guide

Cabin Crew Application Photos: What Airlines Require

11.10.2026 · checked at the source 11.10.2026 · Mateusz Pawlik

Contents

1. Which airlines require photos?
2. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar: requirements in one table
3. Emirates: 4 photos from the past month
4. Etihad: 3 studio photos
5. Qatar Airways: no photo requirement in 2026
6. European airlines: LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Buzz, Enter Air
7. One set for Emirates and Etihad
8. Full-length photos for cabin crew applications: how I shoot them
9. Can you send old photos?
10. Which airlines are recruiting in Poland now?
11. Frequently asked questions
12. Sources

Of the airlines that hire cabin crew (flight attendants) in Poland, Emirates and Etihad require photos. Qatar Airways doesn’t mention photos on its current recruitment page. Guides and AI chatbots often say Wizz Air and Buzz want a full-length photo too, but the official materials of the European airlines that recruit in Poland (LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Buzz, Enter Air) don’t have that requirement. They ask for a CV, and Wizz Air for a CV with an ID photo.

The Emirates and Etihad requirements are precise: full length from the top of the head to the shoes, facing the camera, arms by your sides, no retouching. Emirates wants photos taken within the past month, and its guidelines mention neither the 13×18 cm size nor the 500 KB limit that guides keep repeating. Digitals work on the same principles: unretouched photos that show a modelling agency what you really look like. I shoot them in Warsaw as part of my regular work. Each airline’s requirements come from its own documents (checked on 8 and 11 October 2026).

Which airlines require photos?

Two airlines require photos: Emirates (4 photos from the past month) and Etihad (3 studio photos). Qatar Airways doesn’t mention photos on its current recruitment page, and LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Buzz and Enter Air don’t require a full-length photo in their official materials. Wizz Air only asks for an ID photo on your CV.

Airline	Photos in the application	Source
Emirates	yes, 4 photos from the past month	Photo Guidelines (PDF)
Etihad	yes, 3 studio photos	Style & Image, women (PDF), men (PDF)
Qatar Airways	the page and 2026 listings don’t mention them, only a CV and a form; 2025 recruitment days in Poland asked for 2 passport photos	recruitment page, 2026 listing
LOT	no, a CV and business attire on the day	lot.com
Wizz Air	only an ID photo on the CV, no full length; “smart business attire” on the recruitment day	recruitment days, sample listing
Ryanair and Buzz	not mentioned in the listing; the first step of the form requires a CV, a profile photo is optional	careers.ryanair.com, Buzz Warsaw listing
Enter Air	no, only a CV	fly.enterair.pl

If an airline’s form asks for a photo its October 2026 guidelines didn’t list, the requirements may have changed. Always check the form you’re applying through.

Emirates, Etihad and Qatar: requirements in one table

Emirates wants 4 photos from the past month and doesn’t require a studio. Etihad wants 3 studio photos on a white background. Qatar Airways doesn’t mention photos in 2026; in 2025 it asked for 2 passport photos on the recruitment day.

	Emirates	Etihad	Qatar Airways
Number of photos	4	3	2 passport photos (2025 recruitment days)
Shots	formal full length, passport, “smart” full length and half-length	full length in long and in short sleeves, passport	2014 document: full length and portrait
Size	full length 10×15 cm (2:3), passport 4.5×3.5 cm (7:9)	passport 3.5×4.5 cm (7:9)	2014 document: 10×15 cm and 3.5×4.5 cm
Background	not specified	plain white	2014 document: light blue
Retouching	not allowed	not allowed, no filters	2014 document: no alterations
How recent	within the past month	“recent”	no data
Studio	not required (the PDF’s examples are shot outside a studio)	required	no data
File or print	files to upload	not specified	2025: photos brought to the recruitment day

Emirates: 4 photos from the past month

Emirates requires four photos taken within the past month. Older photos from a previous application won’t do.

1. Full-length photo in formal attire, 10×15 cm. The top of your head and your shoes must be visible.
2. Passport photo, 4.5×3.5 cm (the same format as 3.5×4.5 cm, just written the other way round), “identical”, i.e. from the same session and in the same outfit.
3. Full-length “smart / sophisticated” photo (Emirates also calls it casual, guides often say “smart casual”), 10×15 cm: jeans and a fitted, plain T-shirt.
4. “Smart / sophisticated” half-length photo, head to waist, in the same outfit.

