Is replacing the background "altering" the photo under ICA's rule?

ICA's example of a violation is a retouched face, and its own FAQ recommends apps for taking the photo. We read the rule as aimed at the face. That is a reading, not ICA's word — the page says so, and ICA's checker decides.

What about my phone's automatic beautify?

Turn it off. New Zealand says so explicitly ("if your phone automatically filters or alters photos… turn this feature off") and it is the cleanest example of what every authority means by alteration.

Which documents on this site will you not sell?

Germany's passport and New Zealand's visa. Both pages explain why and have no purchase button.

Can I edit my passport photo with an app before submitting it?

TL;DR It depends on the word "edit", and each authority draws the line differently. Cropping and background replacement are accepted almost everywhere; changing your face is refused almost everywhere. Two authorities go further and refuse app-made photos outright: Germany's passport office and Immigration New Zealand (for visas). ICA and Taiwan sit in between with a broad "no alterations" that their own examples show is aimed at retouched faces.

Four positions, in the authorities' own words

Germany, passport: since 1 May 2025 the photo must come from a studio or the office over an encrypted transfer; photos from passport-photo apps are named as not permitted. Not an interpretation — the rule names apps.

New Zealand, visa: "You cannot manipulate or digitally alter your photo using Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other digital editing tools", and the banned list includes "cropping your head and shoulders to place it on a plain background". That is background replacement, named.

New Zealand, passport: the same country, the same week, a different answer: "Do not edit, apply filters, or use AI tools to modify how you look" — and in the same breath, "step back and take a wider shot… then crop it to the correct head-size". Cropping is expressly allowed; changing your face is not.

Singapore, ICA: "Digital photo must be original without alterations using computer software/mobile app", with a retouched face as the ✗ example — beside an FAQ answer recommending dedicated photo apps. Taiwan says "alteration of the digital image is not permitted" inside a passage about print resolution.

What that means for an online tool

A tool that replaces the background and leaves the face untouched is inside the line everywhere except Germany and New Zealand visas. A tool that smooths skin, reshapes features or generates a new face is outside the line everywhere. This site's default output is the first kind; its AI-face option is the second, is labelled keepsake-only, and is not for submission to any authority.

For Germany's passport and New Zealand's visa, this site does not sell the photo at all and says so on those pages.

Where each authority draws the line

Authority	Crop / resize	Replace background	Change the face	Photo from an app at all
Singapore ICA	Yes	Not addressed; ✓ examples are plain white	No — rule 13	Recommended for taking it (A1)
New Zealand passport	Yes, expressly	Not addressed	No	Allowed
New Zealand visa	No	No — named	No	Effectively no
Germany passport	—	—	—	No — apps named
Taiwan passport	Not before printing	Not addressed	"No alteration"	Not addressed

A real case

The same customer, two documents in one week: a New Zealand passport photo, made here and accepted, and a New Zealand visa photo, which this site declined to make because INZ names background replacement as a banned edit. She photographed herself against a real white wall for the visa. Same face, same phone, two rules.

Common questions

Is replacing the background "altering" the photo under ICA's rule?: ICA's example of a violation is a retouched face, and its own FAQ recommends apps for taking the photo. We read the rule as aimed at the face. That is a reading, not ICA's word — the page says so, and ICA's checker decides.
What about my phone's automatic beautify?: Turn it off. New Zealand says so explicitly ("if your phone automatically filters or alters photos… turn this feature off") and it is the cleanest example of what every authority means by alteration.
Which documents on this site will you not sell?: Germany's passport and New Zealand's visa. Both pages explain why and have no purchase button.

Sources

Read on the issuing authority's own pages on the dates shown on each document page:

Singapore passport: www.ica.gov.sg (read 2026-09-06)
New Zealand passport: www.passports.govt.nz (read 2026-09-06)
New Zealand visa: www.immigration.govt.nz (read 2026-09-06)
Germany passport: www.personalausweisportal.de (read 2026-09-06)
Taiwan passport: www.roc-taiwan.org (read 2026-09-06)

SGfoto is independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by any government or issuing authority — and does not guarantee acceptance. Requirements change; the authority's page is the one that counts. Rebuilt 2026-09-06.