Civil Service Exam ID Picture: Official Requirements and How to Make One
Updated October 6, 2026
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is strict about ID pictures, and a wrong photo is one of the easiest ways to have an application turned back. The rules below come from the official application form, CS Form No. 100 (Revised 2023). Check the announcement for your exam date too, since the CSC can add or change requirements there.
The official requirements at a glance
You need four (4) identical ID pictures. Each one must be:
| Rule | What the CSC asks for |
|---|---|
| Size | Philippine passport size: 4.5 cm × 3.5 cm (1.78” × 1.38”) |
| Color and background | In color, with a white background |
| Paper | Printed on good-quality photo paper that doesn’t peel |
| How recent | Taken within the last three (3) months before you file |
| Framing | Close-up from shoulder level up, with the head and face filling at least 80% of the picture |
| Face | Bare face: no eyeglasses, colored contact lenses, headdress or bandana, and no accessories covering your features |
| Ears | Both left and right ears showing |
| Pose | Full-face view, facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open |
| Editing | Facial features must not be computer-enhanced |
| Name tag | Handwritten, not computer-generated, about 1 inch (2.54 cm) below the chin |
The name tag
The name tag is the part people most often get wrong. According to the form, it must show your signature over your printed full name, written by hand, in this order:
Given Name, Middle Initial (if any), Last Name, Extension Name (if any)
For example: Juan A. Dela Cruz Jr. A typed or printed-on-the-photo name tag isn’t accepted. Many applicants write the name and signature on a small strip of white paper and hold or pin it just below the chin, roughly 2.5 cm down, when the photo is taken.
How to make a compliant picture at home
- Prepare the name tag first. Write your full name in the order above and sign above it, in dark ink, large enough to read in a small photo.
- Remove glasses and accessories, and tuck your hair behind your ears so both ears show.
- Take the photo facing a window for even light, with someone holding your phone at eye level about 1–1.5 meters away. Frame from your chest to just above your head, so the name tag is in the shot. See how to take an ID photo at home for more tips.
- Make the background white. Upload the photo to White ID Photo. It replaces the background with plain white in your browser. Your photo isn’t uploaded anywhere.
- Choose “Passport 35×45 mm” under Output size and download the JPG. It’s saved at 300 DPI, so it prints at exactly 3.5 × 4.5 cm.
- Check the framing. The tool crops around your head, but it doesn’t measure the 80% rule. If your face looks small in the crop, retake the photo a little closer or zoom in, keeping the name tag visible.
- Print four copies on photo paper at a photo shop or on a good photo printer, at 100% scale.
The tool doesn’t remove glasses, fix shadows or sharpen a blurry photo, so get those right when you take the picture.
Common reasons pictures get rejected
- Computer-printed name tag, or a name tag without a signature
- Name in the wrong order, or the middle initial missing
- Eyeglasses, earrings or hair covering the ears
- Face too small (less than 80% of the picture), such as a half-body shot cropped down
- Picture older than three months
- A background that isn’t white, or a picture printed on plain paper
Other ID pictures in the Philippines
PRC licensure exams have their own picture rules, also with a name tag. See PRC ID picture requirements. For sizes in general, see ID photo sizes.