Philippines passport photo requirements
The photo rules set by Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs for the Philippines passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the Philippines passport photo requirements?
You do not need a printed or digital photo for a Philippine passport. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) captures your photo, fingerprints and signature digitally when you appear in person, in the Philippines or at an embassy or consulate abroad. Take off your glasses, remove jewellery, wear decent clothing with sleeves and keep a neutral face; a smile without teeth is allowed. Adult passports are valid for 10 years, and passports for applicants under 18 for 5 years.
Philippine passports are issued only to Filipino citizens, by the DFA Office of Consular Affairs. In the Philippines you book a slot on the DFA's online passport appointment system and then appear at DFA Aseana, a consular office in the regions or a temporary offsite passport site in a shopping mall. Abroad, Philippine embassies and consulates take applications through the same booking system, and the DFA also sends Passport on Wheels teams to local governments, schools and companies that request one.
The photo is not something you prepare at home. Every applicant, including children and people renewing, has to attend in person, because the passport photo is captured digitally on the day along with your fingerprints and signature. The DFA's own passport FAQ says you do not need to bring a passport-sized photo, and the embassies in Berlin, Frankfurt and The Hague describe the same live capture. What you do control is how you look in front of the camera: clothing, jewellery, glasses and expression all have rules.
Philippines passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs:[1]
| Print size | No printed photo: DFA staff capture it digitally at your appointment |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No file to upload: the photo is taken on site with your fingerprints and signature |
| Background | Not applicable: you supply no photo; the consular office captures it |
| Photo age | Captured on the day you apply in person |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
No. You do not need to bring a passport-sized photo for your application. The DFA Consular Office will digitally capture your photo and biometrics.
Key requirements
- No photo to bring
Do not arrive with prints. Asked whether applicants need a passport-sized photo, the DFA answers no: the consular office captures your photo and biometrics digitally. Posts abroad, such as the embassy in The Hague, say the same about their own counters.
- Appear in person, every time
Personal appearance is required for all passport appointments, renewals included, so that your biometrics can be captured afresh. The photo in your old passport is never reused for the new one.
- Decent clothing for the capture
The embassy in Tokyo lists what is prohibited at photo capture: plunging necklines, sleeveless clothing, spaghetti-strap tops, see-through tops, sando, tube tops, halters and similar clothing.
- No jewellery or coloured lenses
Jewellery and coloured contact lenses are not allowed during data capture. The embassy in Seoul asks for accessories such as earrings and necklaces to be taken off before the photo.
- Smile without teeth, ears visible
You may smile for the capture, but without showing your teeth and gums. As far as possible, both ears should be visible, so tuck back hair that covers them.
- Children need an adult with them
A minor applicant appears together with either parent or an authorised adult companion, who brings a special power of attorney signed by a parent. The child's photo is captured at the counter like an adult's.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Book your slot on the DFA passport appointment system
- Bring the printed application form generated with your appointment
- Wear a top with sleeves and a modest neckline
- Take off glasses, earrings and necklaces before the capture
- Look straight at the camera with both eyes open
- Bring a parent or authorised adult with a child applicant
Don't
- Do not buy prints for the application; none are needed
- Do not wear coloured contact lenses
- Do not wear sleeveless, see-through or tube tops
- Do not show your teeth if you smile
- Do not pay fixers for an appointment; booking is free
Glasses
Take your glasses off for the capture. The embassy in Seoul, publishing the photo rules it follows for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard, says eyeglasses and coloured contact lenses should not be worn, and its passport section asks for pictures without glasses, hats or caps, or other accessories.
Coloured contact lenses are banned outright at the counter: the embassy in Tokyo says jewellery and coloured contact lenses are not allowed during data capture. If you wear lenses that change the colour of your eyes, leave them out on the day.
Headwear and religious dress
Take off hats and caps before the capture. The general requirements of the embassy in Seoul say pictures must be taken without a hat or cap and without other accessories, and posts ask for hair to be kept away from the eyes and, as far as possible, the ears.
None of the current DFA or post pages read for this guide sets a rule for religious or medical head coverings at the capture. If you wear one, ask the consular office that will take your application before the appointment day.
Babies and children
Children of any age must attend the passport appointment, because the photo and other biometrics are captured from the child in person. A minor appears with either parent or an authorised adult companion; the companion brings a special power of attorney signed by a parent. Where the parents are not married, posts such as the embassy in Berlin say only the mother may accompany the child, unless she signs a special power of attorney for someone else.