You upload the photos as files (“You must upload…”), so 10×15 cm is an aspect ratio, not a print. In every photo you stand straight, facing the camera, hands flat by your sides, legs together, with a natural smile. Emirates doesn’t specify a background colour: the photo must be sharp and well lit, with no shadows. Emirates also states plainly: “Photo cannot be altered / photo shopped”. On its recruitment page it adds that tattoos must not be visible in uniform (“No visible tattoos while in Emirates cabin crew uniform”).

When should you take photos for Emirates?

Before the open day, but no earlier than a month before it. Emirates doesn’t say at which stage you upload the photos, and you walk into an open day without an invitation. Photos taken more than a month before you apply don’t meet the “past month” requirement.

Emirates: what women wear

• Formal photos: a buttoned, fitted jacket, a knee-length skirt, closed-toe high heels with no ankle straps, skin-colour tights. Visible makeup, hair in a bun. No jewellery, scarf, watch, glasses or coloured contact lenses.
• “Smart” photos: jeans, a fitted plain T-shirt in any colour except white, closed-toe high heels, visible makeup, hair neat and behind the ears. In the sample photo in the PDF the T-shirt is black. No layers (vest, sweater, jacket, cardigan, long sleeves) and no accessories (bag, glasses, extra earrings, scarf, watch).

Emirates: what men wear

• Formal photos: a suit with the jacket buttoned, shirt and tie. Clean-shaven, neat haircut. No visible earrings, glasses, coloured contact lenses or watch.
• “Smart” photos: jeans, a plain T-shirt with no print, clean-shaven. No layers (vest, sweater, jacket, cardigan, long sleeves) and no accessories (bag, glasses, earrings, scarf, watch).

What to wear and bring to an Emirates Open Day

At an Emirates open day, women come in business attire with hair neatly tied back, full makeup and heels; men come in a suit or smart business attire, clean-shaven. That’s how the “Recruitment event dress code” on the Emirates recruitment page describes it:

• Women: business attire, hair “neatly tied back”, full makeup, heels.
• Men: “suit/smart business attire”, neat haircut, clean-shaven, formal shoes.

Bring an ID to get in (“valid ID for entry”). If you don’t have a passport yet, another photo ID such as a national ID card or driving licence will do. Also keep digital copies of an up-to-date CV in English, your school certificate and your passport (PDF) on your phone, in case the recruiters ask for them.

Etihad: 3 studio photos

In its “Style & Image” document Etihad asks only for professional studio photos (“professional studio pictures only”):

1. Full-length photo in long sleeves, i.e. with a blazer.
2. Full-length photo in short sleeves, i.e. without a blazer, in a white short-sleeve shirt (that’s how the guideline’s sample photos show it).
3. Passport photo, 3.5×4.5 cm.

Etihad requires a plain white background and even lighting. Photos must be “sharp, unfiltered and recent”, and Etihad doesn’t allow filters or photo enhancing. The full-length shot shows your whole body from head to shoes: stand straight, facing the camera, hands by your sides, legs together, natural smile. Only you appear in the photo, and the outfit is black and white business attire only.

Visible scars and birthmarks must be declared: Etihad asks for a clear photo by email, saying where they are. If you’re not sure whether your tattoo meets Etihad’s standards, send a photo of it before the recruitment day too. These rules are in both the women’s and the men’s guidelines.

Etihad: outfit, hair and makeup for women

• Outfit: a white shirt, a plain black long-sleeve blazer (not double-breasted, not cropped, not oversized, no stretch fabric), a black skirt reaching below mid-knee and at most about 2.5 cm (1 inch) below the knee, slit up to 7 cm.
• Shoes and tights: black shoes with closed, rounded toes on a block heel about 2.5-6.5 cm high: stilettos, platforms, wedges, straps and open heels won’t pass. Sheer skin-tone tights up to 20 denier.
• Hair and makeup: a low or mid bun with a hairnet in your hair colour, no baby hairs or visible roots, no extensions. Mascara is mandatory; eyeshadow in warm beige, brown, bronze or subtle gold, no glitter or false lashes. Pink, plum or purple lipstick covering the whole lip: no gloss, red, nude or brown.
• Jewellery and nails: only one pair of pearl stud earrings (3-10 mm) if your ears are pierced, no other jewellery. Nails baby pink or classic French, at most 0.5 cm long.

Etihad: outfit and facial hair for men

• Outfit: a fitted white shirt, a plain black, navy or dark grey suit (no double-breasted jacket, no waistcoat), a tie with a conservative design (allowed colours: black, grey, dark brown, navy; the photo section lists black or navy), black polished formal shoes.
• Hair and facial hair: hair up to 5 cm, no shaved patterns. A full, evenly trimmed beard 3-6 mm long or a clean shave: stubble or a beard still growing in won’t pass.

