Singapore Passport Photo - Size, Requirements and Tips

PhotoAiD is a modern day photobooth that can easily be stored inside your pocket, as this passport photo editor operates mainly on your mobile phone, in other words, the perfect answer to the question, “What is the best way to take Singapore passport photos near me?” 

Our passport photo editor is a website and a mobile app that converts your own photographs into legitimate passport photos. Using PhotoAiD you can transform a picture that you have taken into a Singapore passport photo with just a few clicks, all from the comfort of your own home. You can operate the software on either your smartphone or your computer, which makes PhotoAiD one of the fastest and easiest ways to handle your passport photo.

Our software is based on artificial intelligence, which scans your picture and makes any necessary alterations in order to ensure that your photograph meets the requirements for passport photos set by the Singapore government. As a result, thanks to PhotoAiD, you will receive passport photos that are ready for your application, with a guaranteed acceptance.

Singapore passport photo

The Singapore passport is an identification and travel document issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). The document is made available to all citizens of the Republic of Singapore from the moment of birth. 

If you are an adult, aged 16 or over, you can apply for a passport in person. If you are under 16 years of age, or you wish to apply for a passport for your child, the presence of a legal guardian will be necessary. 

Regardless of the circumstances, in order to submit a passport application, 1 (one) colourful passport photo will be required. The photograph cannot be older than 3 (three) months, which means it will be necessary to take a new photo prior to submitting the application. If the image fails to comply with the ICA’s regulations the application process may be significantly delayed or your application might simply be rejected.

Singapore passport photo - size and requirements

A photo that has been properly taken and fits all of the requirements is one of the most important aspects of a passport application. The ICA has prepared a set of guidelines and requirements for taking a suitable passport photo, which you can find below. 

The Singapore passport photo requirements are as follows:

• passport image must be in colour and on matte paper, 
• passport picture should be sharp and clear,
• has to be recent (no more than 3 months old),
• must have a plain white background (or light grey if your hair is white),
• the acceptable photo size is 35mmx45mm, and your face must be between 25mm and 35mm.

PhotoAiD has been designed specifically to meet the demanding passport photo requirements, and it does so automatically, which makes it one of the easiest programs to use in order to acquire a passport picture that meets the requirements.

Singapore passport photo - guidelines for posing

Apart from the proper technical aspects of your passport photograph, there is also a set of guidelines regarding the pose you must use for the photograph. An appropriate pose is equally as important as the correct picture size. 

ICA’s pose guidelines for passport photos:

1. Keep your head straight and look directly at the camera.
2. Your entire face, hair and shoulders must be visible.
3. Maintain a neutral expression and avoid opening your mouth.
4. Keep your eyes open and make sure they are entirely visible (no hair, accessories or clothing can cover your eyes).
5. If you wear glasses, only clear and untinted lenses are allowed, this means no sunglasses.
6. Headwear is only acceptable for religious reasons and must be a different colour from the background (avoid white colours).

At first this set of regulations may seem quite challenging to comply with, however if you follow an intuitive rule of “remain natural”, the whole process becomes easier to understand. The important thing to note here is that a passport photo is used for identification, not self presentation, and so it must reflect you as closely as possible. When taking passport photos, wear casual clothes, avoid make-up and make sure your face is visible. 

Singapore passport photo - lighting, dimensions and resolution

Due to the identification function of a passport, it is important to deliver a high quality passport photo with proper lighting conditions and with appropriate proportions. The ICA has also regulated these aspects of passport photos, and so below you will find a summary of the official requirements.

You need to ensure that your passport photo is taken with natural lighting only. Shadows on your face or behind you are not acceptable. Your skin tone should be as natural as possible, therefore you must avoid coloured lamps. The photograph must be of a good quality, and so it cannot be washed out, blurred or overexposed. 

A Singapore passport photo must be delivered with a height of 45mm and a width of 35mm , and your head must cover 80% of the picture. If you wish to submit a digital photo for your passport application the acceptable file formats are jpg, jpeg or png, with a maximum size of 2MB. 

The dimensions recommended by the ICA for digital passport photos are 400x514 pixels. 

PhotoAiD has been programmed according to the ICA’s regulations, and so the software automatically adjusts the dimensions, resolution and lighting to meet the official passport photo requirements set by the Singapore government.

Singapore passport photo - cropping

All photos submitted for the Singapore passport photo application need to be the correct size and dimensions. This is difficult to achieve just by using your camera, and this is where picture cropping comes into play. The best way to ensure your passport photo meets the technical requirements is to crop it correctly. PhotoAiD passport photo maker can do this for you automatically, ensuring that your picture is suitable for your passport application.

Singapore passport photo - background

According to the official ICA guidelines, your passport photo should have a plain white background. Although the colour white is recommended, light tones of grey are also acceptable, especially if you have white hair. 

Regardless of the background colour, no objects can appear behind you in the picture. If you are taking passport photos yourself, make sure to find a plain wall, with no objects standing out.

In order to achieve the best results, you can use dedicated software to crop the background correctly, as per the requirements, and replace it with a plain white one, instead of struggling to find the perfect spot. PhotoAiD has a sophisticated algorithm that can naturally implement a white background in your passport photo picture. 

