Singapore
4 government-specification photo formats.
Overview
Singapore's identity-document photo standards are issued by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and apply uniformly across passport, NRIC (national identity card), visa, and most long-term-pass applications. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) adopts the same ICA photo guidelines for Employment Pass, S Pass, and Work Permit submissions. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) keeps a slightly different specification for the Singapore driving licence — same 35 × 45 mm physical print, but a lower DPI requirement and a 6-month recency window instead of 3 months.
All ICA-governed photos share the same physical and digital geometry: a 35 × 45 mm print at a 7:9 aspect ratio, a pure-white (#FFFFFF) background, and a head height of 32–36 mm with the eye line sitting 50–60% above the bottom edge of the frame. The most common application-specific divergence is the file-size ceiling. Passport, citizenship, PR, LTVP, and NRIC submissions accept up to 8 MB across JPEG, HEIC, HEIF, and PNG; visa uploads are capped at 60 KB and accept JPEG only.
The photo recency rule is 3 months for ICA-governed documents and 6 months for the LTA driving licence. Selfies are acceptable in principle if they meet every geometric and lighting constraint, though ICA's published guidance discourages them. Digital filters, beautification, and any modification of facial features are prohibited across all five document types.
Issuing authorities
- Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) — passport, NRIC, visa, long-term visit pass.
- Ministry of Manpower (MOM) — Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit. Adopts the ICA photo standard.
- Land Transport Authority (LTA) — driving licence. Distinct, lower-DPI standard with a 6-month recency window.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How many photo specifications does Singapore have?
ICA covers passport, NRIC, visa, and most long-term passes; MOM adopts the ICA standard for Employment Pass, S Pass, and Work Permit; LTA keeps a slightly different specification for the driving licence. SpecSnap ships four Singapore presets: Passport / IC, Visa, Work Pass, and Driving Licence.
What is the standard Singapore ID photo size?
All ICA-governed photos use a 35 × 45 mm print at a 7:9 aspect ratio with a pure-white (#FFFFFF) background. Head height is 32–36 mm and the eye line sits 50–60% above the bottom edge of the frame. The LTA driving-licence print uses the same physical size at lower DPI.
Can I reuse my Singapore passport photo for a visa?
The geometry is identical (35 × 45 mm, white, same head-height range), so the print itself is interchangeable. The blocker is digital file size: passport, citizenship, PR, LTVP, and NRIC accept up to 8 MB across multiple formats, while the visa upload caps at 60 KB JPEG only — a passport-grade file generally has to be recompressed to qualify.
What is the most distinctive Singapore-specific photo rule?
The 60 KB JPEG-only file-size cap on visa uploads. Passport, citizenship, PR, LTVP, and NRIC all accept up to 8 MB, but the visa portal rejects anything larger than 60 KB. This is the single most common cause of Singapore visa upload failures.
What gets a Singapore photo rejected most often?
Photos older than 3 months (6 months for the LTA driving licence), files over the 60 KB visa portal cap, and any digital filter, beautification, or modification of facial features. Selfies that meet every geometric and lighting constraint are accepted in principle, but ICA's published guidance discourages them.
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