ID Picture Requirements in the Philippines: Size, Background, Name Tag and Attire
Most Philippine ID pictures are passport size (3.5 × 4.5 cm), 2x2 (5.08 × 5.08 cm) or 1x1 (2.54 × 2.54 cm), in colour on a plain white background. PRC also wants a name tag, and the Civil Service exam wants an unedited photo with a hand-held name tag. Check which one you need below, then make it with the free tools linked on this page.
The three sizes, and who asks for which
“Passport size” in Philippine government forms means 3.5 cm wide and 4.5 cm tall; the Civil Service Commission writes it out as “Philippine Passport size (4.5 cm x 3.5 cm)”. PRC applications and the Personal Data Sheet use this size. See the passport size guide for pixels and print layouts.
2x2 and 1x1 are inch sizes, common for school records, company IDs and many private forms. A 2x2 picture is 5.08 × 5.08 cm; a 1x1 picture is 2.54 × 2.54 cm. If a form only says “ID picture”, ask which size before you print: 2x2 and passport size are easy to mix up, see 2x2 vs passport size.
| Size | Centimetres | Pixels at 300 dpi | Copies on one 4R sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport size | 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 413 × 531 px | 8 |
| 2x2 | 5.08 × 5.08 cm | 600 × 600 px | 6 |
| 1x1 | 2.54 × 2.54 cm | 300 × 300 px | 24 |
PRC: passport size, white background, name tag
The PRC FAQ asks for passport size pictures “in white background with complete name tag” for every process: 4 copies for the licensure exam application, 2 for initial registration, 1 for PRC ID renewal. ASEAN Architect and Engineer registrations add a dress code: coat and tie for men, blazer for women.
PRC's own text doesn't forbid edited pictures, so you can use the Formal Attire Editor for the coat and tie, or the White Background Editor if your wall isn't white. Your Board's checklist has the final word. Full list with sources: PRC picture requirements.
Civil Service exam: a real, unedited photo
The 2026 Career Service Examination announcement is the strictest: 4 identical passport size pictures, colour, white background, taken within 3 months, from shoulder level up, both ears showing, no eyeglasses, and a hand-held name tag with your handwritten signature over your printed full name. It also says facial features must not be computer enhanced.
So don't use AI attire or a digital name tag for the exam. Have the photo taken holding the name tag, then crop and print it with the Passport Size Photo Maker, which only crops and never edits your face. Details and the original text: Civil Service picture requirements.
Personal Data Sheet (PDS): no name tag any more
The Revised 2026 PDS (CS Form No. 212) asks for a passport-sized ID or unfiltered digital picture, 4.5 × 3.5 cm, taken within the last 6 months. It doesn't ask for a name tag or a specific background. “Unfiltered” isn't defined, so keep the photo as taken: crop it to size, don't retouch it.
National ID (PhilSys): your photo is taken on site
You don't bring a picture for the PhilSys National ID: it is taken at the registration center during Step 2. PhilSys asks you to remove eyeglasses or contact lenses, earrings, necklaces and facial piercings, to avoid heavy makeup, and not to wear a sleeveless top.
How to take an ID picture at home
Then open the Passport Size Photo Maker or the 2x2 Picture Maker: it finds your face, frames it the way ID pictures are framed, and makes a print sheet. Your photo stays on your phone.
- Stand about 50 cm in front of a plain white or light wall, facing a window so daylight falls evenly on your face.
- Ask someone to hold the phone at your eye level, about 1 to 1.5 m away. A front camera at arm's length distorts the face.
- Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression and both eyes open. Tuck hair behind your ears if the form asks for ears to show.
- Wear a collared top in a colour that isn't white, so you don't blend into the background.
- Take several shots and pick the sharpest one.
Printing: 4R sheet at 100%
Download the 4R (4 × 6 in) sheet and print it at any photo shop as a 4R print, or the A4 sheet on a home printer at 100% scale (“actual size”, not “fit to page”). One 4R sheet holds 8 passport size, 6 2x2 or 24 1x1 pictures. Cut along the grey lines. Mixed sheets, for example 2x2 with 1x1, come from the ID Picture Print Layout tool.
FAQ
- What is passport size for an ID picture in the Philippines?
- 3.5 cm wide and 4.5 cm tall (35 × 45 mm), 413 × 531 pixels at 300 dpi. The Civil Service Commission and PRC use this size.
- Is 2x2 the same as passport size?
- No. 2x2 is 5.08 × 5.08 cm, square; passport size is 3.5 × 4.5 cm, smaller and taller than wide.
- Do I need a name tag for the PDS?
- No. The Revised 2026 PDS only asks for a passport-sized unfiltered picture taken within the last 6 months.
- Can I use an edited picture for the Civil Service exam?
- No. The exam announcement says facial features must not be computer enhanced and the name tag must be hand-held with a handwritten signature, so use an unedited photo.
- Does PRC require formal attire?
- Only ASEAN Architect and Engineer registrations state it in the PRC FAQ: coat and tie for men, blazer for women. For other processes the FAQ asks for a white background and a name tag.