Philippines visa photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs for the Philippines visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Philippines visa photo?
For a Philippine e-Visa, upload a colour photo sized 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), no more than 6 months old, on a plain light background, with your face filling 70 to 80% of the image. Visas still issued as stickers by embassies take printed passport-size photos, and each post sets the size: 3.5 x 4.5 cm on white in The Hague, 2 x 2 inches in Washington. Clear, thin-framed prescription glasses are allowed on the e-Visa photo.
Philippine visas are issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through Philippine embassies and consulates, while the Bureau of Immigration decides whether to admit you on arrival. Short visits for tourism or business now mostly go through the e-Visa portal of the DFA Office of Consular Affairs, which has been switched on post by post: the embassy in Tokyo from 23 June 2025, posts in Germany from July 2026, and the United States and 19 Caribbean countries and territories from 10 August 2026. An e-Visa is not stuck in your passport; you show it on your phone or as a printout, and the photo you upload is displayed on it.
Sticker visas remain for purposes the e-Visa does not cover, such as study, employment, transit, seafarers, diplomats and immigrant visas, and for travellers who will need to convert or extend their visa in the Philippines. These are handled by the post with jurisdiction over where you live, in person or by mail depending on the post, and they take printed photos. The two sizes on this page follow that split: 2 x 2 inches for the e-Visa upload and for mail-in applications in the United States, and passport size, such as 35 x 45 mm, at many European posts.
Philippines visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs:[1]
| Print size | Embassy sticker visa: passport size set by each post, e.g. 3.5 x 4.5 cm (The Hague); e-Visa: 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) |
|---|---|
| Digital size | e-Visa: no pixel size published; upload an image of a 2 x 2 in photo |
| Head height | e-Visa: face (forehead edge to chin) 70 to 80% of the photo, or one inch high |
| Background | e-Visa: plain light background. Embassy prints: white (The Hague, Frankfurt) or white/off-white (Tokyo) |
| Colour | Colour photo |
| Photo age | e-Visa: no more than 6 months old; Tokyo embassy: taken within the last 3 months |
| File format | e-Visa upload: image file in JPEG, JPG or PNG |
| Print quality | Embassy prints on photo paper (Frankfurt); no ink marks, creases or lines (e-Visa rules) |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Find out which channel applies
Check your Philippine embassy or consulate first. Where the e-Visa is live, temporary visits go online; the consulate general in Los Angeles, for example, says all 9(a) temporary visitor and business visas must be lodged on the e-Visa portal. Other visa types still need an embassy application with prints.
- e-Visa photo: 2 x 2 inches
The portal's photo rules ask for a 2 x 2 inch image, no more than 6 months old, on a plain light background, showing a close-up of the head and partial shoulders. The face, measured from the edge of the forehead to the bottom of the chin, should take up 70 to 80% of the photo or be one inch high.
- Embassy photo: use the post's own size
Sticker visa checklists differ. The Hague asks for one 3.5 x 4.5 cm photo on white, Frankfurt for a passport-size photo with a white background printed on photo paper, and Washington for one recent 2 x 2 inch colour photo for a 9(a) visa.
- Straight, centred and neutral
Face the camera directly, centred in the frame, with a neutral expression, mouth closed and both eyes open. Hair must not cover your face.
- Even light and natural skin tone
The e-Visa rules reject photos that are over- or under-exposed so the skin looks too dark or too light. Lighting must be uniform, without shadows on your face or behind you, and red-eye photos are not allowed.
- Only you in the picture
No other people or objects may appear: no chair backs, toys or anyone holding you. The image must be sharp, without ink marks, creases or lines.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Check whether your post takes e-Visa applications before you start
- Use a plain light background for the e-Visa upload
- Frame the e-Visa photo as a close-up of head and partial shoulders
- Use a white background for embassy prints unless the post says otherwise
- Print embassy photos on photo paper
- Paste the print in the box on the form instead of stapling it
Don't
- Do not use a photo older than 6 months
- Do not wear tinted or thick-framed glasses
- Do not let hair, headwear or ornaments cover your face
- Do not include other people, toys or chair backs
- Do not leave shadows on your face or the background
- Do not submit a photo with red eye
Sample photos
How a Philippines visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
It depends on the channel. For the e-Visa, prescription glasses may be worn if they are clear and thin-framed, with no flash reflection, and they must not hide your eyes.
Embassy checklists are stricter. The embassy in Tokyo wants no eyeglasses or accessories in the photo pasted on the visa form, and the embassy in Seoul says eyeglasses and coloured contact lenses should not be worn. If your post has not said otherwise, taking glasses off avoids a problem.
Headwear and religious dress
Head coverings are not permitted in an e-Visa photo except for religious reasons. Even then, your face must be fully visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, with both edges of your face showing, and no head-dress, hair or facial ornament may hide it.
Embassy rules on clothing vary. The embassy in Washington, for example, says no sleeveless attire for the photos sent with 9(e) and 47(a)(2) applications, and Tokyo asks for no accessories.
Babies and children
Children need their own visa and their own photo, and the same rules apply: the child alone in the frame, looking at the camera, with no toys, chair backs or adult hands visible. At embassies that interview applicants, children are not exempt: the embassy in Seoul requires personal appearance from all visa applicants except seafarers and crew.
