Guides say the Philippine passport photo is 4.5 × 3.5 cm on white. Wrong?

That describes the old in-country process. The Singapore Embassy captures the photo at the appointment; the size on those guides is not something you bring.

Is the old blue background still used anywhere?

Blue was the older DFA standard. We have no current authoritative page for it, and the Singapore renewal does not take a photo from you at all.

Does a Philippine passport renewal in Singapore need a photo?

TL;DR No photograph is on the Embassy's requirement list. Appointment, personal appearance, the form, a PSA birth certificate and the current passport. The Philippine visa — for a foreigner going to the Philippines — is different: the Embassy's own form prints 35 × 45 mm on it.

Passport renewal: what is on the list

The Embassy's adult renewal requirements are an appointment, personal appearance, the completed form, the PSA birth certificate and the passport being renewed. The photograph is taken during the appointment. There is nothing to prepare, and nothing to buy.

Visa: the form has the size printed on it

FA Form No. 2A, the Embassy in Singapore's non-immigrant visa form, prints beside the photo box: passport-size, 35 mm × 45 mm, taken within the last 6 months, do not staple. It names no background colour; white is the safe reading and the one this site uses.

The figures, from the catalogue

Document	Size	Head in frame (as we compose it)	Background	Max age	Source
Philippines passport	35 × 45 mm	71–80%	blue (older DFA standard)	6 months	www.philippine-embassy.org.sg
Philippines visa	35 × 45 mm	60–80%	plain white	6 months	www.philippine-embassy.org.sg

A real case

A Filipina nurse's renewal took twenty minutes at the Embassy; the photo was one of the twenty. She had brought two prints on a blue background, from a guide dated 2019, and was politely told they were not needed.

Common questions

Guides say the Philippine passport photo is 4.5 × 3.5 cm on white. Wrong?: That describes the old in-country process. The Singapore Embassy captures the photo at the appointment; the size on those guides is not something you bring.
Is the old blue background still used anywhere?: Blue was the older DFA standard. We have no current authoritative page for it, and the Singapore renewal does not take a photo from you at all.

Sources

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

Philippines passport: www.philippine-embassy.org.sg (read 2026-09-06)
Philippines visa: www.philippine-embassy.org.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.