Yemen visa photos as required by the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen
Yemen issues entry visas through its embassies and consulates abroad, with the Ministry of Interior’s Immigration, Passport and Nationality Authority working alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There is no visa application centre operator and no e-visa upload channel for general applicants. Applicants submit two identical printed colour photographs with their application form, either in person at the consular section or by mail, and the photo specification published by the Yemen Embassy in the Netherlands is the only post that documents an explicit millimetre size for visa photographs.
Other Yemeni missions apply the host country’s local passport-size convention. The embassies in Washington D.C., Ottawa, and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations accept a 2 by 2 inch print, while the Yemen Embassy in London uses the 35 by 45 mm format. Across every channel the background must be plain white, the face must sit square to the camera, and the subject must not wear glasses of any kind, including prescription or medical frames.
Consular staff inspect each print on intake and reject photos that do not match the embassy’s published examples. A non-compliant photograph will cause the application to be returned, and the applicant must resubmit a corrected photo before the file is processed. General tourist and business visa processing has been heavily restricted since 2022, so the small number of accepted categories receive close scrutiny on every element of the packet.
Yemen visa photo requirements at a glance
The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassies apply strict subject rules to visa photographs. Review each group below before you submit your application packet.
Expression & pose
- Neutral expressionThe applicant must hold a neutral expression with the mouth closed. Smiling, frowning, or other expressions are not accepted.
- Eyes open and visibleBoth eyes must be fully open and looking directly at the camera. Hair, frames, or shadows must not obscure either eye.
- Head square to cameraThe head must face the camera directly in a full frontal view, without tilt or rotation. The entire face from chin to forehead must be visible.
- Shoulders includedThe frame shows the entire face and part or all of the shoulders. The face fills roughly 80 to 90 percent of the frame height, which is tighter than the typical ICAO composition.
Eyewear & lenses
- Glasses prohibitedThe Yemen Embassy in The Hague explicitly forbids both prescription and sun glasses in visa photographs. There is no medical exception, so applicants who normally wear glasses must remove them for the photo.
- Tinted or coloured lensesTinted lenses, sunglasses, and any eyewear that conceals the eyes are not permitted.
Hair & facial features
- Hair off the faceHair must not fall across the eyes or eyebrows. A fringe that sits above the eyebrows is acceptable.
- Ears visibleBoth ears should be visible in the photograph. Hair styled to cover the ears is grounds for rejection at the consulate’s discretion.
Headwear
- Hats not permittedHats and caps of any shape or form are prohibited in Yemen visa photographs.
- Religious head coveringsHead coverings worn for religious reasons are accepted by diplomatic convention provided the full face from chin to forehead, including both cheeks and the jawline, remains unobstructed.
Cosmetics & accessories
- Natural appearanceThe photograph should reflect the applicant’s current everyday appearance. Heavy makeup or styling that alters recognisable features is not appropriate.
- Face unobstructedJewellery, scarves, and other accessories must not cover any part of the face or cast shadows across it.
Clothing
- Everyday attireOrdinary clothing in colours that contrast with the white background is recommended. Uniforms are discouraged except for serving military or religious personnel where applicable.
Photo recency
- Taken within six monthsYemeni missions require a recent photograph. The operative consular convention is that the image must have been taken within the last six months and must represent the applicant’s current appearance.
Dimensions, resolution & background.
Head position & camera distance.
- Head height, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, must be between 36 mm and 40 mm (roughly 60–66% of the photo height).
- Eyes must sit between 30 mm and 36 mm from the bottom of the photo.
- The head must be centered horizontally in the frame with a small symmetrical margin on each side.
- Both shoulders must be square to the camera and visible. Three-quarter angles or rotated torsos are not accepted.
- The full face from chin to crown must be inside the frame with proper top margin.
How recent the photo must be.
Your visa photo must have been taken within the last six months. A new photo is required sooner whenever your appearance has changed in a way that makes the old photo no longer recognizable.
You need a new photo if you’ve had…
- Facial surgery or a major change to facial structure
- A significant gain or loss of weight that visibly changes your face
- Large facial tattoos or piercings added or removed
- A gender transition that has changed your appearance
You do not need a new photo just because of…
- A new hair color
- Growing or removing a beard or moustache
- Ordinary, minor aging
- A new hairstyle that still leaves the face fully visible
Other things to know.
A few channel-specific quirks set Yemen apart from most visa photo workflows.
No e-visa upload channel
Yemen does not operate a general e-visa portal. The June 2025 electronic system is restricted to accredited tour-group applications, and a physical sticker visa is still collected from a consulate. Plan to submit two identical printed photos with the paper application.
Embassy-specific size variants
The Yemen Embassy in The Hague publishes 60 x 40 mm as the visa photo size. Yemeni missions in Washington D.C., Ottawa, and the UN Mission in New York follow the local 2 x 2 in convention, and the London embassy uses 35 x 45 mm. Match the size to the post that will receive your application.
Two identical prints required
Walk-in and mail-in submissions require two identical photographs in the application packet. Mail-in applications to the North American posts must also include a pre-paid self-addressed return envelope.
Socotra entry permit exception
Socotra island entry permits are arranged through local accredited tour operators and historically require only a scanned passport data page, with no separate applicant photograph submitted.
Take your Yemen visa photo at home in three steps.
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Print-quality requirements for in-person submissions.
When you submit a printed photo at a visa application centre, the paper, finish, and ink all matter. The points below cover the standards most consular missions accept.
- Print on photographic-quality paper at 300 DPI minimum.
- Use a matte or semi-gloss finish; high-gloss can produce reflections that confuse biometric scanners.
- Do not retouch, crop, or alter the photo after printing.
- Bring at least two identical prints when the submission channel calls for paper photos.