Qatar Airways: no photo requirement in 2026

Qatar Airways’ current recruitment page lists requirements (among them a 212 cm reach and fluent English) but doesn’t mention photos. Its 2026 recruitment day listings don’t either: they ask you to “Upload your CV, complete the application form” (sample listing from Novi Sad, 2026). The 2025 recruitment day listings in Poland asked you to bring two passport photos (copy of the Krakow listing).

A “Photograph Specifications” document with the Qatar Airways logo, from 2014, circulates in guides: full length 10×15 cm, portrait 3.5×4.5 cm, light blue background, no alterations. I couldn’t find it on the airline’s site, so I don’t know whether it still applies. If you’re applying to Qatar, check the form or the listing for your specific recruitment day.

European airlines: LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair and Buzz, Enter Air

LOT, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Buzz and Enter Air don’t require a full-length photo in their official materials. What counts is your CV and how you look at the recruitment itself:

• LOT: a CV in Polish or English. You should come to the recruitment in business attire (lot.com).
• Wizz Air: an “updated English CV with ID photo” and “smart business attire” on the recruitment day (recruitment days, sample listing).
• Ryanair and Buzz: the listing doesn’t mention photos. The first step of the form (run by the Crewlink agency) requires a CV; you can add a profile photo, but you don’t have to (Buzz Warsaw listing).
• Enter Air: the listing doesn’t mention photos; you apply with a CV (fly.enterair.pl).

For a Wizz Air CV an ID photo is enough. You don’t need an Emirates-style set.

One set for Emirates and Etihad

Emirates and Etihad want different sets, but one session can cover both airlines: 5 shots in 3 outfits: formal with a blazer or jacket, in just a white short-sleeve shirt, and in jeans with a T-shirt. What they share is the formal full-length photo and the 3.5×4.5 cm passport photo. If you take them in a studio on a white background, they meet Etihad’s requirements, and Emirates doesn’t prescribe a background colour.

Shot	Emirates	Etihad
Full length in formal attire (long sleeves)	yes	yes
Passport photo in formal attire	yes	yes
Full length in a white short-sleeve shirt, no blazer	no	yes
Full length in jeans and a T-shirt (“smart”)	yes	no
Half-length in jeans and a T-shirt (“smart”)	yes	no

Women: what to wear for Emirates and Etihad

Formal outfit	Emirates	Etihad	Works for both
Blazer	buttoned, fitted	black, single-breasted, long sleeves, not cropped, not oversized, no stretch	black, single-breasted, buttoned, fitted
Shirt	not specified	white	white
Skirt	knee length	black, below mid-knee, at most about 2.5 cm below the knee, slit up to 7 cm	black, knee length
Tights	skin colour	sheer skin tone, up to 20 denier	skin tone, up to 20 denier
Shoes	high heels, closed toe, no ankle straps	black, rounded toe, block heel 2.5-6.5 cm, no stilettos	two pairs, one for each airline
Hair	bun	low or mid bun with a hairnet, no visible roots	low bun with a hairnet
Makeup	visible	mascara mandatory, pink, plum or purple lipstick	follow Etihad’s list
Jewellery	none	pearl studs only	none
Nails	not specified	baby pink or French, up to 0.5 cm	baby pink or French, up to 0.5 cm

Men: what to wear for Emirates and Etihad

Formal outfit	Emirates	Etihad	Works for both
Suit	jacket buttoned	black, navy or dark grey, plain, single-breasted, no waistcoat	black, navy or dark grey, single-breasted, buttoned
Shirt	yes, colour not specified	white, fitted	white, fitted
Tie	yes, colour not specified	black or navy in the sample photos; allowed: black, grey, dark brown, navy, conservative design	plain black or navy
Shoes	not specified	black, formal, polished	black, formal, polished
Hair	neat	up to 5 cm, no shaved patterns	short, up to 5 cm
Facial hair	clean-shaven	full beard 3-6 mm or clean-shaven	clean-shaven
Accessories	no earrings, watch, glasses, coloured lenses	simple belt, preferably black	no earrings or watch, black belt

For Etihad’s short-sleeve photo you keep the same shirt and tie, just without the jacket. For Emirates’ “smart” photos: jeans and a plain T-shirt with no print, in any colour except white.

A set like this is valid for Emirates for a month from the shoot. It may not suit Qatar: the 2014 document specified a light blue background.

