Is 2 × 2 inches accepted?

Some guides say so. The ICP sheet gives 35–40 mm wide; a 51 mm square is outside it. This site outputs 35 × 45.

Does the UAE passport use the same sheet?

The ICP sheet is titled for personal photos generally; the UAE passport is not carried on this site.

What size is a UAE visa photo — 43 × 55 mm or 35 × 45 mm?

TL;DR 35–40 mm wide, face at 70–80% of the frame, no more than 6 months old — the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security publishes an ICAO photo specification. The 43 × 55 mm with "head filling 80%" that most guides give is not on it, and this site carried that wrong figure too until 6 September 2026.

What the ICP sheet says

"Personal Photo Specifications", a PDF on icp.gov.ae, is the ICAO photograph guideline almost word for word: no more than 6 months old; 35–40 mm in width; close-up of head and top of shoulders so that the face takes up 70–80% of the photograph; colour neutral; eyes open, no hair across them; facing square on; plain light-coloured background; uniform lighting, no shadows or flash reflections; glasses only with the eyes clearly visible and no tint; head coverings only for religious reasons with chin to forehead and both edges of the face showing; nobody else in the picture.

Where 43 × 55 came from

It circulates with a companion figure — 300 × 369 pixels at 600 DPI — that does not describe a 43 × 55 mm photo at all (43 mm at 600 DPI is about 1016 pixels). A page carrying both is not describing anything an authority published. "Head must fill 80%" states the ICAO band's ceiling as if it were the target.

Three documents that all point to the same ICAO sheet

Document	Size	Head in frame (as we compose it)	Background	Max age	Source
United Arab Emirates visa	35 × 45 mm	70–80%	plain light-coloured, usually white	6 months	icp.gov.ae
Schengen visa	35 × 45 mm	70–80%	plain light-coloured — light grey or white	6 months	home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
Brazil visa	51 × 51 mm	60–75%	plain white	6 months	www.gov.br

A real case

Two applicants for the same Dubai visa, same sponsor: one submitted 43 × 55 from a guide, one 35 × 45 from the ICAO sheet. Both were accepted — which is exactly why the wrong figure survives. The sheet is still the rule; the leniency is the sponsor's.

Common questions

Is 2 × 2 inches accepted?: Some guides say so. The ICP sheet gives 35–40 mm wide; a 51 mm square is outside it. This site outputs 35 × 45.
Does the UAE passport use the same sheet?: The ICP sheet is titled for personal photos generally; the UAE passport is not carried on this site.

Sources

Read on the issuing authority's own pages on the dates shown on each document page:

United Arab Emirates visa: icp.gov.ae (read 2026-09-06)
Schengen visa: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu (read 2026-09-06)

SGfoto is independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by any government or issuing authority — and does not guarantee acceptance. Requirements change; the authority's page is the one that counts. Rebuilt 2026-09-06.