Canada Passport Photo Requirements
Canada's 50 x 70 mm size is unlike the US square or the 35 x 45 mm most countries use, and IRCC requires a commercial studio to take and print the photo, unedited. The full spec, and where it trips people.
A Canadian passport photo must be 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 x 2¾ inches), with your face measuring 31 to 36 mm (1-1/4 to 1-7/16 inches) from chin to crown, on a plain white or light-coloured background, with a neutral expression, taken within the last 6 months. You submit two identical prints, and Canada requires a commercial photographer to take and print them — unedited. Those rules come from the Passport Program at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which refuses any application whose photos miss them.
Two things make Canada's spec catch people out: the size is one of the most unusual in the world, and the "no edits" rule is stricter than most. This guide covers Canada only; for how other countries differ see passport photo size by country, and for the rules every country shares, passport photo requirements explained.
The exact Canada passport photo spec
Every figure below is published by IRCC for a printed photo submitted in person or by mail. The size is the part most people get wrong: Canada uses a tall 50 x 70 mm rectangle, not the 2 x 2 inch square the United States uses or the 35 x 45 mm rectangle standard across the UK, Europe, and Australia.
| Size and shape | 50 x 70 mm (2 x 2¾ inches), portrait rectangle |
| Face height (chin to crown) | 31 to 36 mm (1-1/4 to 1-7/16 inches) |
| Number of photos | Two identical, unaltered prints per application |
| Background | Plain white or light-coloured, uniform, no shadows |
| Colour and recency | Colour or black and white, taken within the last 6 months |
| Who takes it | A commercial photographer or studio; professionally printed, not home-printed |
The size is a common rejection trap
The 50 x 70 mm size exists almost nowhere else, so the usual mistake is reusing a photo cut for another country. A US photo is a 2 x 2 inch square; a UK, Australian, or European photo is 35 x 45 mm. Neither fits Canada's taller rectangle, and IRCC states plainly that it refuses applications whose photos are the wrong size. If you already have a photo sized for the US 2 x 2 inch square, it cannot be reused here. Starting from Canada's own dimensions is the only safe move, which is also why so many passport photos get rejected on size alone.
Canada requires a studio — and forbids editing
This is the rule that separates Canada from most countries, and the one competitors' "make it at home" tools quietly ignore. IRCC requires the photo to be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio and professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper. Photos printed at home or on heavyweight paper are not accepted.
Just as important, the photo must be the original, unaltered image. IRCC's definition of an altered photo is broad and explicit — it rejects any change to colour, brightness, contrast, or sharpness, any editing of your features, and, critically, cropping around the head and shoulders or cutting and pasting your image against a white background. Removing shadows or changing the background counts as altering too. Filters and AI tools are named specifically. In other words, the digital retouching that makes a compliant photo in some countries is exactly what gets one refused in Canada.
Glasses, expression, and background
Canada's visual rules line up with the international norm, with one notable difference from the US: glasses are allowed.
- Glasses. Photos with glasses are accepted as long as your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not accepted, even prescription ones. (The US, by contrast, bans glasses outright.)
- Expression. A neutral expression: eyes open and clearly visible, looking straight at the camera, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning. IRCC ties this to the International Civil Aviation Organization's recommendation, the same standard behind what makes a passport photo biometric.
- Background. Plain white or light-coloured, with uniform lighting and a clear difference between your face and the background. IRCC also warns against white clothing, which can blend into the background.
- Head coverings. Hats and head coverings are accepted only when worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons, and your full face must stay visible with no shadow.
- Colour. Unusually, the printed photo may be colour or black and white — Canada accepts either.
The back of the photo: photographer and guarantor
Canada's requirements go past the image itself. On the back of one of the two photos, the photographer must clearly write or stamp the date the photo was taken and the studio's name and complete address. For a new adult passport, your guarantor then writes "I certify this to be a true likeness of (your name)" and signs at the bottom. If you are renewing an adult passport, you do not need a guarantor. This is why the physical, studio-issued print matters: no home-made file can carry those attestations.
Online renewal uses a different digital spec
If you renew online, Canada asks for a digital photo instead, with its own specification. IRCC requires a JPEG (.jpg) in a 3:2 aspect ratio shot in portrait orientation, at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 wide and no larger than 4,500 by 3,000, between 200 KB and 5 MB, with the chin-to-crown measurement between 45% and 50% of the photo's height. It still must be taken in person by a commercial photographer, saved directly from the camera's original file, and never scanned from a print or altered in any way. The visual rules — neutral expression, white or light background, no edits — are identical to the printed version; only the delivery changes.
Where a sizing tool actually fits
Because Canada requires a studio photo and forbids editing, no browser tool can produce a file you submit to a Canadian passport application — and any site that claims otherwise is steering you toward a rejection. What a sizing tool is genuinely good for is seeing the unusual 50 x 70 mm frame and the 31 to 36 mm face height before you sit for the photo, so you know exactly what to ask the photographer for. The Canada Passport Photo Maker crops to the 50:70 ratio and outputs 600 x 840 pixels as a planning reference; it runs entirely in your browser, so a sensitive photo is never uploaded. A Canadian visa photo is a separate specification again, so don't assume the passport rules carry over. For the full picture across countries, start from the Passport Photo Maker hub.
FAQ
What size is a Canadian passport photo?
50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 x 2¾ inches), a portrait rectangle. Your face must measure 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown. It is neither the US 2 x 2 inch square nor the 35 x 45 mm size used across most of the world, so a photo cut for another country will not fit.
Can I take and edit my own Canadian passport photo?
No. IRCC requires the photo to be taken by a commercial photographer or studio and professionally printed, and it refuses any photo that has been edited — including cropping around your head, pasting yourself onto a white background, or adjusting colour, brightness, or contrast. Filters and AI edits are named as grounds for refusal.
Can I wear glasses in a Canadian passport photo?
Yes, as long as your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses, including tinted prescription glasses, are not accepted. This differs from the US, which does not allow glasses at all.
Do I need a guarantor?
For a new adult passport, yes: your guarantor signs the back of one photo and certifies it is a true likeness of you. If you are renewing an adult passport, you do not need a guarantor.
Can the photo be black and white?
Yes. Canada accepts a printed passport photo in either colour or black and white, provided it meets every other requirement.
What does the online renewal photo need to be?
A JPEG in a 3:2 portrait ratio, at least 1,800 by 1,200 pixels and no larger than 4,500 by 3,000, between 200 KB and 5 MB, with the head sized to 45 to 50% of the height. It must be a commercial photographer's original file, not scanned or altered.