There is no published, universal Absher self-service that lets every resident upload a replacement photo for an existing Iqama. Do not follow guides that tell you to replace the image through passport-information updates or to upload a photo to an unofficial form. If the photo is materially wrong, outdated enough to cause an identity problem, or attached to the wrong record, first ask the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) which procedure applies to your case.
Decide whether this is a photo issue
Compare the Iqama record with the holder’s current passport and identity details. A poor print on a physical card may be a document-delivery or replacement issue rather than a change to the underlying photograph. A wrong name, date of birth, nationality or passport number is a data-correction issue and may require a different service. Describe the problem precisely when you enquire.
A routine preference for a newer or more flattering image is not the same as an identification mismatch. Jawazat decides whether a photograph can or should be replaced and how identity must be verified. Do not assume that renewing the Iqama automatically changes its photo.
Check who is responsible for the request
The correct person to deal with Jawazat may depend on sponsorship. A company-sponsored worker should ask the employer’s authorised HR or government-relations representative to check the case. For a family dependant, the sponsoring family member should make the enquiry. An individual sponsor should handle the record of a domestic worker through the sponsor route available to them.
Before booking travel to an office, use the contact details published on the official Absher: official service portal portal or call Passports on 992, the number listed by the Ministry of Interior. Ask:
- whether a photo change is available for the reason you have;
- whether the resident, sponsor, employer or authorised representative must attend;
- which appointment service and purpose to select;
- which Jawazat branch handles the request;
- which originals, copies, photographs or authorisations are required; and
- whether any charge applies to the specific document action.
Record the date of the enquiry and the guidance given. Requirements can depend on the underlying correction, the holder’s age and the record involved, so this confirmation is safer than a generic checklist.
Book the appointment you are told to use
Absher provides an official Passports Appointments page. Its public verification form asks for the beneficiary’s ID or a visitor’s border number and date of birth; it also notes that a parent’s ID is used where the beneficiary is under 15 or has no ID. Registered users may also see appointment management inside Absher.
- Open Absher directly, not through a link sent in a message.
- Use the Passports appointment route and select only the purpose Jawazat or Absher support confirmed.
- Choose the instructed branch and an available time.
- Review the beneficiary, branch and purpose, then save or print the confirmation.
- If no suitable purpose or branch appears, stop and ask official support again; do not book an unrelated service.
Prepare without guessing
Take the appointment confirmation and the documents confirmed during your enquiry. These will commonly begin with the resident’s current passport and Iqama, but do not treat that as the complete list. If the passport itself contains an outdated or incorrect image, resolve that with the passport-issuing authority before expecting Jawazat to rely on it. Bring sponsor or employer documentation only where instructed.
Do not pay an intermediary to “unlock” the record, provide account passwords or verification codes, or send identity images to an unverified contact. This guide gives no fixed charge because no official universal photo-change fee and route has been published for all residents.
At the branch and afterwards
Explain the exact mismatch and show the officer the documents requested. The branch will decide what identity checks, biometric capture, record correction or replacement document are required. Do not rely on claims that a particular counter will always take a new photograph or that airport staff will update a child’s image on request; those are not reproducible public procedures.
Before leaving, ask how to confirm completion and whether a new physical card will be issued or delivered. Afterwards, check the resident’s official digital Iqama details in Absher and follow only the delivery or collection instructions provided for the case. If the request is refused, ask for the correct service category or the missing evidence rather than repeatedly booking the same appointment.