Philippines passport photo: there is none to bring
No size, no background colour, no print. The authority produces the image itself, so nothing here is yours to prepare.
Why there is no editor on this page
Our editor cuts a photo to a published size. Philippines publishes none for this document, so there is nothing to cut to. We would rather say that than hand you a crop no office asked for.
Philippines passport
The Department of Foreign Affairs answers this directly: you do not need to bring a passport-sized photo. The consular office captures your photo and biometrics digitally when you attend your appointment, and the core requirements list for a new adult passport asks only for the confirmed online appointment, personal appearance, the accomplished application form, the PSA birth certificate on security paper and an acceptable ID.
How the image is produced
An officer photographs you at the counter when you apply.
An official page says so in as many words.
Where a photo is still accepted
Scope: this covers a passport applied for at a DFA consular office in the Philippines. Applications at embassies and consulates abroad were not verified, so the tool should not promise the same rule there.
Applying in Philippines
The Philippines gives an unusually direct answer to the question this site exists to answer. Asked whether you need to bring a passport sized photo, the Department of Foreign Affairs says no: the consular office captures your photo and biometrics digitally. The core requirements lists for a new adult passport, an adult renewal and a minor all contain no photograph at all. There is no mail-in route anywhere in the system, and the courier service that exists is for delivering the finished passport, not for lodging an application.
The more useful finding is the one that contradicts almost every commercial guide. No official Philippine page publishes a background colour or a millimetre size for a passport photo. The widely repeated 35 by 45 millimetres on a plain white background appears on no Department source we could reach, and we are not going to reprint it as though it were a rule. What the department does publish is a dress code for the appointment, because the picture is taken there against a physical background cloth.
That cloth is what changes the practical advice. Applicants are told to wear colours that clearly contrast with it, which in plain terms means do not turn up in a white or very pale top. Sleeveless, camisole, spaghetti strap, tube and halter tops are excluded outright, collared tops and higher necklines are encouraged, and the guidance recommends what it calls the Mona Lisa smile: mouth closed, no teeth showing. Eyeglasses and coloured contact lenses are both out.
Why photos get rejected here
No confirmed appointment booked through the official site
Appointments are free and must come from passport.gov.ph. The department states that appointments not made there are not legitimate appointments, and arriving without one turns you away before any photograph is taken.
An identity document the department does not accept
A Postal ID, a TIN ID, a PhilHealth ID and a Pag-IBIG ID are all excluded. Unreadable, late-registered or misspelled birth certificates need an annotated replacement from the statistics authority first.
A sleeveless or strapless top at capture
Sleeveless tops, camisoles, spaghetti straps, tube tops and halter tops are named and excluded. Collared tops and higher necklines are what the guidance asks for instead.
Eyeglasses or coloured contact lenses
Both are excluded for the capture. There is no glare-free exception of the kind several other countries publish, so plan to arrive without them rather than to remove them at the counter.
Hair across the face, or ears not visible
The official poster marks hair on the face and untidy hair as failures and requires both ears to show. Tucking hair back before you are called is the whole fix.
Showing teeth in the photograph
A smile that shows teeth is marked as unacceptable on the department's own poster. The guidance recommends a closed-mouth expression, described in its own words as the Mona Lisa smile.
What helps
Do not wear white or a very pale top
The photograph is taken against a physical background cloth and you are asked to wear colours that clearly contrast with it. This is the single most actionable instruction on the page.
Book only at passport.gov.ph, and pay nothing for the slot
Appointments are free. The frequently quoted PHP 50 convenience fee appears on no official page we could find, including the department's own list of payment merchants.
Leave glasses and coloured lenses at home
Both are excluded at capture. If you wear contact lenses daily, allow time before the appointment to take them out and for your eyes to settle.
Tuck your hair behind both ears
Both ears must be visible and hair must be off the face. This is checked at the moment of capture, so it is worth doing in the waiting area rather than hoping.
Take earrings out, because the official sources disagree
Two missions state that no earrings are allowed, while the consular affairs office says stud earrings may be accepted unless they obscure the face or generate a shadow. Removing them satisfies both readings.
Renew before the 2028 rush if your book expires then
The first ten year passports issued under the 2024 law fall due in 2028, and an embassy advisory in July 2026 warned about the volume. Renewal is no longer gated on being close to expiry.
Babies and young children
Every applicant appears in person for biometric capture, and the department is explicit that this includes newborns. There is no photograph to prepare for a child any more than for an adult, because the consular office takes it. Two concessions exist for families: minors aged seven and under qualify for the walk-in courtesy lane, though everyone using that lane except senior citizens and persons with disability pays the expedited rate, and minors aged twelve and under leave the signature page blank. We found no published relaxation of the expression or gaze rules for infants.
Glasses
Eyeglasses are not permitted at capture, and coloured contact lenses are excluded alongside them. Both appear on the official guidance and on the department's own photo poster. Unlike the countries that allow glasses subject to glare, there is no conditional route here, so this is not a judgement about lighting: arrive without them. Clear, non-coloured contact lenses are not named as a problem in anything we read, but the department does not address them directly either, so we cannot state a rule for them.
Head covering
We could not find any Department of Foreign Affairs statement on religious head coverings, and the mission pages that might carry one were unreachable. That is a real gap rather than an omission on our part, and we would rather say so than guess. Given that the photograph is captured by an official who applies the dress code on the day, the practical route is to contact the consular office you are booked with in advance if this affects you. The general international requirement is that the face stays visible from chin to forehead.
Applying online
There is no upload and no printed photograph anywhere in the process. The consular office captures the photograph and biometrics digitally at the appointment, and the department states plainly that you do not need to bring a passport sized photo. There is also no mail-in or courier lodging route; courier service is delivery of the finished passport only. One live inconsistency is worth flagging: the same official page that gives ten working days for regular processing in Metro Manila also says ten to fifteen working days elsewhere on the page.
Questions about Philippines photos
Does the Department of Foreign Affairs ask for a printed photograph?
No. Its own answer is that you do not need to bring a passport sized photo, because the consular office captures your photo and biometrics digitally. The core requirements lists for adults and minors contain no photograph.
Is there an official Philippine photo size and background colour?
Not one we could find. No official page publishes a millimetre size or a background colour. The 35 by 45 millimetres on plain white that appears across commercial sites is not sourced to the department, and we do not repeat it as a rule.
What should I wear to the appointment?
A collared top or something with a higher neckline, in a colour that contrasts with the background cloth, which means avoiding white and very pale shades. Sleeveless tops, camisoles, spaghetti straps, tube tops and halter tops are all excluded.
Can I keep my earrings on?
Official sources disagree. Two missions say no earrings are allowed; the consular affairs office says stud earrings may be accepted unless they obscure the face or generate a shadow. Taking them off satisfies both, which is what we would do.
Is there a PHP 50 convenience fee for booking?
Not on any official page we could check, including the department's own payment merchant list. Appointments are stated to be free and available only through passport.gov.ph. Treat a site charging for a slot as unofficial.
Why is renewing before 2028 worth thinking about?
Because the first ten year passports issued under the 2024 law expire that year, and an embassy advisory in July 2026 warned of the resulting volume. Renewal no longer depends on your passport being close to expiry.
Where this comes from
- Passport FAQs: do I need to bring a passport-sized photo for my application?checked September 2, 2026
- Core requirements for adult new applicationschecked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers