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Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo requirements

The 25 × 25 mm photo rules set by Philippine Embassy in Berlin (Internet Archive copy) for the Philippines certificate of identity and registration, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 6 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo?

The Certificate of Identity and Registration (CIR) card was issued free of charge by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin to Filipinos in Germany. Its last published rule, in a November 2014 embassy sheet, asked for two ID photographs measuring 2.5 x 2.5 cm (25 x 25 mm, about 1 x 1 inch). No background colour or head size was stated. The card is not listed in the embassy's current requirements, so confirm with the embassy before preparing photos.

CIR stands for Certificate of Identity and Registration. The evidence points to a card from the Philippine Embassy in Berlin rather than a Bureau of Immigration document. The embassy's requirement sheet for simple passport renewals, dated 1 November 2014, listed it as an optional extra at the end of the checklist: applicants who wished to be issued a CIR card, free of charge, added two ID photographs 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm in size. The card was therefore meant for Filipino citizens dealing with the embassy, not for foreigners living in the Philippines, who register with the Bureau of Immigration for an ACR I-Card instead.

The card was being issued in numbers at the time. During a one-day consular outreach in Stuttgart in April 2013, the embassy recorded 70 certificate of identity registrations alongside 97 e-passport applications. Today the passport checklists of the embassy in Berlin and of the consulate general in Frankfurt mention neither the card nor ID photographs, and a search of the embassy's site turns up only that 2013 report. The card may no longer be issued, but the embassy has not published a notice saying so.

Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Philippine Embassy in Berlin (Internet Archive copy):[1]

Print size2.5 x 2.5 cm (25 x 25 mm, about 1 x 1 in); two ID photographs (2014 embassy rule)
Digital sizeNo digital file: the 2014 rule asked for two printed ID photographs
BackgroundNot stated in the embassy's published requirement
Pixels when printed295 × 295 px at 300 dpi · 591 × 591 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
25 mm25 mm
25 × 25 mm photo drawn to scale.

Key requirements

  • Two ID photos of 2.5 x 2.5 cm

    The only photo rule the embassy published for the card is its size and number: two ID photographs, each 2.5 cm wide and 2.5 cm high. That is a small square, close to 1 x 1 inch, and much smaller than a European passport-size print.

  • Requested on the same visit as a passport

    The 2014 sheet put the card on the checklist for a simple passport renewal, so applicants asked for it while renewing. Outreach missions also took registrations.

  • Free of charge

    The embassy issued the card free of charge, unlike the passport itself, which carried a separate fee.

  • Colour and framing were never published

    The sheet gives no background colour, head size, recency or paper rule for the card photos. Anything beyond the size and the number of prints is unpublished, so ask the consular section if it matters for your application.

  • Check that the card still exists

    Neither the Berlin embassy nor the Frankfurt consulate general lists the card in its current passport requirements. Contact the consular section before printing photos for it.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask the consular section in Berlin whether the CIR card is still issued
  • Prepare two ID photographs measuring 2.5 x 2.5 cm if it is
  • Cut each print accurately to the square size
  • Bring the photos to the same appointment as your passport application
  • Keep a digital copy so you can reprint at a different size if told to

Don't

  • Do not assume the card is still available
  • Do not bring 35 x 45 mm passport-size prints for this card
  • Do not confuse the CIR with the Bureau of Immigration's ACR I-Card
  • Do not pay anyone for the card; the embassy issued it free

Sample photos

How a Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 25 × 25 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

The embassy's card rule says nothing about glasses. The same 2014 sheet did set dress rules for the passport photo taken on that visit: decent attire, preferably with a collar, no T-shirts, dresses with plunging necklines or sleeveless garments, no large earrings for women, no earrings at all for men, and no coloured contact lenses, nose rings or lip rings for anyone.

Those rules were written for the passport capture, not for the card. For the CIR photos themselves the embassy published no rule on glasses or contact lenses.

The CIR card took printed photos only. The 2014 sheet asked for two ID photographs handed in with your papers, and there was no online channel. A digital photo can be cropped to a 25 x 25 mm square and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, with the two squares cut out by hand.

Do not confuse these prints with the passport photo. On the same visit the passport photo was captured digitally at the embassy, and the DFA still says passport applicants need not bring any photo.

Where to submit the photo

The card came from the consular section of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, at the embassy itself or at outreach missions such as the 2013 visit to Stuttgart. Filipinos in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Thuringia are now served by the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt instead.

Since neither office lists the card today, ask before your appointment. Passport appointments at both offices are booked on the DFA passport appointment system, and personal appearance is required for the biometric capture.

How to get your Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Philippines certificate of identity and registration: 25 × 25 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two ID photos of 2.5 x 2.5 cm; requested on the same visit as a passport; free of charge; colour and framing were never published.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The CIR card took printed photos only. The 2014 sheet asked for two ID photographs handed in with your papers, and there was no online channel.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. The card came from the consular section of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, at the embassy itself or at outreach missions such as the 2013 visit to Stuttgart.

Make this photo online

Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo FAQ

Certificate of Identity and Registration. It was a card the Philippine Embassy in Berlin issued free of charge to Filipinos in Germany who registered with it, usually when renewing a passport. The embassy's 2014 renewal checklist and a 2013 outreach report both mention it.

The embassy asked for two ID photographs measuring 2.5 x 2.5 cm, which is 25 x 25 mm or about 1 x 1 inch. It did not publish a background colour, head size or other photo rule for the card.

No. The CIR card came from the Philippine Embassy in Berlin and was meant for Filipino citizens. The ACR I-Card is issued in the Philippines by the Bureau of Immigration to foreign nationals, for example visa holders who stay longer than 59 days.

It is not clear. The card no longer appears in the passport requirements of the embassy in Berlin or the consulate general in Frankfurt, and no notice about it has been published. Ask the consular section before preparing photos.

No. The embassy in Berlin and the consulate general in Frankfurt capture the passport photo, fingerprints and signature digitally at your appointment, and the DFA says applicants do not need to bring a passport-sized photo.

The embassy never published one. Its 2014 rule gives only the size, 2.5 x 2.5 cm, and the number of photos, two. If the card is still issued, ask the consular section which background it accepts before you print.

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Official sources

  1. Philippine Embassy in Berlin (Internet Archive copy). Requirements for Simple Passport Renewal (1 November 2014), archived copy web.archive.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Philippine Embassy in Berlin. Philippine Embassy Berlin Conducts Consular Outreach in Stuttgart philippine-embassy.de. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Philippine Embassy in Berlin. New and Renewal (Adults) philippine-embassy.de. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt. Passport frankfurtpcg.de. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs. Passport FAQs consular.dfa.gov.ph. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Bureau of Immigration. ACR I-Card Issuance immigration.gov.ph. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Philippine Embassy in Berlin (Internet Archive copy) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Philippines certificate of identity and registration photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/philippines/certificate-of-identity-and-registration-photo

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