On the e-Visa portal, proxy applications are allowed for family members, including minor children, who cannot lodge an application themselves; the representative uploads proof of the relationship. Children under 15 travelling without a parent, or not joining one in the Philippines, also need a Waiver of Exclusion Ground from the Bureau of Immigration.
Printed and digital photos
If you apply for an e-Visa, the photo is an upload. The portal asks for an ICAO photo as an image file, and its upload fields accept JPEG, JPG and PNG. No pixel size is published, so use a sharp, square image of a correctly framed 2 x 2 inch photo; a digital photo can be cropped and resized to that shape. The portal's rules also say photos from a digital camera must be high-quality colour and printed on photo-quality paper.
For an embassy application you hand in or post prints. The number depends on the visa: the DFA's core list for a temporary visitor visa says 2 passport-sized photos, Washington wants one for a 9(a) visa and four identical ones for a 13(a) immigrant visa, and Berlin asks for nine on white for a 13(a). A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to size.
Where to submit the photo
e-Visa: apply on the official e-Visa portal of the DFA, and choose the Philippine embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over where you live; the embassy in Tokyo warns that applications sent to the wrong post are cancelled automatically. You are asked to appear for an interview only if the visa officer requests it.
Sticker visa: posts run their own procedures. Washington takes visa applications by mail only, apart from e-Visas and 9(e) visas. Frankfurt wants scanned documents emailed for pre-assessment before you book an appointment. The Hague takes applications in person at the embassy or through its honorary consulate in Amstelveen. Seoul requires personal appearance from almost all applicants.
How to get your Philippines visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Philippines visa: 35 × 45 mm print, e-Visa: plain light background. Embassy… background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: find out which channel applies; e-Visa photo: 2 x 2 inches; embassy photo: use the post's own size; straight, centred and neutral.
- Prepare a print or digital file. If you apply for an e-Visa, the photo is an upload. The portal asks for an ICAO photo as an image file, and its upload fields accept JPEG, JPG and PNG.
- Submit the photo with your application. e-Visa: apply on the official e-Visa portal of the DFA, and choose the Philippine embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over where you live; the embassy in Tokyo warns that applications sent to the wrong post are cancelled automatically.
Philippines visa photo FAQ
For the e-Visa, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). For a visa issued as a sticker by an embassy, it depends on the post: The Hague asks for 3.5 x 4.5 cm, Washington for 2 x 2 inches, and Frankfurt and Tokyo simply say passport size. Use the size on your own post's checklist.
Yes. The application has an "Upload ICAO Photo" step, and the photo you upload is displayed on your e-Visa. It must follow the portal's Philippine visa photo requirements: 2 x 2 inches, plain light background, no more than 6 months old.
For the e-Visa, yes, if the glasses are clear and thin-framed, the eyes are not hidden and there is no flash reflection. Some embassies are stricter: Tokyo asks for no eyeglasses in the photo for its visa form, and Seoul says eyeglasses should not be worn.
The e-Visa asks for a plain light background. Embassy checklists usually say white: The Hague and Frankfurt ask for a white background, and Tokyo accepts white or off-white. Nothing else, such as furniture or other people, may appear behind you.
The DFA's core requirements for a temporary visitor visa list 2 passport-sized photos, but posts vary. The Hague and Tokyo ask for one for a 9(a) visa, Washington one for a 9(a) visa and four for a 13(a) immigrant visa, and Berlin nine for a 13(a).
No. The DFA has rolled it out to selected posts, and its visa FAQ says foreign nationals who are not eligible for an e-Visa should apply through the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate. Check the post that covers where you live; some, such as The Hague and Frankfurt, offer both channels.
Yes, within the family. The e-Visa portal allows proxy applications for spouses, minor children, parents and siblings who cannot lodge their own application, and the representative must upload proof of the relationship. The child's photo still has to meet the same requirements.
Related photo specifications
Other Philippines documents
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Cambodia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Indonesia visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Laos visa photo 40 × 60 mm
- Malaysia eVisa photo 35 × 50 mm
- Malaysia visa photo 35 × 50 mm
- Myanmar eVisa photo 38 × 46 mm
- Myanmar visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Singapore visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Thailand eVisa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Thailand visa photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Philippines photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs. eVisaPH: Philippine Visa Photo Requirements (Upload ICAO Photo step) evisa.gov.ph. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs. Frequently Asked Questions on the Philippine e-Visa evisa.gov.ph. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs. Visa FAQs consular.dfa.gov.ph. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Consular Affairs. Visa General Info consular.dfa.gov.ph. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in The Hague. Visa philembassy.nl. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt. Visa frankfurtpcg.de. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. Non-Immigrant Visa Requirements for Temporary Visitors (9A) tokyo.philembassy.net. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Tokyo. Philippine e-Visa Step-by-Step Guide tokyo.philembassy.net. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Philippines, Washington DC. Visa philippineembassy-dc.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Philippines, Washington DC. Implementation of the Philippine e-Visa System in the United States and Caribbean philippineembassy-dc.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. Visa losangelespcg.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Berlin. Visa Application and Requirements philippine-embassy.de. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Berlin. 13(a) Non-Quota Immigrant Visa Requirements philippine-embassy.de. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Philippine Embassy in Seoul. Visa philembassy-seoul.com. Checked 1 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 visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/philippines/visa-photo