Singapore Passport Photo Size — 35 × 45 mm & 400 × 514 px

35 millimetres wide by 45 millimetres tall — 3.5 × 4.5 cm, a 7:9 portrait. For online submissions ICA publishes the pixel equivalent: 400 × 514 pixels. Print and digital are the same photograph at the same ratio, so one correct file works for both.

400 × 514 pixels. ICA's Photo Guidelines give that figure as the recommended dimension for photos uploaded through its e-Services, in jpg, jpeg, heic, heif or png format and up to 8 MB. Some older guides still quote 2 MB, or a very tight 30–60 KB; those are not what ICA's page currently says.

Yes. ICA applies the same photograph specification to the passport, the NRIC/IC — including the re-registration you do at 30 and at 55 — the Student's Pass and entry visa applications. The three-month recency rule is written into all of them, so a file that passes for your passport will pass for your IC within the same window.

Taken within the last three months. That is half the six-month window most countries allow, and ICA repeats it on every document page. It also warns that an unsuccessful photograph can stretch a local passport from one-to-two weeks to around four, so take a fresh photo per application rather than reusing an old one.

A phone camera is fine — ICA recommends apps designed for passport and IC photos, and says you may resize the digital photograph with image editing software. Selfies are the one thing it advises against: ICA says it does not recommend a selfie because the result is usually not ideal and will cause delay, and suggests asking someone to take it for you.

If you alter or enhance it, yes. ICA's wording is that the photograph must not be altered or enhanced in any way, including modification of facial features or the use of photo editing software — so beauty filters, skin smoothing and reshaping are out. Resizing and cropping to the required dimensions are explicitly allowed, which is exactly what a sizing tool should do and all it should do.

Roughly 70–80% of the photo's height, measured chin to crown — about 31–36 mm on a 45 mm tall photo. ICA publishes no closed percentage of its own, and a number of Singapore guides print 25–35 mm instead, so the overlap of roughly 31–35 mm satisfies both readings. Under 70% is the usual failure, and it comes from shooting too far back.

Yes — plain white, and Singapore is stricter here than Australia, New Zealand or the UK, which accept light grey or cream. Off-white walls, a warm cream backdrop and any shadow behind your shoulders all read as non-compliant. Wear something darker than the background so you separate from it.

Clear prescription glasses are permitted provided the frames cover no part of your eyes and there is no reflection on the lenses; tinted lenses and sunglasses are not. Head coverings are allowed for religious or medical reasons with the full face visible. A few commercial guides claim glasses are banned outright — they are not — but removing them settles the argument for free.

Applying online through MyICA with Singpass, you upload the file and print nothing. Where a hardcopy photograph is required, ICA specifies a matte or semi-matte finish — non-reflective paper — because a glossy print throws glare back at the scanner. Any photo shop can print a correct file; ask for matte, 35 × 45 mm, no border.

Same size and same white background, with sensible latitude: a newborn can lie on a plain white sheet and be photographed from above, with no hands, toys or other people in frame. Eyes should be visible where the child can manage it, and a perfectly neutral expression is not expected from an infant. The three-month rule still applies.

No, and this is worth checking before you upload. Malaysia requires 35 × 50 mm, five millimetres taller than Singapore's. India moved to 35 × 45 mm with an exact digital size of 630 × 810 pixels, which is a different pixel target from Singapore's 400 × 514. Both are in our 199-country specification list below — pick the issuing country, not the country you are standing in.