The Indian Consulate Dubai has issued new photo rules for passport applications, which will come into effect from 1 September 2025. Now Indian immigrants will have to provide ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standard photos for passports.
This means that most people will have to get a new photo taken. This change has been made on the instructions of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India. The embassy has clearly stated that now only those applications will be accepted which have ICAO standard photos.
New photo guidelines
According to the new photo guidelines: The photo should be in colour, with a white background, the face should be visible in 80–85% of the frame, the eyes should be open and the face should be facing straight ahead. The photo should not have hair on the eyes, the mouth should be closed, there should be no shadow or glare on the face and the skin colour should look natural. The photo should not be blurry or edited and should be taken from a distance of about 1.5 metres. Glasses should not be worn. The head can be covered for religious reasons, but the entire face should be clearly visible.
Small children’s passport photos will have to be taken outside
BLS (BLS International), which handles passport application services, has also been informed of these rules, but their website still shows the old rules. BLS provides photo service at its centers for 30 dirhams, but newborn babies are not photographed there. Therefore, for passports of small children, parents will have to get their photos taken from outside.