In the Philippines, minors aged 7 and below can apply without an appointment on the courtesy lane at DFA Aseana and other consular offices. A passport issued to someone under 18 is valid for 5 years.
Printed and digital photos
Neither. A Philippine passport application takes no print and no upload. You book online, but the photo itself is captured digitally at the counter, together with your fingerprints and signature, and printed into the passport in Manila.
Printed photos are needed for some other Philippine consular papers. A travel document, which the embassy in Berlin issues to Filipinos who have lost their passport so they can fly straight home, needs four white-background photos in standard European passport size. The embassy in Seoul asks for four passport-size pictures for the same document, and its general requirements say every picture must be taken against a white background, without glasses, a hat or cap, or other accessories.
Where to submit the photo
In the Philippines, book on the DFA passport appointment system, which says appointments are free and should only be made there. Some applicants can walk in without an appointment: overseas Filipino workers with proof of status, senior citizens and persons with disability with their ID, solo parents with a valid ID, pregnant women with a medical certificate, and minors aged 7 and below. Some consular offices limit the number of walk-ins.
Abroad, book through the same system and attend the Philippine embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over where you live. In Germany, for example, that means the embassy in Berlin, the consulate general in Frankfurt or one of their mobile outreach days.
How to get your Philippines passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Philippines passport. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: no photo to bring; appear in person, every time; decent clothing for the capture; no jewellery or coloured lenses.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Neither. A Philippine passport application takes no print and no upload. You book online, but the photo itself is captured digitally at the counter, together with your fingerprints and signature, and printed into the passport in Manila.
- Submit the photo with your application. In the Philippines, book on the DFA passport appointment system, which says appointments are free and should only be made there.
Philippines passport photo FAQ
No. The DFA says you do not need to bring a passport-sized photo, because the consular office captures your photo and biometrics digitally during the appointment. This applies to new passports and renewals, in the Philippines and at embassies and consulates abroad.
Wear decent clothing with sleeves and a modest neckline. Philippine posts prohibit plunging necklines, sleeveless clothing, spaghetti-strap tops, see-through tops, sando, tube tops and halters at photo capture. A collared top in a plain colour is a safe choice.
No. Philippine posts ask applicants not to wear eyeglasses for the photo, and coloured contact lenses are not allowed during data capture either. Take your glasses off when the staff member is ready to capture your image.
A small smile is allowed, as long as you do not show your teeth and gums. Look straight at the camera with both eyes open and your head level, and keep hair away from your eyes and, as far as possible, your ears.
No. Jewellery is not allowed during data capture, and posts ask for earrings and necklaces to be removed before the photo is taken. Hair accessories that hide your face or ears should come off too.
No print is needed for a baby either. The child attends the appointment with a parent or an authorised adult, and the photo is captured on site. In the Philippines, children aged 7 and below can use the courtesy lane without booking an appointment.
No. Embassies and consulates capture the photo at the appointment, exactly as offices in the Philippines do. The consulate general in Frankfurt, for example, says personal appearance is required for all passport appointments so that your biometrics can be captured.
No. Each application, renewals included, requires personal appearance for a new biometric capture, so the new passport carries a photo taken at that appointment.
Related photo specifications
Other Philippines documents
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Certificate of identity and registration photo 25 × 25 mm
Passports nearby
- Brunei passport photo 40 × 52 mm
- Cambodia passport photo
- Indonesia passport photo 2 × 2 in
- Laos passport photo 40 × 60 mm
- Malaysia passport photo 35 × 50 mm
- Myanmar passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Singapore passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Thailand passport photo
- Vietnam passport photo 40 × 60 mm
Official sources
- Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs. Passport FAQs consular.dfa.gov.ph. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs. Passport Appointment System passport.gov.ph. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Berlin. FAQs on Passports philippine-embassy.de. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Berlin. New/Renewal (Minors) philippine-embassy.de. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Berlin. Travel Documents philippine-embassy.de. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt. Passport frankfurtpcg.de. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in The Hague. Passport Renewal by an Adult philembassy.nl. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. Passport tokyo.philembassy.net. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Seoul. Passport philembassy-seoul.com. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Seoul. Visa (photo requirements) philembassy-seoul.com. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Philippines passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/philippines/passport-photo