Bahrain LMRA (200 KB) and ID card photo requirements

Updated 2026-09-20

Last checked: 2026-09-20. Verify with the official source before submitting.

Two Bahraini systems have published photo rules, and they are different. The Labour Market Regulatory Authority's Expatriate Management System accepts JPEG photos of at most 200 KB; the LMRA even publishes a page walking employers through resizing in Paint.NET and checking the size in the file's Properties dialog. The national ID card (smart card) specification instead asks for a 32.5 x 43 mm frame at 300 dpi, a minimum of 1244 x 933 pixels, JPG, and a maximum of 2 MB.

This guide covers both. The main button opens the compressor set to 200 KB for LMRA; the second set of links resizes to the ID card ratio and keeps the file under 2 MB. Both sources are official Bahraini government pages (in Arabic) and are linked in the table.

Requirements at a glance

Requirement	Value	Source
LMRA: file size	200 KB maximum	lmra.gov.bh (Arabic)
LMRA: format	JPEG	lmra.gov.bh (Arabic)
LMRA: pixel size	Not stated	lmra.gov.bh (Arabic)
ID card: frame	32.5 x 43 mm (3:4), 300 dpi	services.bahrain.bh ID spec (PDF, Arabic)
ID card: minimum resolution	1244 x 933 px as written (portrait 3:4, i.e. 933 wide x 1244 tall)	services.bahrain.bh ID spec (PDF, Arabic)
ID card: format and size	.jpg / .jpeg, 2 MB maximum	services.bahrain.bh ID spec (PDF, Arabic)
ID card: composition	Colour, white background, face 70 to 80% of image height, not older than 6 months	services.bahrain.bh ID spec (PDF, Arabic)

Open the tool with these settings

Compress to 200 KB for LMRA

Outputs JPEG at or under 200 KB. Dimensions are kept unless quality alone cannot reach the target.

Then: Resize to 933 x 1244 for the ID card (3:4)

Centre-crops to 3:4 and saves as JPG.

Then: Compress to under 2 MB (ID card, if needed)

Only if the resized file exceeds 2 MB.

All tools linked here run in your browser; the photo is never uploaded to GivenTool.

LMRA: JPEG, 200 KB maximum

The LMRA page titled "Resize images" states that the maximum permitted size for images uploaded to the Expatriate Management System is 200 kilobytes, in JPEG format. The page then teaches the manual method: open the image in Paint.NET, choose Resize, reduce the dimensions, save, and confirm the size under Properties in Windows Explorer. The compressor here does the same in one step and without installing anything: it finds the highest JPEG quality that lands under 200 KB and reduces dimensions only if it must.

No pixel dimensions or ratio are stated for LMRA uploads, so keep the photo's natural portrait framing and let the tool handle the size. A typical passport-style photo ends up around 800 to 1000 pixels tall at 200 KB, which is more than the system displays.

ID card: 3:4, at least 1244 x 933 px, 2 MB

The identity card photo specification document from Bahrain's eGovernment services lists: a 32.5 mm by 43 mm frame (a 3:4 ratio), 300 dpi, a minimum resolution stated as 1244 x 933 pixels, .jpg or .jpeg format, a maximum of 2 MB, colour with a white background, the face occupying 70 to 80% of the image height, and a photo no older than six months.

Read the pixel figure carefully: 1244 x 933 is written width-first in the PDF but describes a portrait (taller than wide) 3:4 frame, so a photo of 933 pixels wide by 1244 tall satisfies it. The resizer preset uses exactly that. A JPEG of that size at high quality is 300 to 700 KB, safely under 2 MB; if you start from a larger custom size and exceed 2 MB, the compressor link below fixes it.

Step by step

For LMRA: open the 200 KB compressor, drop the JPEG (or HEIC, which is converted), click Compress and download. The result card confirms the size.

For the ID card: open the resizer with the Bahrain ID preset (933 x 1244, JPG), check that the face fills 70 to 80% of the height, and download. If the file is over 2 MB, run the compressor with the 2 MB target.

Upload to the respective portal and keep the original photo in case the system asks for a re-upload.

Frequently asked questions

Does the LMRA limit mean 200,000 bytes or 204,800 bytes?

The page says 200 kilobytes without defining it. The tool measures in 1024-byte kilobytes and aims just under, so results are typically 180 to 200 KB; if the system still complains, set the target to 195 KB.

Is the ID card minimum 1244 wide or 1244 tall?

The frame is 32.5 x 43 mm, which is taller than wide, so the 1244 figure is the height and 933 the width. The PDF lists them as "1244 x 933". A 933 x 1244 photo matches the 3:4 frame at 300 dpi.

Can I use the same photo for LMRA and the ID card?

Yes, from the same original. Make the ID version first (933 x 1244, under 2 MB), then compress a copy of it to 200 KB for LMRA.

Do I need Paint.NET as the LMRA page suggests?

No. The LMRA page describes a manual method for Windows users. The compressor here reaches the same 200 KB result in the browser on any device, including phones.

Is the photo uploaded to GivenTool?

No. All processing happens on your device; only you upload the result to the Bahraini portals.

This guide summarises published requirements for convenience. It is not legal advice and GivenTool is not affiliated with any government. The issuing authority's page is the only authoritative source.