UAE visa photo size
A UAE visa photo on ICP's portal is a square JPEG, 600 to 1200 pixels a side, at least 96 dpi and under 2 MB.
Jump to the toolYour workspace PIXELS · PREVIEW · DOWNLOADPrivate by default
Processed on your deviceNo watermark. No signup.
The portal says so beside its upload, not the millimetre print sizes other sites quote. This tool opens at 600 by 600 and writes 96 dpi into the file.
What the authority specifies
- Photo size
- 600 x 600 to 1200 x 1200 pixels
- Background
- white
- File size
- up to 2 MB
- Resolution
- At least 96 DPI
- Source
- smartservices.icp.gov.ae
- Read at the source on
Each size on this page was read at the issuing authority's own website, not copied from another converter or from a search result.
The page it came from and the date it was read are printed above, so you can check the same source in one click.
Why this size?
ICP's website gives a visitor's visa photo no size at all, only "a colored personal photo with a white background". The one size it states is in a note beside the Personal Photo upload on its smart services portal.
That note asks for a square photo, 600 to 1200 pixels a side, at least 96 dpi. The portal refuses a file over 2 MB, or one that is not a JPG or JPEG.
Then ICP's server checks the face itself, and the photo is accepted only once that check passes.
Where the pixel figure comes from
Passport offices publish millimetres, not pixels, because the photograph is printed. Turning millimetres into pixels needs a resolution, and most authorities do not name one.
This one publishes pixels directly, because the photo is uploaded, and names a minimum resolution as well: 96 DPI.
A browser saves a JPEG with no resolution in it at all, only "no unit". So the file you download records 96 DPI in its header, and a check that reads it finds the figure the authority asked for.
That matters if you are uploading rather than printing.
An online form usually states its own pixel size or file size limit, and where an authority publishes one this page uses that instead of converting anything.
Check before you submit
Requirements change, and the only version that counts is the one on the authority's own page on the day you apply.
Every size here links to the page it came from and shows the date it was read. If that date looks old, spend a minute at the source before you print anything.
What happens to your photo?
Your selected photo is processed in your browser, without an image upload to a server. The page may download code and codecs needed for editing.
Save your result before closing the tab; unsaved edits are kept in memory rather than in an online account.
Common questions
Is a UAE visa photo 35 x 45 mm?
Not for the online visa. ICP's portal asks for a square file, 600 to 1200 pixels a side, and names no millimetres.
The millimetres come from elsewhere. ICP's FAQ gives 3.5 x 4.5 cm for an Emirati passport renewed abroad, and its ICAO photo leaflet describes a print 35 to 40 mm wide. Neither is a visitor's upload.
Is the UAE visa photo limit 100 KB?
No. The portal's own setting is 2 MB, and a bigger file is refused with "The file size exceeded the maximum size permitted". It sets no minimum file size.
Figures like 100 KB and 240 KB appear on photo sites, not on any ICP page we read. 240 kB is the US visa's limit.
Is the UAE visa photo the same as the US visa photo?
The box is the same, word for word: square, 600 by 600 to 1200 by 1200 pixels. The file rules are not. The US DS-160 allows 240 kB and a 20 to 1 compression limit; ICP allows 2 MB.
ICP also asks for at least 96 dpi, which the US names nowhere. This page writes 96 dpi into the file, and the US visa page does not.
What background does a UAE visa photo need?
White. ICP's FAQ asks for "a colored personal photo with a white background", and its answer on photo standards says the same.
The ICAO leaflet the portal links to says a plain light-coloured background, and white meets both. Hats and sunglasses are not allowed. Medical glasses are, if they do not cover the eyes.
Why does the portal say "Invalid image content"?
After the upload, ICP's server checks the photo itself. It can refuse it as "Invalid image content", or with "Invalid image, Please upload more clear resolution image".
Both come from that check, not from the 2 MB limit, so resizing the file will not fix them. Start again from a sharp, straight-on photo against white.
Does this apply if a hotel, agent or relative applies for me?
A UAE tourist visa is usually applied for by a sponsor: a tourism company such as a hotel or travel agent, or a relative or friend living in the UAE.
Their own forms may set other limits, which this page has not read. Dubai's GDRFA lists only "one personal photo". A file that meets ICP's portal is the safe one to send them.
Last updated: