Can I use Pixshop for a Philippine passport or PhilSys national ID photo?

No. A Philippine passport, issued by the DFA, and the PhilSys national ID, issued by the PSA, are government-issued documents that require a recent, unaltered photograph. Most issuing authorities prohibit AI-generated or digitally altered images, so use Pixshop for a resume, company ID, or school form instead — not either of these two documents.

Why do some Philippine forms ask for a blue or red background instead of white?

White is the most common default, but some Philippine schools and employers specify a coloured background, usually blue or red, as part of their own form or ID template. There is no single national rule covering every form, so check the specific school's or employer's instructions rather than assuming white is always accepted.

Photo Guides

ID Photo Conventions in the Philippines

In the Philippines, 1x1 and 2x2 photos with a white, blue, or red background are common for forms and IDs — but not for a passport or the national ID.

Last updated September 20, 2026

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In the Philippines, 1x1 and 2x2 photo sizes are widely requested for school forms, job applications, and company IDs, and some forms specify a white, blue, or red background — but government-issued documents like a Philippine passport or the PhilSys national ID are different: they require a recent, unaltered photograph, not an AI-generated one.

Why 1x1 and 2x2 show up on almost every Philippine form

Square photo sizes are the default across a wide range of Philippine paperwork — school records, job applications, company IDs, membership forms — even though none of these forms is a government-issued document in the way a passport is. See what a 1x1 ID photo and what a 2x2 ID photo actually specify: the two sizes look similar but serve different kinds of forms, and only the 2x2 size doubles as an actual passport and visa specification.

Background colour: white, blue, or red

White is the safest default when a form doesn't specify a colour. Where a colour is specified, it is usually because a particular school, employer, or form template calls for it — Pixshop's own ID Picture editor supports white, blue, or red for exactly this reason, since Philippine employers and schools are among the more common sources of a coloured-background request. See what ID photo background colour to use for how to decide when you're not sure which one applies.

Formal attire: blazer, collared shirt, or barong tagalog

A blazer or plain collared shirt covers most job applications and company IDs, and barong tagalog is a widely accepted alternative wherever Filipino formal dress is appropriate, from company events to some job applications. See barong tagalog in a formal photo for where each option fits.

What this is not for: passport and national ID

The Philippine passport is issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs — see the background on the Philippine passport — and the national ID comes from the Philippine Statistics Authority under the Philippine Identification System. Both are government-issued documents, and like a passport or driver's licence anywhere else, they require a recent, unaltered photograph rather than an AI-generated or digitally altered one. A city page like Manila professional headshots states the same boundary for exactly this reason.

Common mistakes

Submitting the wrong background colour for a specific school or employer form that states one.
Confusing a company or school ID requirement with a government ID's much stricter, unaltered-photo rule.
Using an old photo for a form that asks for a recent one, even when the form itself isn't a government document.

Getting a formal photo for everyday Philippine forms from a selfie

Pixshop's ID Picture pack generates a square, plain-background, formal-attire photo of the kind many Philippine school, job, and company forms ask for — white, blue, or red background, with a blazer, collared shirt, or barong tagalog — from one selfie, through the ID picture editor. The output is square but not cropped to an exact 1x1 or 2x2 print size, so resize it if a form states one. It is built for resumes, company and school IDs, and forms that request a formal photo rather than legally specify one. It is not for a Philippine passport (DFA) or the PhilSys national ID, which require a recent, unaltered photograph, and it is not a way to produce any other government ID photo.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Pixshop for a Philippine passport or PhilSys national ID photo?: No. A Philippine passport, issued by the DFA, and the PhilSys national ID, issued by the PSA, are government-issued documents that require a recent, unaltered photograph. Most issuing authorities prohibit AI-generated or digitally altered images, so use Pixshop for a resume, company ID, or school form instead — not either of these two documents.
Why do some Philippine forms ask for a blue or red background instead of white?: White is the most common default, but some Philippine schools and employers specify a coloured background, usually blue or red, as part of their own form or ID template. There is no single national rule covering every form, so check the specific school's or employer's instructions rather than assuming white is always accepted.