Applying for a new Canadian passport, renewing one, or updating your permanent resident card? Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) enforces detailed photo specifications through the Passport Program, and even a minor error is one of the most common reasons applications get delayed or returned. This guide walks through every current rule so your Canada passport photo, PR card photo, or citizenship photo passes the first time.
Canada Passport Photo Size and Dimensions
The official Canadian passport photo dimensions are unlike most other countries, so never reuse a photo taken for a US or European application.
- Width: 50 mm (2 inches)
- Height: 70 mm (2 3/4 inches)
- Face length, chin to crown of head: 31 mm to 36 mm
- Orientation: Portrait, with a 5:7 aspect ratio
This 50×70 mm canada passport photo dimensions format is larger than the US 51×51 mm square and different from the 35×45 mm size used for Canadian visa photos, so double-check which document you're preparing before you print anything.
Canada Passport Photo Requirements: Core Rules
The following canada passport photo specification points come directly from IRCC's published guidance and apply to nearly every application type.
Who Must Take the Photo
Your photo must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio, no more than 6 months before you submit your application. Selfies, home printouts, and photos edited from an existing image are not accepted for standard paper applications. Some eligible adult renewals allow a digital photo captured directly by a commercial photographer, but the in-person requirement still applies — the photographer's file simply gets uploaded instead of printed.
Pose and Expression
- Face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera, with no tilting
- Neutral facial expression: eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, no smiling
- Full face visible, with no hair, hands, or accessories covering any facial feature
Lighting and Background
- Uniform lighting with no shadows, glare, or flash reflections
- Clear, sharp focus and natural skin tones
- A plain white or light-coloured background with clear contrast between your face and the backdrop
Glasses
Contrary to what many outdated guides claim, glasses are still permitted. Canada.ca accepts photos where your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted eyeglasses, including tinted prescription lenses, are rejected outright.
Hair and Head Coverings
Hair can be worn down or up, provided it stays off your face so the edges of your face remain visible. Hats and head coverings are only accepted when worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons, and even then your full face must be clearly visible with no shadows cast across it.
Special Circumstances
- Wheelchair users can place a plain white blanket behind their head so their facial features and the outline of their face stay visible.
- Medical conditions that prevent you from meeting a specific rule (for example, keeping your eyes fully open) should be explained in writing with your application.
What You Can't Do to a Canadian Passport Photo
IRCC rejects photos that show:
- Sunglasses or tinted eyewear, including tinted prescription lenses
- Red-eye effects, or any red-eye correction or editing
- Head coverings not worn daily for religious or medical reasons
- Shadows around the ears, across the face or shoulders, or in the background
- Any alteration, including background swaps, retouching, or shadow removal
The Back of the Photo: Guarantor and Photographer Requirements
This is the step most applicants miss, and it makes Canada's canada passport photo regulations unusual compared with most countries.
On the back of one of your two photos:
- The photographer must write or stamp the date the photo was taken and the name and complete address of the photo studio.
- If your application requires a guarantor, they must write "I certify this to be a true likeness of (applicant's name)" and sign the back of that same photo.
A guarantor must be at least 18 years old, have known you personally for at least two years, hold Canadian citizenship, and have a valid 5-year or 10-year Canadian passport. Standard adult renewals and several online renewal streams do not require a guarantor signature, but new applications and most paper submissions still do.
Digital and Online Considerations
Because "canada passport photo online" is a common search, it's worth being precise: IRCC has not moved standard adult applications to a fully digital selfie-upload system. Every route still requires an in-person session with a commercial photographer. What has changed is that some eligible online renewals accept an original digital JPEG file straight from the photographer's camera instead of a printed copy — but that file cannot be resized, filtered, retouched, or run through background-replacement or AI-editing tools, since IRCC checks that it's an unaltered original.
That said, online resizing and compliance-checking tools remain genuinely useful for one thing: confirming your photographer's print or file actually meets the 50×70 mm, 31–36 mm face-height, and background rules before you submit it, so you catch a sizing problem before it becomes a rejected application.
Canada Visa Photo Size: A Different Specification
If you're applying for a temporary resident visa rather than a passport, don't use your passport photo. Canadian visa photos use a separate 35 mm × 45 mm format, generally following the same posture, expression, and background rules as passport photos, with glasses permitted under the same clear-eyes, no-glare condition. If you search for a "canada visa photo size online free" tool, make sure it's set to the 35×45 mm visa preset rather than the 50×70 mm passport preset, since submitting the wrong dimensions is a frequent cause of processing delays.
Canada Permanent Resident (PR) Card Photo Requirements
Permanent resident card renewals and replacements also use the 50 mm × 70 mm format with the same 31–36 mm face-height range, neutral expression, and plain background rules that apply to passports. Two identical photos are required, and one must carry the photographer's information on the back. Because PR card applications don't always need a guarantor signature, check the current instructions on your specific application form before your photo session, so the photographer knows exactly what to write on the back.
Canada Citizenship Photo Requirements
A Canadian citizenship photo — needed for citizenship certificate applications and proof-of-citizenship requests — follows the same core specification as the passport photo: 50 mm × 70 mm, chin-to-crown face height of 31–36 mm, plain light background, and a neutral expression. As with passport and PR photos, take it to a professional photographer rather than printing one at home, and confirm on your application form whether a guarantor declaration is required for your specific citizenship document.
Where to Get Your Canada Passport Photo Taken
Since a commercial photographer must capture the photo in person, most applicants use one of the following:
- Independent photo studios and portrait photographers in their city
- Pharmacy photo counters, such as Shoppers Drug Mart or London Drugs
- Retail photo centres at Costco or Walmart
- Camera and print shops that offer passport-photo services
If you're located in Alberta, passport photos Calgary services are widely available through local photo studios, pharmacy photo counters, and dedicated passport-photo shops across the city, most of which know the 50×70 mm format and the back-of-photo stamping requirement well. Wherever you go, bring a printed copy of the official IRCC photo specification sheet so the photographer can match every measurement exactly.
Summary Checklist for Canadian Passport Photos
✔ Size is exactly 50 mm wide × 70 mm high, portrait orientation ✔ Face length, chin to crown, measures 31–36 mm ✔ Plain white or light-coloured background with clear contrast ✔ Neutral expression: eyes open, mouth closed, no smiling ✔ Glasses allowed only if eyes are clearly visible with no glare; no tinted or sunglasses ✔ Taken in person by a commercial photographer within the last 6 months ✔ Back of one photo carries the photographer's studio name, address, and date ✔ Guarantor's signed declaration on the back, when your application requires one ✔ Unaltered, unedited, and free of shadows or red-eye correction
Following these canada passport photo guidelines before your photo session, rather than after a rejection letter, is the simplest way to keep your passport, PR card, or citizenship application moving on schedule.