While travel to Dubai is recovering as regional unrest subsides, South African visa specialists are reporting an increase in visa rejections because applicant photographs are failing to meet the UAE's updated biometric image requirements.
“Following the recent regional conflict, we have started to see travel demand to Dubai increase again, with a fast-growing number of clients requesting to visit the destination and, consequently, an increase in Dubai visa applications,” explained Vanessa De Stefano, GM of Reservations at Thompsons Holidays.
“However, we have experienced an unusually high number of visa rejections due to applicant photographs not aligning with Dubai Immigration’s system set-up. The rejection notices simply state that the photograph does not meet Dubai Immigration's requirements, without providing any further explanation.”
The revised photograph requirements align with International Civil Aviation Organization standards, which are widely used by governments globally for biometric identity verification, explained an official VFS Global spokesperson.
The enhanced specifications were implemented by UAE immigration authorities in May, with formal notification issued on May 13.
Requirements include:
- The skin tone should be natural. In case of over-exposure or under-exposure of the photo, the skin is either too dark or too light, and the photo will not be acceptable.
- The face (from forehead edge to bottom of chin) should be 70% to 80% of the photo or one inch in height.
- The photo must have plain light background.
- The lighting must be uniform with no shadows on the face or behind.
- The photo should be ideally printed by professional photo studio with continuous
tone and good resolution. Polaroid photos or photos printed with ordinary
printers are not suitable.
Raza Desia, Co-Founder of Dubai Visa South Africa, told Travel News that Dubai Visas had also recently had to submit multiple photograph attempts before receiving approvals.
“We are experiencing some delays because we have to keep uploading new photos until a photo gets accepted when doing the application on the system. It does not give the reason as to why the particular photo isn’t being accepted which makes it extremely difficult to determine the actual issue,” said Desia.
“More than 80% of photos are an issue since the changes, so it adds significantly more admin and time to the application. It’s been extremely challenging and takes many back-and-forths with customers.”
Desia believes the stricter standards may be linked to the roll-out of facial recognition technology at UAE airports, while De Stefano suggested that the images could be undergoing more stringent automated checks within Dubai Immigration's systems.
Travel News contacted VFS Global to find out about the reasons for the heightened specifications and the increased rejection of applicant photographs.
However, an official VFS Global spokesperson clarified: “VFS Global does not have visibility into the internal technical systems or validation mechanisms used by UAE immigration authorities. The visa application assessment, including rejection decisions and underlying reasons, rests solely with the respective government authorities. VFS Global does not receive detailed rejection reasons from immigration authorities.”
Improving photo quality
To reduce the chances of photographs being rejected, visa specialists are implementing checking mechanisms and recommending that their clients have their photos taken professionally.
Candice Magen, Founder and Director of Abroadscope, said it had also experienced challenges regarding Dubai tourist visa rejections due to non-compliant images, particularly selfies.
“Our best advice is to always use a high-resolution HD image taken on a phone rather than a selfie. To ensure compliance with the new guidelines, we usually request that our clients come to our office to have their photos taken. This allows us to check the photo quality and ensure it meets all necessary standards before we process the application.”
De Stefano and Desia are also recommending that their clients have their application photographs taken professionally.
“To minimise any issues, we are asking our clients to have their photographs taken professionally and to submit digital versions rather than scanned copies to preserve the image quality. Despite these measures, we continue to receive a high number of photograph-related rejections,” said De Stefano.
Desia said while professional photos reduced the likelihood of being rejected, it did not guarantee acceptance either.
“As a result, we have had to build our own AI systems to help us with this. The new in-house tool helps us flag and edit images ourselves to meet the new requirements.”
“We have engaged through partners but it is something immigration said would remain and we simply will need to meet the system requirements going forward.”
VFS Global said it had proactively informed the travel trade and applicants of the revised photograph specifications and strongly recommended strict adherence to the new photograph guidelines.
“We advise applicants to adhere to these requirements to minimise the likelihood of delays related to non-compliant submissions.”
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) told Travel News that it is committed to working closely with partners across the public and private sectors to ensure a smooth, accessible journey for all visitors.
“Dubai continues to be a highly attractive destination for South African visitors, thanks to its excellent connectivity, diverse tourism offering, Arabian hospitality, and consistently high-quality visitor experiences. We look forward to continuing to engage with travel trade professionals in South Africa to build on the strong affinity for Dubai in the market,” said Dubai DET
De Stefano said: “While we understand that new photograph requirements have been introduced, we have never previously experienced this volume of rejections. With travel demand to Dubai gaining momentum, it is important that the visa application process supports, rather than hinders, this recovery. The current volume of photograph-related rejections is causing frustration for travellers and travel partners and could ultimately affect visitor numbers during this important recovery period.”
