What the Saudi national ID card is
The Saudi national ID card, called the Huwiyya in everyday speech, is the main proof of citizenship for Saudi nationals. It is issued by the Civil Affairs Department of the Ministry of Interior and is used for identification with government agencies and banks. Your photo becomes the facial image stored on the card's chip next to your fingerprints, so it has to show your face clearly at the right size.
Applying and renewing through Absher
New applications, renewals and replacements of lost or damaged cards go through the Absher service on my.gov.sa. Log in, open Civil Affairs, choose the national ID card service, fill in the form and upload your photo. The portal checks the photo at upload and names the exact requirement that failed, so you can fix the photo and upload it again without losing the rest of your application. The photo step is the same for a renewal as for a new card.
ID card photo size explained
Our template makes a 4×6 cm photo (40×60 mm) with a head size of about 38 mm from chin to crown and about 6 mm of space above the hair. A print at 300 DPI keeps the photo sharp. For a digital upload, the portal publishes its own technical limits, so check Absher for the current numbers. A photo taken straight from a phone is usually several megabytes, far larger than an upload allows; our tool resizes the file for you.
Do not mix up Saudi document photos
The tourist e-visa on visitsaudi.com uses a 200×200 pixel square photo, and that format applies only to the e-visa. Do not upload an e-visa photo to the ID card service, and do not assume passport rules are the same. For other documents, see our Saudi passport photo page or the Saudi e-visa photo page.
ID card photo checklist
- Correct photo size: 4×6 cm for a printed photo.
- Plain white background with no shadows.
- Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open.
- Head straight and centred, face fully visible.
- No hair or clothing across the face.
- Sharp colour photo without filters.