Full-length photos for cabin crew applications: how I shoot them

I shoot photos for Emirates and Etihad the same way as digitals (polaroids) for modelling agencies: no retouching, full length facing the camera, true colour and proportions. Emirates and Etihad don’t allow edits after the fact, so I set everything up while taking the photo, so the file straight out of the camera already looks its best. We check the result as we go, during the session.

• Perspective: I set the camera perpendicular to you, without tilting it up or down, because a tilted camera lengthens or shortens the legs. For a full-length shot I start with the camera at a height between the navel and the middle of the chest.
• Distance and focal length: proportions are distorted by distance, not by the lens itself. Up close, whatever is nearest to the camera gets bigger: in a selfie from about 30 cm the nose looks about 30% wider (Ward et al., 2018). A perspective close to natural vision comes from a focal length of about 40-58 mm in full-frame terms (normal lens), and on many phones from the 2x zoom (phone comparison). That’s why I shoot from further away, even if more space is left around the figure. The frame can be cropped later; distorted proportions can’t be undone without retouching.
• Colour: a coloured studio wall or greenery outside the window casts its colour onto the skin. On set I photograph a colour checker and set the white balance manually in the camera, so your skin has its true tone without correcting it in editing.
• Light: even and soft, with no shadows under the eyes or behind you. Both airlines want well-lit photos with no shadows.
• Posture: in this pose it’s easy to end up with raised shoulders, a tilted hip or clenched hands, and in an unretouched photo every such detail stays. “Relax” is an instruction you can’t follow on command, so I tell you what to do instead, for example “breathe out and drop your shoulders”.
• Details on a big screen: I work with a laptop and we look at the photos together as we go. A big screen shows what you can’t see in the viewfinder or on the camera’s screen, such as flyaway hairs or creases in clothes, which Etihad’s guidelines mention. We fix them right away, before the next shot.

I shoot cabin crew application photos in Warsaw. Price-wise it’s a session similar to digitals: from 600 PLN, studio included, photos delivered within 48 h of the session. It isn’t the same package, e.g. there’s no comp card: we plan the shots, outfits and studio (with a white background for Etihad) around the airline you’re applying to, and I prepare an offer once you get in touch.

If a studio promises “body correction”, ask whether the photo will still meet the airline’s guidelines. Emirates and Etihad forbid altering photos.

Can you send old photos?

Not to Emirates or Etihad. Emirates wants photos “all taken within the past month”, and Etihad wants “recent” photos.

Old guidelines still circulate online. Emirates added the “within the past month” requirement in the 2019 version of the document (according to the file’s creation date). There’s no newer version: the airline’s site still has the 2019 one. The 2017 version, which you can still find on studio websites (example), didn’t have that requirement, and instead of a “natural” smile it asked for a “BIG happy smile”. Photos taken to the old instructions don’t meet the current ones. Before your shoot, compare any instructions with the current PDF on the airline’s site.

Each airline wants a different set. An Emirates set lacks the short-sleeve full-length photo Etihad wants, and an Etihad set lacks the jeans photos Emirates wants. How to make one set for both is described above.

The photo should show how you look today. Etihad describes hair, facial hair and nails down to the centimetre and even forbids visible roots. At an open day the recruiters will see you in person anyway. A new haircut, a different beard length or a new tattoo is a reason to retake the photos.

Which airlines are recruiting in Poland now?

In October 2026, Emirates (6 open days), Buzz and Enter Air are recruiting in Poland. Wizz Air, Etihad and Qatar Airways have no recruitment events in Poland right now. As of 11 October 2026, according to the airlines’ career pages and the trade press.

Emirates open days in Poland

You walk into an Emirates open day without an invitation; it starts at 9:00. In autumn 2026, according to the Emirates recruitment page (as of 11 October 2026):

• Warsaw: 16 Oct 2026, Sheraton Grand Warsaw
• Lublin: 18 Oct 2026, Hotel Ilan
• Szczecin: 26 Oct 2026, Novotel Szczecin Centrum
• Poznan: 28 Oct 2026, Mercure Poznań Centrum
• Gdansk: 2 Nov 2026, Hilton Gdańsk
• Krakow: 4 Nov 2026, Hotel Indigo Kraków Old Town

Emirates has held open days in Poland before, e.g. in February 2023 in Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow (Pasazer.com, 2023, in Polish).

Other airlines

• Buzz (Ryanair Group): hiring for recruitment days in Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw and Katowice, through the Crewlink agency. The listings don’t give dates (careers.ryanair.com).
• Enter Air: hiring several hundred people for 12 courses, for bases in Warsaw, Katowice, Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk. The first training group starts on 4 January 2027 (Rynek Lotniczy, 28.09.2026, in Polish).
• Wizz Air: no recruitment events at its Polish bases (Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw, Krakow, Katowice) right now (careers.wizzair.com).
• Etihad and Qatar Airways: I found no recruitment days in Poland. In June 2025 Etihad employed 97 people from Poland as cabin crew (Pasazer.com, 2025, in Polish).