Singapore passport photo - head coverings

As a general rule of thumb, no head coverings are allowed in Singapore passport photos. This means that no distinctive head accessories, hats or caps are allowed. Your head, together with your hair, must be fully visible and nothing should obscure the image.

However, there is an exception to this rule, and it concerns headwear for religious and medical purposes. If a head covering is part of your traditional religious attire, or it is a medical necessity, you are allowed to have one in your passport photo. However, there are still some regulations as to how you can wear them. 

ICA’s guidelines for headwear in passport photos:

• headwear must be dark in colour in order to stand out from the white background,
• your eyes and face must be fully visible,
• your head covering cannot cast any shadows on your face. 

If you are uncertain as to how to properly wear your head covering for your passport photo, a set of experts at PhotoAiD can manually verify your picture, to ensure that it is in accordance with the Singapore passport photo regulations. 

Singapore passport photo - glasses

According to the official passport photo guidelines issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, some glasses are allowed in photographs for official documents. You can have your photo taken with your glasses on if they have clear and untinted lenses, with thin frames. In your passport photo, your eyes must be fully visible and clear for identification purposes. It is also important to remember that your glasses can not cast any shadows on your face.

Any form of sunglasses, glasses with coloured lenses, or glasses with thick frames are strictly forbidden.

Passport application - common mistakes 

Having an appropriate passport photo is very important and is something that government officials take very seriously. For this reason, if your photo happens to fail to comply with any of the regulations, your passport application may be delayed or rejected completely. In order to avoid that from happening, here are some of the most common mistakes people make when taking passport photos. 

The most common passport photo mistakes are:

• tilted head,
• not looking straight at the camera,
• hair covering eyes,
• red-eye effect,
• sunglasses or coloured glasses,
• glares or reflections in glasses,
• shadows on the face,
• improper head covering, 
• open mouth,
• slightly closed eyes,
• non-neutral facial expression,
• photos altered with editing programs, such as Photoshop.

This is just a brief list of what aspects of your passport photo you need to pay special attention to. The best way to ensure your passport photo is indeed in compliance with the official regulations, is to use the services of professionals. Our Singapore passport photo app not only automatically recognises and alters all of your photo’s problems, but there are also experts who can manually verify your pictures. All of this just to ensure that your new passport photo will be accepted. 

Singapore passport photo - online apps

When it comes to Singapore passport photo requirements, the ICA does not endorse nor condemn any specific method of taking pictures. In fact, Singapore officials allow and encourage the use of online passport photo tools, as long as the images meet their strict criteria. What it means for you is that you can take your own passport photo at home and then use professional tools online to adjust the image adequately, to ensure that it meets the requirements. 

Singapore passport photo at home

As the ICA allows for online passport photo tools to be used, you can easily take your own passport photo at home. The procedure is easier than it seems, you just need to follow some simple steps. Remember that selfies are not allowed and will, therefore, require the assistance of a tripod or a friend. 

1. Prepare yourself: make sure that the clothes you are wearing are suitable for the passport photo. It is best to dress in your usual, everyday attire. 
2. Find a proper background: the best background for your passport photo is a white wall facing a window. However, if you do not have a white wall, a light grey coloured wall will also do the trick. 
3. Prepare lighting: passport photos should have natural and evenly distributed light so, therefore, it is best to use daylight. 
4. Use a tripod or ask a friend: selfies are not allowed, so the help of a friend or tripod will be necessary to take the picture. Smartphone images are acceptable.
5. Pose naturally: you can either sit down or stand, just make sure you retain a neutral facial expression and you look straight at the camera. Don’t tilt your body sideways. 
6. Use online passport photo editing software: once you have taken your photograph, just upload it to one of the tools available online to have it adjusted correctly in order to meet the official Singapore passport photo requirements. 

PhotoAiD - one of the fastest and most reliable results

PhotoAiD has been designed specifically to help people get their passport photos online. 

Behind the program, there are advanced AI algorithms that ensure one of the best quality and fastest services that are available. In a matter of seconds your picture will be scanned in order to meet the passport photo requirements, the background will be removed and replaced with a plain white one, and at the end the photo will be cropped and sized correctly. Your part in all of this is to simply upload your picture and pick which one you like the best. 

PhotoAiD allows you to have multiple retakes free of charge, to ensure that you have a passport photo that you truly love.

Our app has one of the highest success rates and can ensure a guaranteed acceptance rate of almost 100%. However, in the rare likelihood that your passport photo does get rejected, you will receive a refund of double the fee you paid in order to make it up to you. 

Digital or printed copy of your passport photo

Once you are satisfied with the final result, you may order your passport photo either as a digital copy, or printed on high quality paper. Regardless of the option you choose, the photographs will be suitable for your passport photo application. 

1. Get a digital copy of your passport photo: if you want to have a digital version of your new picture, you can download it for only $5.95 and have it on your computer right away. The electronic version can later be printed at a local photo print store or any photo printing machine with the option to print passport sized photos.. 
2. You can also have your passport photographs shipped straight to your door: if you wish to have a physical copy of your picture, you can order them to your doorstep for just $9.95. Our pictures are only printed on high quality paper, to ensure full satisfaction. 

Sources:

https://www.ica.gov.sg/documents/passport/apply