticker used to show, and a residence details form can be printed through the ICP app or website.

ICP now handles both through one unified identity and residence application, submitted by the sponsor. Its residence and ID card services each list a personal photo among their documents; ICP does not say that two different photos are needed.

Usually not. The sponsor applies: your employer for a work permit, or the family member who sponsors you. Long-term categories such as the Golden and Green residence allow residence without a sponsor under their own conditions.

White. GDRFA Dubai asks for a recent personal photograph with a white background for the sponsored person when a private-sector residence permit is issued or renewed, and for a recent coloured photo on white for family members of foreign residents.

Yes. Each dependant is a separate sponsored person, and u.ae lists a recent coloured personal photo with a white background for the dependent among the required documents. The photo must show the child alone.

ICP, GDRFA Dubai and u.ae all ask for a recent photo, and ICP's photo guide says it must be no more than six months old. Take a new one rather than reusing an old print.

Related photo specifications

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Official sources

  1. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Issuing Residency Permit icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Cancellation of the residence sticker and approval of the resident ID card as an alternative icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Identity Card Renewal icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Guide of the Services of ICP (issuance and renewal of residence permits) icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Personal Photo Specifications icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Workshop on the specifications and standards of the personal photograph icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). FAQ (residence and approved photo standards) icp.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai (GDRFA Dubai). Issuing residence permits for the private sector gdrfad.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  9. General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai (GDRFA Dubai). Renewing a residence permit for the private sector gdrfad.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  10. General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai (GDRFA Dubai). Residence renewal for family members of foreign residents gdrfad.gov.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.
  11. u.ae, the official portal of the UAE Government. General provisions for the residence visa u.ae. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"United Arab Emirates residence card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/united-arab-emirates/residence-card-photo

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