United Arab Emirates UAE visa / residence photo (ICP-ICA), with passport and Emirates ID distinctions Photo Size

Specifications

UAE visa photo: 43 x 55 mm, white background and AED fees

Emirates ID and residence fees in AED

ICP (Federal Authority for Identity) and GDRFA Dubai

Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) (icp.gov.ae) sets the rules.

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) runs Emirates ID, residence visas and entry permits across the UAE, with Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA Dubai) operating its own parallel service. The ICP Personal Photo Specifications sheet requires a photo under 6 months old, 35-40 mm width for the biometric ID, face 70-80% of the frame, sharp focus, direct gaze and natural skin tones. Visa and residence applications are submitted through the ICP Smart Services portal, the UAEICP app, or Tasheel and Amer typing centres.

Almost every UAE residence and visa application is digital. Applicants upload the photo through the ICP portal or use a Tasheel / Amer typing centre; biometrics are then captured at an ICP or GDRFA service centre.

• ICP Smart Services portal — The official icp.gov.ae portal for Emirates ID, residence visas and entry permits.
• UAEICP app — The mobile app for uploading the digital headshot and following the application.
• Tasheel typing centres — Government-approved typing and service centres across the northern emirates that lodge ICP applications.
• Amer service centres (Dubai) — GDRFA Dubai-approved customer happiness centres that process Dubai visas and Emirates ID.
• ICP customer happiness centres — Walk-in centres where biometrics and the urgent AED 150 service are completed.
• GDRFA Dubai centres — Dubai residency and passport centres for the emirate's parallel GDRFA service.
• Photo studios — Studios in malls and souks produce the 43 x 55 mm visa print and the 35 x 45 mm ID photo.
• Home photography — Shoot against a white wall and use the PixlReady UAE 43 x 55 mm preset for the 508 x 650 px upload.

Upload a sharp JPEG headshot through the ICP Smart Services portal or the UAEICP app: 43 x 55 mm equivalent (508 x 650 px), pure white background, face 70-80% of frame. No paper prints are normally mailed in.

ICP portal upload, Emirates ID AED fees and biometrics

UAE residence and visa applications run through the ICP Smart Services portal, with biometrics captured at a service centre. Dubai applicants use the parallel GDRFA Dubai / Amer channel.

1. Create an account on the ICP Smart Services portal or open the UAEICP app.
2. Enter the sponsor's details and upload the 43 x 55 mm digital headshot on a pure white background.
3. Pay the fees: about AED 100 per year for the residence permit, AED 100 for a 5-year Emirates ID (under 21) or AED 200 for 10 years (over 21), plus service and delivery charges.
4. Book a biometrics appointment at an ICP or GDRFA happiness centre; urgent service costs AED 150.
5. Attend the centre for fingerprints, signature and the on-camera biometric photograph.
6. The residence visa stamp and Emirates ID are issued and delivered by courier (about AED 25 delivery).
7. Dubai applicants lodge through Amer centres and GDRFA Dubai rather than the northern-emirates Tasheel network.
8. Renew before expiry: residence visas are typically 2 or 3 years, and the Emirates ID follows the same validity.

Shooting a pure-white 43 x 55 mm UAE visa photo at home

1. Stand against a pure white wall - cream or off-white backgrounds are commonly rejected.
2. Frame a close-up of the head and top of the shoulders so the face fills 70-80% of the frame.
3. Face the camera directly, mouth closed, both eyes open and looking into the lens.
4. Remove sunglasses; prescription glasses stay only if they do not cover the eyes or create reflections.
5. Remove hats; religious head coverings such as the hijab or kufi are allowed only if the full face is visible.
6. Keep hair off the forehead and eyebrows; no jewellery obscuring the face.
7. Use even, shadow-free lighting with natural skin tones.
8. Take the photo within the last 6 months.
9. Use the PixlReady UAE 43 x 55 mm preset to produce the 508 x 650 px, 300 DPI upload.
10. For the Emirates ID biometric photo, use the 35 x 45 mm (413 x 531 px) frame instead.

Use the passport cropper with the United Arab Emirates preset.

UAEICP app upload: 508 x 650 px headshot on white

The ICP portal accepts a cropped digital headshot for visa and residence applications. There is no widely published hard KB cap on icp.gov.ae, but the image must be a high-resolution, sharp JPEG on a pure white background, no more than 6 months old.

• Format: colour JPEG; black-and-white, filtered or retouched images are rejected.
• Size: 43 x 55 mm equivalent (508 x 650 px at 300 DPI) for the visa/residence photo.
• Emirates ID biometric photo: 35 x 45 mm, width 35-40 mm per the ICP ICAO sheet.
• Pure white background - no shadows, patterns, furniture or other people.
• Face 70-80% of the frame, chin to crown, in sharp focus.
• Eyes open, direct gaze, neutral expression, mouth closed.
• No sunglasses; prescription glasses only with no reflections.
• Photo taken within the last 6 months.
• No digital retouching, beauty mode or background replacement.

Compress an oversized JPEG with the image compressor.

Printing 43 x 55 mm UAE photos when hard copies are asked

Because UAE applications are digital, printed photos are rarely mailed in; however, some Tasheel / Amer centres and Dubai GDRFA counters ask for one or two hard copies. A 4 x 6 inch sheet fits several 43 x 55 mm frames.

