How to apply for a baby passport in Singapore: steps, photo rules, fee and collection

You apply for your baby's passport online, on MyICA, with your own Singpass. You need two things first: a registered birth and a recent photo. ICA waives the S$70 fee for a newborn citizen's first passport if you apply there on or before the first birthday, and processing takes around 1 to 2 weeks. Below is how to apply for a baby passport in Singapore, from the photo to collection, plus what changes if your baby was born overseas or isn't a citizen.

How to apply for a baby passport, step by step

1. Register the birth on LifeSG within 42 days. ICA charges S$18, and the digital birth certificate is ready to download within 90 days. Our birth registration guide has the details.
2. Check that your baby is a Singapore citizen. ICA says a child born here to married parents is a citizen automatically if either parent is a citizen at the birth.
3. Take a colour photo of your baby within 3 months of applying, on a plain white background, eyes open and mouth closed. Save it at 400 x 514 pixels for the online form.
4. Log in to ICA's passport application with your Singpass and apply for your child. For a child under 16, a parent or legal guardian gives consent.
5. Pay S$70, or nothing if this is a newborn citizen's first passport and you apply on MyICA on or before the first birthday. A counter application costs S$80 and gets no waiver.
6. Wait around 1 to 2 weeks for ICA's answer by post or email. A photo that fails ICA's rules can stretch this to 4 weeks.
7. Book a collection slot within 1 month of approval, at a participating post office or ICA Services Centre. Post office collection has no extra fee.
8. Bring your baby's birth certificate and the consenting parent's IC. If your child is under 6, a parent or guardian collects without them.
9. Note the expiry date. ICA issues 5-year passports to citizens under 16.

Taking your baby's passport photo at home

These are ICA's photo rules, from its photo guidelines and its overseas passport form. They're the same for a newborn as for you.

• Colour, and taken within the last 3 months.
• A plain white background.
• Full face, looking straight at the camera, with the head straight and eyes open.
• A neutral expression with the mouth closed.
• Both edges of the face and the top of the shoulders in view.
• No edits beyond resizing. ICA says not to alter the photo or use filters.
• A file of 400 x 514 pixels, as JPG, JPEG, HEIC, HEIF or PNG, up to 8 MB.

A baby who can't sit up yet is easiest to photograph lying on a plain white sheet. Stand over them and hold the phone flat, so the face is square to the camera. Light from a window gives you an even face without flash. Keep hands, toys and patterned blankets out of the frame, so all that shows is your baby on white. Shoot a burst and pick the frame with open eyes and a closed mouth.

ICA suggests asking someone else to take the photo, and recommends apps made for passport or IC photos to get the size right. If it rejects the photo, ICA tells you by post or email, and you send a new one through its e-Services.

Fees, timings and documents at a glance

The passport is one line on our after-birth admin checklist. Once it's in your hand, our guide to travel after giving birth covers airline age rules for newborns, and the baby travel packing list covers the bag. For jabs before a trip, see travel vaccinations for kids, and for a first drive across the Causeway, our Johor Bahru family day trip guide.

If your baby was born overseas

Singapore doesn't register births that happen overseas. Register the birth with the local authorities, and get the birth certificate there first.

Next comes Singapore citizenship, because ICA says your child has to be a citizen before you can apply for a passport. A citizen parent applies online with their Singpass. ICA charges S$18 for a citizen's overseas-born child, processes it within 1 month when the documents are in order, and encourages you to apply before your child turns one.

With citizenship through, apply for the passport online, or hand in ICA's overseas form at a Singapore embassy or high commission for S$80. The Embassy in Seoul, for example, asks for the original Citizenship Certificate with a first application. Overseas processing takes around 4 to 6 weeks, and ICA sends the passport to the mission you picked. ICA says the applicant must turn up at the mission in person at least once, either to apply or to collect.

If your baby isn't a Singapore citizen

Your baby's passport comes from your own country's embassy or high commission. ICA gives a non-citizen newborn a Special Pass, valid for 42 days from birth. ICA also says you'll need a travel document for your child from your embassy or high commission within those 42 days.

If the passport isn't ready, ICA's answer is to renew the Special Pass at least 7 working days before day 42. Bring a letter from your embassy confirming you've applied. Our guide to citizenship and passes for your baby explains which pass comes after that.

If something goes wrong

• Photo rejected: send a new one through ICA's e-Services. Expect up to 4 weeks in total.
• Urgent trip and no passport: go to the service ambassadors at Level 1, ICA Services Centre, 2 Crawford Street. Bring your baby's birth certificate, the consenting parent's IC, a photo taken within 3 months and proof of the trip, such as flight tickets. ICA expects the wait to be 3 hours or longer.
• The consenting parent can't collect: at ICA Services Centre, another person can go with a signed letter from that parent and their own IC. At a post office, the consenting parent has to be there.
• Missed the post office slot: you get a 4-day window, then you can rebook 2 working days after it closes. ICA cancels passports left uncollected for 3 months and doesn't refund the fee.
• Anything else: use the enquiry form on ICA's passport page, where you can also check your application status.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a newborn passport take in Singapore?

ICA says around 1 to 2 weeks after it receives the application. A photo that fails its rules can push that to 4 weeks. After approval, book a collection slot within 1 month.

Is a baby passport in Singapore free?

The first one is, for a newborn citizen, if you apply on MyICA on or before the first birthday. When ICA brought in the waiver, it said parents of an eligible child get a notice on their MyICA dashboard. Otherwise it's S$70 online or S$80 at a counter.

What are the rules for a baby passport photo in Singapore?

The same as for adults. That means colour, taken in the last 3 months, a plain white background, eyes open, mouth closed and the face square to the camera. The online file is 400 x 514 pixels. Laying your baby on a white sheet and shooting from above is the easiest way to get there.

Does my baby need to come to collect the passport?

No, not if your child is under 6. ICA lets a parent or guardian book the appointment and collect for them. Bring the birth certificate and the consenting parent's IC.

How do I get a passport for a baby born overseas to a Singaporean parent?

Register the birth where your baby was born, then apply for Singapore citizenship on ICA's site with your Singpass. Once your baby is a citizen, apply for the passport online or at a Singapore overseas mission. Overseas processing takes around 4 to 6 weeks.

How long is a baby passport valid in Singapore?

Five years. ICA issues 5-year passports to citizens under 16, and 10-year passports from 16.