Singapore passport and IC photo maker

ICA asks for a photo of 400 × 514 pixels, no larger than 8 MB, in JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG, when you upload it through its e-Services. It must be in colour, taken within the last 3 months, against a white background. Applying overseas on a paper form? Switch to a printed photo: 35 × 45 mm, face 25 to 35 mm from chin to crown.

Free, no watermark
Photo stays on your device
No retouching
Rules checked 12 November 2026

Online or paper form? Choose with the buttons above the tool. ICA allows you to resize a digital photo, but not to alter or enhance it in any other way, including filters or changes to your facial features. This tool only crops and resizes; it does not retouch.

Singapore passport photo requirements

Online upload size	400 × 514 pixels
File	JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG, up to 8 MB
Background	White
How recent	Taken within the last 3 months
Colour	Colour photo
Framing	Shoulders and hair fully visible, full frontal view, eyes looking at the camera
Editing	Resizing only; no filters or changes to your facial features
Printed photo (overseas paper form)	35 mm wide × 45 mm high, no border; face 25 to 35 mm from chin to crown

Checked against the official source on 12 November 2026. Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA): Photo guidelines · ICA: Singapore passport application · ICA: Application for Singapore passport submitted overseas (form IMM(E)11) · ICA on AskGov: Photograph requirements for a visa application. Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the photo must show

Even brightness across your face, and the photo sharp, in focus and not pixelated.
A neutral expression with your mouth closed.
Your shoulders and hair fully visible, taken at full frontal view with your eyes looking at the camera.
Eyes fully visible: no hair, head covering or frames across them.
Glasses only with clear, untinted lenses; no coloured contact lenses and no red eye.
Headgear only if worn for religious or racial custom. It must be dark in colour against the white background and must not hide your facial features.
If your hair is white, the printed photo for the overseas paper form must have a light grey background instead.
The photo must not be distorted or flipped, and must be the original without edits made with software or an app.

Framing for this document: the head, from chin to the top of the hair, should fill about 56 to 78% of the photo height. The tool measures this for you.

Why there is no background remover. Official photo rules refuse photos whose background has been changed by software, so this tool never alters your photo. If the check says the background is not plain, retake the photo against a plain, light wall: how to get a plain background at home.

One photo for passport and IC

ICA uses the same photo guidelines for Singapore passport and identity card applications, and they follow ISO and ICAO specifications. Most applicants in Singapore apply online and upload the photo with the form. ICA checks the photo after you upload it; if it does not meet the requirements, ICA asks you for a new one, and the passport may take up to 4 weeks instead of 1 to 2 weeks.

Phone photos and selfies

ICA accepts a photo taken with a phone if it meets the guidelines, and suggests using an app designed for passport or IC photos. It recommends that someone else takes the photo, because selfies usually do not meet the requirements. Stand against a white wall, face the camera straight on and keep your shoulders in the frame.

Visa photos are different

A Singapore visa application through ICA's e-Service has its own limit: a JPEG of 400 × 514 pixels and no more than 60 KB. This page is for Singapore citizens' passport and IC photos.

Why Singapore passport photos are rejected

A coloured background such as blue instead of white.
Cropped so tightly that the shoulders or hair are cut off.
A white head covering against the white background.
Tinted lenses, coloured contact lenses or glare that hides the eyes.
A flipped selfie: the mirror image puts your hair parting and moles on the wrong side.
An old photo. Officers check your face against it when you collect the passport, so it must be from the last 3 months.

A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall. The background row in the table above gives the exact colour this document asks for.

How to use this tool

Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.

Questions about the Singapore passport photo

What size is a Singapore passport photo online?

For ICA e-Services, the photo must be 400 × 514 pixels, in JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG format, and no larger than 8 MB.

Can I reuse my old photo for a Singapore passport?

No. ICA asks for a recent photo taken within the last 3 months, and officers verify your face against it when you collect the passport.

What background does a Singapore passport photo need?

A plain white background. For the printed photo on the overseas paper form, ICA asks for light grey instead if your hair is white.

Can I take a Singapore passport photo with my phone?

Yes, if it meets ICA's photo guidelines. ICA recommends asking someone else to take it, as selfies usually fail, and allows resizing to 400 × 514 pixels but no other edits.

What size is a printed Singapore passport photo?

For a passport application submitted overseas on paper, the photo is 35 mm wide by 45 mm high without a border, with your face measuring 25 to 35 mm from chin to crown.