ALERT FOR INDIAN PASSPORT APPLICANTS IN THE UAE
Beginning 1 September 2025, Indian passport and visa applicants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will have to comply with updated, globally recognized standards of photos.
According to an advisory issued by BLS International, the official agency that provides India with passport and visa service in the UAE, applicants have been reminded of the strict photo guidelines outlined in ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation).
All the passport applicants who are Indians visiting BLS centres in the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and other emirates, are also impacted by the update.
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What Changed
Henceforth, every passport photo will be required to meet ICAO international standards. It is the same worldwide regulations used by the majority of countries to ensure the passports are machine-readable and safe.
The intention behind the new system is to make sure that all the photos can be scanned in by the immigration systems across the globe. It also prevents rejection of photos which are likely to delay the passport processing.
BLS has recommended that photos that lift the regulations will not be accepted. Should your picture not comply with the ICAO standards, it might be rejected or postponed until you provide the appropriate one.
New Dress Code for Passport Photos
The most recent advisory by BLS also proposes an obligatory idea of bearing a dress among the applicants.
- To ensure that your photo passes by the ICAO test, you have to:
- Wear dark-coloured clothing (dark grey, maroon, black or navy).
Do not use white or light-coloured tops because one will merge with the white background and the system will decline the photo.
This is a minor change but it is a significant one.
Most of the UAE job seekers were even posting light-shirted pictures or traditional white-colored pictures without understanding that they would end up being lost in the scans when provided in digital format. It resulted in the rejection of photos and wasted appointments.
This will help the applicants to save time and unnecessary visits to the office by adhering to the new dress code.
Avoid Delays & Rejections
The BLS reported wrong photos to be the single biggest source of passport delays in the UAE.
- That is even greater with these new ICAO rules.
- They are encouraged to dress suitably in front of the appointment and ensure that photos are adhered to before they submit them.
In case your photo is not corresponding to ICAO checklist, BLS employees will request you to retouch the photo, which will require additional processing, time, and possibly a revisit.
Official ICAO Photo Requirements
The new photo requirements issued by BLS international are as follows:
- Size: 2 x 2 inches (51 mm x 51 mm)
- Background: White (no patterns, no shadows).
- Face coverage: Face is expected to take 8085 percent of the frame.
- Appearance: Indifferent face, eyes in motion, mouth shut.
- Transparency: No filters, no photoshop, no retouching.
- Head coverings: They can only be worn due to religious purposes, but the entire face (down to forehead) is not to be covered.
- Lighting: There is no lighting shadow on the face; there is no redness in the eyes.
- Recency: The photo should be new (not older than 3 months old.
For Parents of Newborns
The new BLS notice also contains a special message of parents who seek passports to their new born babies.
BLS has clarified that they do not take photos of the newborns in their centres.
The parents should carry ICAO-conforming photos of the child taken in a professional photo studio.
This does not imply that the photo has to be of a lower standard, i.e. plain white background, entire face in the shot, and the right size. The parents must tell the studio that it is an Indian passport by the ICAO regulations.
Also essential would be the original birth documents of the baby and other necessary documents to be provided to the passport processing.
Why the ICAO Rule Matters
The ICAO photo standard is not a random rule as it is one of the international systems that make biometric passports effective in international travel.
Airport machines will not be able to read the facial data correctly when the photos are not in the established format.
This may lead to security problems as well as printing passports which are incorrect.
The Ministry of External Affairs in India had resolved to implement the system to conform to international biometric passport standards so that the Indian passports could continue to be recognised as internationally and easily tested in the airports across the world.
That would translate to quality passports and easier travel clearances to the UAE-based Indian residents.
How to Prepare for Your BLS Appointment
This quick checklist, which you should have completed before going to your nearest BLS centre is:
- Have a new photo taken that complies with ICAO guidelines.
- The new requirements are already known by most of the professional photo studios in the UAE.
- Put on dark clothes for example,black, dark brown or navy.
- Do not wear light pastel or white colours.
- Do not wear a head or an accessory that conceals the face (unless it is to do with a religion).
- Size of photo: 2x 2 inches.
- Print and electronic copy: Preferably bring both hardcopies and soft copies.
- Do not use filters/ photo editing software.
- Newborns: Carry your original documents and ICAO-compliant baby photo.
These steps will save you time and will not make you rejected at the counter.
What Happens If Your Photo Is Rejected
In case of incorrect taking of your photo, which does not conform to the ICAO rules or dress code then the BLS will reject your application.
You’ll need to:
- Reshoot the photo according to the new requirements.
- Re-book an appointment (where necessary).
- Return to the centre using the new picture.
Although it is possible to have on-site photography in some BLS centres, it is safer that you come to the appointment with the right photo. In so doing, you save on any additional time spent there waiting and have your application proceed well.
Advice from BLS Staff
The employees of the BLS centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are constantly reminding the applicants on this new change daily.
They claim that most of the rejections occur due to light clothes or lack of contrast.
They recommend applicants to dress well, obey directions and look at the BLS UAE official site or the Instagram page prior to their appointment.
Final Words
Due to all Indian passport applicants in UAE, this is a mere yet important advice:
The slightest of details such as the colour of your shirt or the location of your face can make or break your passport.
So before you visit BLS:
- Check your photo’s size.
- Wear dark clothes.
- Stick to the ICAO standards.
It is better to do it once and save hours of waiting and rejection.
These new ICAO photo rules will be compulsory to all BLS centres in the UAE from 1 September 2025.
Wear proper clothes, carry your papers and contribute to making passport process quicker to yourself and others.
