India has announced new rules for passport applications, with updated requirements set to begin on September 1, 2025.
Indian expats in the UAE applying for passports need to meet strict International Civil Aviation Organisation photography requirements, announced the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
The ICAO sets international requirements for passport photography standards.
India passport applications for UAE expats
The consulate advice follows directives from the Ministry of External Affairs and enforces rules around the quality and accuracy of photographs on passport applications.
The Indian consulate highlighted new passport photo rules, and explained the updated rules.
The important announcementwas made on August 25, with enforcement tobegin on September 1, 2025.
New India passport rules
According to the Consulate General of India in Dubai, the complete passport photograph guidelines as per ICAO standards to be adhered to photograph are:
- Close up of the head and top of the shoulders such that the face takes up 80-85 per cent of the photograph
- The photograph should be in colour and dimensions should be 630×810 pixels
- Photos should be unaltered by computer software
- Background of the photograph should be white
The Consulate added that photographs must
- Show the applicant looking directly at the camera
- Show skin tones naturally
- Have appropriate brightness and contrast
- Show the applicants eyes open and clearly visible
- Should not have hair across the eyes
- Be taken with uniform lighting and not show shadows or flash reflections on the face and no red eye
- Mouth should not be open
- Be taken from distance of 1.5m from a camera (not too close)
- Should not be blurred
- It should have full face, front view, eyes open
- Photo should be present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin
- Centre head within frame (head should not be tilted)
- There should not be any distracting shadows on the face or in the background
- Should not have reflection of the glasses; glasses to be taken off to avoid reflections
- Illumination shall not cause any red eye effects visible in the eyes or other effects reducing the visibility of the eyes
- Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, but the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown
- The expression on the face should look natural
