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Visas and travel authorisations

Singapore visa photo requirements

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

Based on 9 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Singapore visa photo?

A Singapore entry visa needs a recent passport-sized colour photo taken within the last three months. As a print it is 35 x 45 mm without border on a plain white background, as Singapore missions specify; uploaded through ICA's visa e-Service it is a 400 x 514 pixel file. ICA's Photo Guidelines apply: neutral expression, full frontal view, no tinted glasses and no edits beyond resizing.

Holders of travel documents from a list of countries and places, among them India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria and Russia, need an entry visa from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) before travelling to Singapore. The visa is a pre-entry permission, not an immigration pass, and checkpoint officers still decide whether you may enter.

You cannot apply at the airport or any other immigration counter. In Singapore, a local contact with a Singpass or Corppass account, or a strategic partner, submits the application through ICA's e-Service and uploads your photo. Otherwise you apply through a Singapore Overseas Mission or one of its authorised visa agents; missions such as those in Mumbai, Riyadh and Guangzhou no longer take walk-in applications. Each application includes Form 14A, a copy of your passport biodata page and a recent passport-sized colour photograph.

Singapore visa 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 the ICA visa e-Service
BackgroundPlain white
ColourColour photograph
Photo ageTaken within the last three months
File sizeUp to 8 MB on ICA e-Services; ICA's visa-agent manual asks for under 60 KB
File formatJPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG; the visa-agent manual specifies JPEG
Print qualitySharp, not pixelated; prints on matte or semi-matte (non-reflective) paper, affixed to Form 14A
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. 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

  • Passport-sized and recent

    ICA's visa requirements ask for a recent passport-sized colour photograph taken within the last three months. Singapore's Consulate-General in Guangzhou spells this out as 35 mm wide by 45 mm high without a border.

  • Uncropped, frontal face

    Look straight at the camera. The Guangzhou consulate asks for a full frontal view in which the face is not cropped and no facial features are obscured.

  • White background, dark clothing

    The background is plain white, so wear dark clothes and, if you wear one for religious reasons, a dark head covering that will not merge with it.

  • Clear lenses only

    Spectacles need clear, untinted lenses with your eyes plainly visible. Coloured contact lenses and red eye are not accepted.

  • No distortion or retouching

    ICA rejects stretched, squashed or mirrored photos. Resizing is the only change allowed; facial edits and filters are not.

  • Right file for the e-Service

    When a local contact uploads your photo, prepare a 400 x 514 pixel file. A JPEG under 60 KB fits both ICA's general e-Service limits and the specification in its manual for visa agents and strategic partners.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask your local contact or visa agent which channel they will use
  • Send a 400 x 514 pixel JPEG for e-Service uploads
  • Use matte or semi-matte prints for mission or agent submissions
  • Check how many prints your mission asks for
  • Face the camera square on with your eyes open

Don't

  • Do not use a photo older than three months
  • Do not stretch or squash the image to fit the pixel size
  • Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses
  • Do not wear a white head covering against the white background
  • Do not plan to apply at the immigration counter on arrival

Sample photos

How a Singapore visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 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

Glasses are acceptable when the lenses are clear and untinted and both eyes can be seen clearly. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are not. Avoid reflections on the lenses, and wear plain rather than coloured contact lenses.

Headwear and religious dress

ICA allows head gear only when it is worn for religious or racial custom, and it should be dark in colour so that it does not merge with the white background. Nothing may obscure your facial features, a point the Guangzhou consulate repeats in its visa requirements.

Babies and children

Every traveller, whatever their age, needs an individually issued travel document; Singapore does not accept collective travel documents. ICA publishes no separate photo rules for babies or children, so a child's visa photo has to meet the same guidelines as an adult's.

In China, applicants must hand their visa application to an authorised visa agent in person, but minors under 18 are exempt from appearing.

Which format you need depends on who submits. A local contact or strategic partner in Singapore uploads a digital photo of 400 x 514 pixels in the e-Service. ICA's general limit for e-Service uploads is 8 MB in JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG, while its user manual for authorised visa agents and strategic partners specifies a JPEG below 60 KB, so a 400 x 514 JPEG under 60 KB satisfies both.

Applications through a Singapore Overseas Mission or its agent may need printed photos. Form 14A has a box to affix a recent passport-size photograph, and the number of prints varies: the Consulate-General in Guangzhou asks for one, the Embassy in Riyadh for two attached to the form. Use 35 x 45 mm prints on non-reflective paper.

Where to submit the photo

If you have a local contact in Singapore, either a person with Singpass or an organisation with Corppass, they apply for you through ICA's e-Service. ICA advises applying within 30 days before arrival. If the visa is approved, your local contact, strategic partner or visa agent prints the e-Visa for you from the e-Service.

Without a local contact, apply at the nearest Singapore Overseas Mission or through an authorised visa agent it has appointed; the mission's website explains its own procedure. ICA does not take visa applications at immigration counters.

How to get your Singapore visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Singapore visa: 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: passport-sized and recent; uncropped, frontal face; white background, dark clothing; clear lenses only.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Which format you need depends on who submits. A local contact or strategic partner in Singapore uploads a digital photo of 400 x 514 pixels in the e-Service.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. If you have a local contact in Singapore, either a person with Singpass or an organisation with Corppass, they apply for you through ICA's e-Service. ICA advises applying within 30 days before arrival.

Make this photo online

Singapore visa photo FAQ

A passport-sized colour photo. Printed copies are 35 mm wide and 45 mm high without a border, on a plain white background. When the application is filed online through ICA's e-Service, the photo is uploaded as a 400 x 514 pixel file.

It depends on the channel. An e-Service application by a local contact takes one uploaded applicant photo. Missions set their own number for applications made through them: the Guangzhou consulate asks for one print, while the Riyadh embassy asks for two, attached to Form 14A. Check the website of the mission you use.

No. ICA does not accept visa applications at immigration counters, so the visa has to be approved before you travel. Apply through a local contact, a strategic partner, a Singapore Overseas Mission or an authorised visa agent.

ICA lists JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF and PNG files up to 8 MB for its e-Services, at 400 x 514 pixels. Its user manual for visa agents and strategic partners asks for a JPEG under 60 KB, so a small JPEG is the safest choice when someone else uploads it for you.

Yes, as long as the lenses are clear and untinted and your eyes are fully visible. Sunglasses, tinted lenses and coloured contact lenses are not acceptable, and the lenses should not reflect the flash.

No. ICA describes the visa as a pre-entry permission rather than an immigration pass. Officers at the checkpoint decide whether you may enter, and you still have to submit the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before arriving.

Yes. ICA allows resizing with image editing software but no other changes, such as altering facial features or applying filters. Crop to the right proportions rather than stretching the picture, because ICA's guidelines say the photo must not be distorted.

Related photo specifications

Other Singapore documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Photo Guidelines ica.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Visa Guidelines ica.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Visa requirements: India ica.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Form 14A, Application for Entry Visa (PDF) ica.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). SAVE user manual for Authorised Visa Agents and Strategic Partners, Individual Visa (PDF) ica.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Guangzhou. Visa Information guangzhou.mfa.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Riyadh. Visa Information riyadh.mfa.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Mumbai. Visa Information mumbai.mfa.gov.sg. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Visa requirements (example: India) ica.gov.sg. Checked 1 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 visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/singapore/visa-photo

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