Frequently asked questions

Can I take Emirates and Etihad photos with a phone?

For Emirates yes, for Etihad no. Emirates doesn’t require a studio, and the sample “smart” photos in its document are taken indoors and outdoors. Etihad explicitly asks for studio photos. For a formal photo, even, shadow-free light is harder with a phone. For a full-length photo with a phone you usually stand too close, and up close proportions get distorted. Better to step back and use the 2x zoom.

Can Emirates and Etihad photos be retouched?

No. Emirates: “Photo cannot be altered / photo shopped”. Etihad: unedited photos, no filters.

What size are Emirates photos?

Full length 10×15 cm (4×6 in), passport photo 4.5×3.5 cm. You upload the photos as files, so these are aspect ratios, not prints:

• full length: 2:3 portrait. In phone editors this option is often called 3:2 and needs rotating to portrait. 9:16, 3:4 and 4:5 don’t fit.
• passport photo: 7:9 portrait (3.5 cm wide by 4.5 cm high, the same for Etihad). Phones usually don’t have this option: 3:4 is slightly too narrow, 4:5 slightly too wide, so crop freely or ask the photographer for a file in the exact ratio.

Does an Emirates photo have to be 13×18 cm and under 500 KB?

No. In the Emirates guidelines (PDF) the full-length photo is 10×15 cm and the passport photo 4.5×3.5 cm. “JPEG under 500 KB” and a 13×18 cm full-length photo circulate in guides and AI chatbot answers, but they aren’t in the official, publicly available documents of Emirates or Etihad (women, men). You can check for yourself: each of these documents is only a few pages long.

Do you need 4 passport photos for an Etihad Assessment Day?

It’s not in Etihad’s official, publicly available documents. The “Style & Image” guidelines mention 3 photos: 2 full-length and a passport photo. Etihad’s requirements page only points to those guidelines. “4 passport photos” circulates in guides and AI chatbot answers without a source. If you get an invitation to an assessment day, check what Etihad asks for in it.

What background for Emirates, Etihad and Qatar?

Etihad: plain white. Emirates doesn’t specify a background colour, although guides often say it must be white. The 2014 Qatar document specifies a light blue background, but it’s not clear whether it still applies.

Can I wear glasses in Emirates and Etihad photos?

Not in Emirates photos (no glasses and no coloured contact lenses). Etihad’s guidelines don’t mention glasses. The 2014 Qatar document allowed prescription glasses, but it’s not clear whether it still applies.

Does Buzz (Ryanair) require a full-length photo?

No, Ryanair’s and Buzz’s official materials don’t require photos (careers.ryanair.com, Buzz Warsaw listing). The first step of the application form requires a CV, and a profile photo is optional (checked 11 Oct 2026). Photo studios and AI chatbots sometimes say Buzz requires a full-length photo, but it’s not in the listing or in the first step of the form.

Does Wizz Air require a full-length photo?

No. Guides and AI chatbots often say it does, but Wizz Air asks for an “updated English CV with ID photo” and “smart business attire” on the recruitment day (recruitment days, sample listing). The listings don’t mention a full-length photo.

Sources

Official airline documents and pages, checked on 8 and 11 October 2026. Airlines change their requirements from time to time, so compare them with the current version before your shoot. If you see a different one, let me know and I’ll update this post.

• Emirates: Cabin Crew Photo Guidelines (PDF), cabin crew recruitment page
• Etihad: Style & Image for women (PDF), Style & Image for men (PDF), requirements page
• Qatar Airways: cabin crew recruitment page, Novi Sad recruitment day listing, 2026, Krakow recruitment day listing, 2025
• LOT: cabin crew (in Polish)
• Wizz Air: recruitment days, sample recruitment day listing
• Ryanair and Buzz: cabin crew, Buzz Warsaw listing
• Enter Air: cabin crew (in Polish), Rynek Lotniczy, 28.09.2026, in Polish

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Applying to Emirates or Etihad? I shoot cabin crew application photos in Warsaw, from 600 PLN, studio included, photos within 48 h. Write to me through the form with the airline you’re applying to and when you need the photos, and I’ll prepare an offer for that session. Before the shoot you’ll get a list for that airline: outfit, makeup, hair, nails and accessories. On set we’ll set up your posture so the photo meets the guidelines without retouching.