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Singapore passport photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for the Singapore passport, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 7 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Singapore passport photo?

A Singapore passport photo is 35 x 45 mm without a border, and the face measures 25 to 35 mm from chin to crown. Use a plain white background (light grey if your hair is white), a neutral expression with the mouth closed, and a colour photo taken within the last 3 months. Online applications take a 400 x 514 pixel file of up to 8 MB in JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG.

Singapore passports are issued by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to Singapore citizens. A passport is valid for 10 years if you are 16 or older and for 5 years below that age. First passports, renewals and replacements for lost or damaged passports are applied for online through the MyICA portal with Singpass, and a family member can submit the application on your behalf.

The photo goes in as a digital file during that online application. Citizens living abroad can apply online in the same way, or hand in the overseas paper form, with a printed photo pasted on it, in person at a Singapore Overseas Mission. ICA bases its passport photo rules on ISO and ICAO specifications, and its officers carry out a facial verification against your photo when you collect the new passport.

Singapore passport photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA):[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (width x height), without border
Digital size400 x 514 pixels for upload through ICA e-Services
Head height25 to 35 mm from chin to crown
BackgroundPlain white; light grey if your hair is white
ColourColour photograph
Photo ageTaken within the last 3 months
File sizeUp to 8 MB (online submission)
File formatJPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG
Print qualitySharp and clear; printed copies on a matte or semi-matte (non-reflective) finish
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm25–35 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 25–35 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain white.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

You can also use the image editing software on your computer to resize your digital photograph. However, do not alter or enhance the photograph in any other way.

Photo Guidelines[1]

Key requirements

  • Face the camera straight on

    Take the photo full face, looking directly at the camera with your head straight and both eyes open. No hair may fall across your eyes, and both edges of your face and the top of your shoulders must show.

  • Neutral expression

    Keep your mouth closed and your expression neutral. ICA's own examples mark a broad, open-mouthed smile as wrong.

  • Face 25 to 35 mm high

    Measured from chin to crown, your face should fill 25 to 35 mm of the 45 mm print height. Keep the whole of your hair and your shoulders inside the frame.

  • Even light, sharp focus

    Light your face evenly, without one side darker than the other. ICA's dos and don'ts reject blurred, pixelated and unevenly lit photos, and red eye.

  • No mirrored or edited images

    Do not flip the image: ICA points out that a mirrored photo shows your hair and moles on the wrong side. You may resize the file, but no other change, facial alteration or filter is allowed.

  • A new photo for every application

    The photo must be no more than 3 months old, so the picture in your current passport cannot be reused.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask someone else to take the photo
  • Stand in front of a plain white wall or backdrop
  • Wear dark clothing that stands out against the white background
  • Keep both eyes open and look straight into the lens
  • Resize the file to 400 x 514 pixels before you upload it
  • Print on matte or semi-matte paper if you need a paper copy

Don't

  • Do not take a selfie
  • Do not wear tinted glasses, sunglasses or coloured contact lenses
  • Do not smile with your mouth open
  • Do not use filters, beauty modes or face-altering edits
  • Do not submit a mirrored (flipped) image
  • Do not reuse a photo older than 3 months

Sample photos

How a Singapore passport 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.

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

You can wear glasses if the lenses are clear and untinted and your eyes are clearly visible through them. The frames must not cover any part of your eyes, and there must be no flash or light reflected off the lenses. Tinted glasses and sunglasses are not allowed.

Contact lenses must be non-coloured, and the photo must not show red eye.

Headwear and religious dress

Only headgear or head coverings that you habitually wear in accordance with your religious or racial custom are allowed, so ordinary hats and caps must come off. ICA asks that the covering is not white: against the white background it should be dark in colour. Your eyes must stay fully visible.

Babies and children

ICA does not publish separate photo rules for babies or children, so a child's passport photo has to meet the same guidelines as an adult's: eyes open, mouth closed, looking at the camera, on a plain white background. For applicants under 16, a parent or legal guardian gives consent on the application, and the passport is valid for 5 years.

Children under 6 do not have to collect their passport in person. A parent or guardian can make the collection appointment on their behalf, while older children and adults must collect it themselves.

Most applicants never print a photo. The online application asks for a digital colour photograph, and ICA's e-Services take a 400 x 514 pixel file in JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG, up to 8 MB. You may resize a photo to that size with image software.

A print is needed only if you apply abroad on the paper form at a Singapore Overseas Mission. It is pasted on the form, measures 35 x 45 mm without a border and should be on matte or semi-matte paper. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to size.

Where to submit the photo

In Singapore, apply on the MyICA portal with Singpass and upload the photo there. If your photo cannot be accepted, ICA tells you by post or email, and you resubmit a new one through its e-Services. Once the passport is approved, book an appointment to collect it at a participating SingPost outlet or at the ICA Services Centre, 2 Crawford Street.

Abroad, apply online in the same way or give the paper form to the nearest Singapore Overseas Mission, which also handles collection. You must appear at the mission in person at least once, either when you apply or when you collect.

How to get your Singapore passport photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Singapore passport: 35 × 45 mm print, 400 × 514 px digital file, plain white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: face the camera straight on; neutral expression; face 25 to 35 mm high; even light, sharp focus.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Most applicants never print a photo. The online application asks for a digital colour photograph, and ICA's e-Services take a 400 x 514 pixel file in JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG, up to 8 MB. You may resize a photo to that size with image software.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Singapore, apply on the MyICA portal with Singpass and upload the photo there. If your photo cannot be accepted, ICA tells you by post or email, and you resubmit a new one through its e-Services.

Make this photo online

Singapore passport photo FAQ

A printed Singapore passport photo is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, with no border, and your face from chin to crown should measure 25 to 35 mm. For the online application, the digital file is 400 x 514 pixels.

Yes. ICA suggests a phone app designed for passport or identity card photos, so that the picture comes out at the required dimensions. It recommends that someone else takes the photo, because phone selfies usually fail its requirements and can delay the application.

No. ICA asks for a recent photograph taken within the last 3 months, and its officers carry out a facial verification against that photograph when you collect the passport, so the picture has to show how you look now.

ICA notifies you by post or email when it needs a new photo, and you upload a new photograph through its e-Services. An unsuitable photo also slows the application down: ICA warns that processing takes longer when the photo does not meet its guidelines.

No. ICA asks for a neutral facial expression with your mouth closed. Its dos and don'ts show an open-mouthed smile as an example of what not to submit.

Only to resize it. ICA lets you use image editing software to resize a digital photograph but does not allow any other alteration or enhancement, including changes to your facial features and photo filters. Its guidelines say the digital photo must be the original, without alterations made with computer software or a mobile app.

Plain white. If your hair is white, ICA asks for a light grey background instead, so that your head stands out. Any head covering and your clothing should be dark rather than white.

Related photo specifications

Other Singapore documents

Passports nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Photo Guidelines ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.
  2. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Singapore Passport Application ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.
  3. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Singapore Passport Collection ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.
  4. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Application for Singapore Biometric Passport Submitted Overseas, form IMM(E)11 (PDF) ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.
  5. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Apply for a passport ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.
  6. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Overseas passport application form IMM 11 OS (PDF) ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.
  7. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Response on passport photo submissions (2022) ica.gov.sg. Checked 3 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Singapore passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/singapore/passport-photo

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