Does a company ID photo need to follow ICA's thirteen rules?

No — those are ICA's. The card office's rules are the card office's. Neutral, front-facing, plain background is a safe default; a smile is usually fine on a staff card.

Can I use a coloured background for a staff card?

If the card office allows it. The custom option here takes any hex colour; blue and light grey are the common requests.

What size is a "passport-size photo" for a company ID, school card or membership in Singapore?

TL;DR 35 × 45 mm on a white background, unless the form says otherwise — that is what "passport size" means in Singapore, because it is ICA's baseline. If the form gives its own numbers, use them; the custom size option on this site takes any width from 20 to 80 mm and any height from 20 to 100 mm, with any background colour.

What the phrase means here

Nine forms in ten that say "passport-size photo" mean the ICA format: 35 × 45 mm, 400 × 514 pixels, plain white. HR onboarding, condo access cards, club memberships, school and tuition-centre cards, insurance and bank forms. None of those organisations publish a photo standard; they borrow ICA's by using the phrase.

When it is not 35 × 45

Some employers with overseas parents want 2 × 2 inches; some card printers want a square or a 3:4 file; a few uniformed organisations want a coloured background. The form or the card office will say. Enter what they say — there is no need to find a document on the list that happens to match.

What "passport size" means on common Singapore forms

Who is asking	What they usually mean	What to enter
HR onboarding, condo access card, club or gym membership	The ICA format	35 × 45 mm, white
A school or tuition-centre card	Often the ICA format; sometimes 3 × 4 cm	What the form says; 35 × 45 if it says nothing
An employer with an overseas parent	Sometimes the American size	51 × 51 mm (2 × 2 in), white
A card printer or badge system	A pixel size or a 3:4 file	The nearest millimetre size at 300 DPI; the download is 300 DPI
A uniformed or ceremonial organisation	A coloured background	Their colour code, in the custom option

A real case

A new hire's HR portal wanted "passport size, white", the building's access-card vendor wanted "600 × 800 pixels, any background", and her child's school wanted "3 × 4 cm, blue". Three custom sizes from one photo, in an afternoon.

Common questions

Does a company ID photo need to follow ICA's thirteen rules?: No — those are ICA's. The card office's rules are the card office's. Neutral, front-facing, plain background is a safe default; a smile is usually fine on a staff card.
Can I use a coloured background for a staff card?: If the card office allows it. The custom option here takes any hex colour; blue and light grey are the common requests.

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)

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.