• Print at 300 DPI so the 43 x 55 mm frame renders at 508 x 650 pixels.
• Use high-quality photo paper; office paper is returned.
• Make one or two copies if the typing centre requests hard copies.
• Keep the white background pure; cream backgrounds are rejected.
• Do not write on the front; keep prints clean and uncreased.
• For the Emirates ID biometric capture, you generally do not need a print - the centre takes the image.
• Do not trim a larger photo down; produce the 43 x 55 mm frame at the right size.
• Confirm the exact size with your typing centre, as GDRFA Dubai lists 5.4 x 5.3 cm for its passport service.

Print-dialog settings: 300 DPI guide · 200 KB upload guide.

Why ICP rejects cream backgrounds, sunglasses and wrong sizes

• Cream or off-white background instead of pure white.
• Wrong size - submitting the 35 x 45 mm Emirates ID photo for a 43 x 55 mm visa application, or vice versa.
• Sunglasses, tinted lenses, or glasses with heavy reflections.
• Hats or religious head coverings that obscure the face.
• Photo older than 6 months.
• Digital retouching, filters or beauty mode.
• Shadows on the face or behind the head, uneven lighting.
• Face not filling 70-80% of the frame.
• Other people, furniture or patterns visible in the background.
• Blurry or low-resolution upload upscaled to fake the pixel size.

Dependants, newborns and parental sponsorship

Children's photos must show the child alone on a white background. Infants may be photographed lying on a white sheet; a parent's supporting hand must stay outside the frame. Both parents' sponsorship and consent are required for dependant residence visas.

• The child must appear alone - no parent, sibling, toy or dummy in frame.
• Lay infants on a white sheet and shoot from above.
• A supporting hand must be completely outside the frame.
• Eyes should be open and looking at the camera as far as age allows.
• Both parents' sponsorship is required for a dependant residence visa.
• Newborns need a birth certificate and the father's Emirates ID for sponsorship.
• Children over 15 may need their own Emirates ID biometric capture.
• School-age children use the same 43 x 55 mm visa photo standard.

Emirates ID, residence visas, entry permits and the GDRFA Dubai channel

The ICP ecosystem spans the Emirates ID card, residence visas, employment and family visas, entry permits and the Golden Visa. Dubai runs the parallel GDRFA Dubai system.

• The Emirates ID (Al-Hawiya, الهوية الإماراتية) is the national identity card; new cards cost AED 100 (5 years, under 21) or AED 200 (10 years, over 21).
• Residence permits are priced at about AED 100 per year of validity, plus service, typing and courier fees.
• Entry permits and visit visas are issued through the ICP portal for tourists and family visitors.
• The Golden Visa (10-year residence) uses the same digital photograph but a longer validity.
• GDRFA Dubai runs the emirate's parallel residency and passport service, stating 5.4 x 5.3 cm for the ordinary passport personal photo.
• Tasheel centres serve Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah; Amer centres serve Dubai.
• The UAE Pass digital identity app links to the ICP service but does not replace the Emirates ID card.
• Medical fitness tests and visa stamping are completed after the biometrics appointment.
• Dependants (spouse, children, parents) are sponsored by a resident earning the minimum salary threshold.
• Urgent service at ICP centres costs AED 150 and shortens processing to a same-day or next-day window.

UAE local details: Arabic terms, ICP/GDRFA channels and typing centres

UAE government services are bilingual Arabic and English. The ICP portal, Tasheel and Amer typing centres, and the Emirates ID terminology are the details that matter most for applicants.

• Arabic official terms: جواز السفر (jawan al-safar, passport), صورة شخصية (sura shakhsiyya, personal photo), الهوية الإماراتية (Al-Hawiya / Emirates ID).
• Background and centre terms: خلفية بيضاء (khalfiya bayda, white background), مركز سعادة المتعاملين (customer happiness centre), مخدمة طباعة / Tasheel, Amer.
• The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security is ICP (formerly ICA); GDRFA Dubai is the emirate's parallel residency directorate.
• Emirates ID fees: AED 100 for under-21 5-year card, AED 200 for over-21 10-year card, AED 150 urgent service.
• Residence permit itself is about AED 100 per year; add the AED 50-100 service fee, AED 25 courier, and typing-centre charges.
• Northern-emirates applicants use Tasheel centres; Dubai applicants use Amer centres and GDRFA Dubai.
• Three sizes coexist: 43 x 55 mm visa/residence, 35 x 45 mm Emirates ID biometric, and 5.4 x 5.3 cm for the GDRFA Dubai ordinary-passport service.
• Religious head coverings (hijab, shayla, kufi, ghutra) are accepted only when the face is fully visible with no shadow.
• Tourist and visit visas re-use the same 43 x 55 mm digital photograph captured through the ICP portal.

Gotchas

• Three sizes coexist: 43 x 55 mm visa/residence, 35 x 45 mm Emirates ID, 5.4 x 5.3 cm GDRFA Dubai passport.
• Background must be pure white; cream or off-white is commonly rejected.
• Applications are digital via the ICP portal or UAEICP app; paper prints are rarely mailed in.
• Emirates ID: AED 100 (under 21, 5 years) or AED 200 (over 21, 10 years); urgent AED 150.
• Photo must be within the last 6 months, face 70-80% of frame.