Quick answer
Do Chinese citizens need a Singapore visa photo?
Not for short visits: since 9 February 2024, PRC ordinary passport holders can stay in Singapore visa-free for up to 30 days. If you need a visa, you apply through an authorised visa agent with one colour photo, 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, on a plain white background, taken within 3 months.
Since 9 February 2024, PRC ordinary passport holders can stay in Singapore visa-free for up to 30 days, under a mutual 30-day visa exemption, so most trips need no visa photo. You still submit the free SG Arrival Card within 3 days before you arrive. Holders of other PRC travel documents, and anyone else who needs a visa, apply through an authorised visa agent (fixed fee 300 yuan) with one colour photo, 35 mm wide by 45 mm high (新加坡签证照片), on a plain white background and taken within the last 3 months.
Singapore visa photo size (if you need a visa)
| Photo size | 35 mm wide × 45 mm high, without a border |
|---|---|
| Background | Plain white |
| Photo age | Taken within the last 3 months |
| Pose | Full frontal view; your face must not be cropped and your features must not be obscured |
| Number | One coloured photograph |
| ICA online uploads | 400 × 514 pixels; jpg, jpeg, heic, heif or png; up to 8 MB |
| Selfies | Not recommended by ICA: ask someone to take the photo |
The printed photo rule is from the Singapore Embassy in Beijing's visa page (updated 14 October 2026). The upload size is ICA's recommendation for photos sent through its e-services (updated 28 April 2026). Note that Singapore asks for a photo taken within 3 months, not the 6 months many countries allow.
Who still needs a visa
The exemption covers PRC ordinary passports for stays of up to 30 days. Diplomatic, public affairs and service passports were already exempt for 30 days. Holders of all other PRC travel documents, including the PRC Travel Document, the Hong Kong SAR Document of Identity and the Macau SAR Travel Permit, must still apply for a visa before travelling.
Visiting Singapore visa-free
The 30-day exemption for PRC ordinary passports was announced at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation on 7 December 2023 and took effect on 9 February 2024; Singapore ordinary passport holders get the same 30 days in China. Entry is still decided by ICA officers at the checkpoint, and you must meet the other entry requirements, such as enough money for your stay and a confirmed onward or return ticket where needed.
Submit the SG Arrival Card within 3 days before you arrive, free of charge, on ICA's e-Service or the MyICA app; it does not ask for a photo. Passports are no longer stamped: an e-Pass showing how long you may stay is emailed to the address you gave on the SG Arrival Card.
If you need a visa
Apply through one of the embassy's authorised visa agents in China (the list was updated on 14 October 2026). The embassy in Beijing and the consulates-general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xiamen stopped taking walk-in visa applications on 8 December 2014. Every agent charges a fixed, non-refundable fee of 300 yuan, which includes the SGD 30 visa processing fee.
Give the agent Form 14A (completed in English and signed), your passport with at least 6 months' validity and a copy of the bio-data page, your ID card (身份证) with a copy, the photo, and a letter of employment if you are employed, plus any other documents asked for.
How to get your Singapore visa photo right
- Check whether you need a visa. With a PRC ordinary passport, stays of up to 30 days are visa-free. Other PRC travel documents still need a visa.
- Take a colour photo on white. Use a full frontal view on a plain white background, with your face not cropped or covered, taken within the last 3 months.
- Crop it to 35 × 45 mm. Print it without a border, or save a 400 × 514 pixel file if you are using ICA e-services.
- Give it to an authorised visa agent. Hand it in with Form 14A, your passport, your ID card and supporting documents, and pay the 300 yuan fee.
- Submit the SG Arrival Card. Do this within 3 days before you arrive. It is free and needs no photo.
Sample photos
Samples show pose, lighting and background. Crop your own photo to the Singapore visa size.
Singapore visa photo FAQ
Not with a PRC ordinary passport for stays of up to 30 days, since 9 February 2024. Holders of the PRC Travel Document, the Hong Kong SAR Document of Identity or the Macau SAR Travel Permit still need a visa.
One colour photo, 35 mm wide by 45 mm high, without a border, on a plain white background, taken within the last 3 months.
No. The embassy and consulates-general in China stopped walk-in visa applications in 2014: apply through an authorised visa agent, for a fixed fee of 300 yuan.
No. It is free and is submitted online within 3 days before you arrive.
ICA recommends 400 × 514 pixels for photos uploaded through its e-services, as a jpg, jpeg, heic, heif or png file of up to 8 MB.
Official sources
- Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA): Mutual 30-day visa exemption with the PRC
- Embassy of Singapore in Beijing: Visa information
- ICA: Photo guidelines
- ICA: SG Arrival Card
- China Consular Service: Mutual visa exemption list
Last checked . Requirements and fees can change, so always confirm with the issuing agency before you apply. This site is independent and not affiliated with any government agency.