head 44–51 %
Free: cropping, background replacement, check
14-day refund if the authority rejects the photo
SourceGovernment of Canada / IRCC
Verified
Quick answer: A Canada passport photo must be 50 × 70 mm. White or light uniform background. Head occupies 44–51% of photo height (31–36 mm chin to crown). Neutral expression, clear lenses only, no glare. Last verified .
Requirements
| Format | 50 × 70 mmICAO 9303: 35 × 45 mm |
|---|---|
| Head height | 44–51% of photo heightICAO 9303: 70–80% |
| Head height (mm) | 31–36 mm chin to crownICAO 9303: 32–36 mm |
| Background | White or light uniform background. |
| Pose | Full face, head centred, no tilt or rotation. |
| Expression | Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. |
| Glasses | Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. See full rules → |
| Lighting | Even lighting without shadows on face and background, no red eyes. |
| Head covering | Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. |
| Attire | Clothing must not blend into the background; face and shoulder line must be clearly defined. |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| Millimetres | 50 × 70 mm |
|---|---|
| Centimetres | 5 × 7 cm |
| Inches | 1.97 × 2.75″ |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 591 × 827 px |
| Pixels at 600 dpi | 1181 × 1654 px |
Canadian passport photographs are set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which says its requirements differ from those of other countries and that it will refuse an application whose photos do not meet them. An application needs 2 identical, unaltered photos, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 × 2¾ inches), with the face 31–36 mm from chin to crown, in colour or black and white, taken in person by a commercial photographer or studio and professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper — photos printed at home or on heavy-weight paper are not accepted.
They must be taken no more than 6 months before applying, with a neutral expression, the face and shoulders centred and square to the camera, uniform lighting without shadows, and a plain white or light-coloured background. Glasses are accepted if the eyes are visible and there is no glare; sunglasses and tinted lenses are not.
For an online renewal the photo is a digital file instead.
Examples and mistakes
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for Canada passport applications. These are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Typical reasons a photo is rejected under the rules Government of Canada / IRCC publishes: what is wrong and what to change.
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Size not 50 × 70 mm, or face height outside 31–36 mm | Ask the photographer for 50 mm wide by 70 mm high with the chin-to-crown height between 31 and 36 mm; IRCC refuses the application when the photos do not meet its requirements. |
| Photo printed at home or on heavy-weight paper, or not taken by a commercial photographer or studio | Have the photos taken in person at a commercial photographer or studio and professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper. |
| Altered photo: retouching, cropping around the head and shoulders, changed background, removed red-eye or scars | Submit original photos with no edit of any kind — IRCC counts brightness, contrast, sharpness, cropping and cut-and-paste onto white as alterations. |
| Sunglasses or tinted lenses (even prescription), glare on glasses, or a hat or head covering not worn daily for religious or medical reasons | Wear clear glasses with the eyes visible and no glare, or take them off; remove hats and any head covering that is not part of your daily religious or medical dress. |
| Expression not neutral: smiling, frowning or an open mouth; head tilted; shadows on the face, ears or background | Keep the mouth closed with a neutral face, look straight at the camera with the head level, and light the scene evenly so there are no shadows around the ears or behind you. |
| Photographer's details or the guarantor's line missing on the back of one photo | On the back of 1 photo have the photographer write or stamp the date and the studio's name and complete address, and have your guarantor write the certification line and sign (not needed for an adult renewal). |
How to take it
Background: white or light
The tool puts in the required background. Stand half a metre from a plain light wall, face a window and shoot without flash — then there are no shadows on your face or on the wall.
Head: 44–51 % of the photo height (31–36 mm)
Camera at eye level, about a metre away; head and shoulders in the shot. The tool crops it to 50 × 70 mm.
Clear lenses only, no glare
If you wear glasses, check the shot: no glare on the lenses, eyes clearly visible.
Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open
Look straight into the lens with your head level; keep hair away from your eyes and eyebrows.
An ordinary selfie will do: we fix the background, light and framing ourselves — to this document's rules. The preview is free.
Head straightHold the phone at eye level and your head straightens by itself.
Face uncoveredMove your hair away so your eyes and eyebrows show.
No glare on glassesStand so that no light reflects in the lenses.Printing and submission
| 10 × 15 cm · 4 × 6″ | 4 (2 × 2) |
|---|---|
| A4 · 21 × 29.7 cm | 16 (4 × 4) |
Print at 100% scale, borderless, and turn off fit-to-page so each photo keeps its exact size.
IRCC offers several ways to apply for or renew a Canadian passport — online renewal for a limited number of people, in person at a passport service location, and urgent or express service — and its page asks where you are: Canada, the USA or elsewhere abroad. The kind of photo you hand in depends on the route.
«Find a passport service location» and «Book an appointment online» on canada.ca
Two identical unaltered 50 × 70 mm prints from a commercial photographer; one carries the photographer's date, studio name and address on the back, and the guarantor's certification line and signature for a first application.
Authority pageIRCC online renewal; photo requirements are on the digital specification sheet
Digital photo: JPEG saved straight from the camera, 3:2 portrait, 1800 × 1200 to 4500 × 3000 px, chin to crown 45–50 % of the height; the studio's name, address and the photo date are entered at upload. IRCC says to ask the photographer for a digital and a printed copy.
Authority pageChoose «USA» or «International» on the IRCC passports page
The same 50 × 70 mm photo rules apply: a commercial photographer, professional print, two identical unaltered copies. IRCC refuses applications whose photos do not meet the requirements.
Authority page| Authority | Government of Canada / IRCC |
|---|---|
| Source | Canadian passport photo requirements |
| Verified |
Questions
Two identical, unaltered photos, each 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the face 31–36 mm from chin to crown. They may be colour or black and white, must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or studio no more than 6 months before you apply, and be printed professionally on plain, high-quality photo paper — not at home, not on heavy paper. Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open; plain white or light background; no shadows or glare. IRCC refuses applications whose photos do not meet these requirements.
For a passport it is 50 mm × 70 mm (2 × 2¾ inches), not 35 × 45 mm; IRCC points out that Canadian passport photo requirements are different from those of other countries. The face height stays between 31 and 36 mm. The 35 × 45 mm frame belongs to visitor-visa photos, which are a separate document with their own page.
No, not for the printed photos. IRCC says the photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or studio and professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper, and that it does not accept photos printed at home or on heavy-weight paper. For an online renewal the photo is a digital file, but a professional photographer must still take it, in person, within 6 months before you submit.
Yes. IRCC accepts photos with glasses as long as your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. It does not accept sunglasses or tinted glasses, and that includes tinted prescription lenses even when the eyes are visible.
Online renewal needs a digital photo, with rules that differ from the printed 50 × 70 mm photo. The IRCC digital specification sheet asks for a .jpg or .jpeg saved directly from the camera original (a scan of a print is not accepted), in a 3:2 ratio in portrait, at least 1800 × 1200 and at most 4500 × 3000 pixels, 200 KB–4 MB, with the chin-to-crown height 45–50 % of the photo height, and no editing, cropping or repeated compression. When you upload it you give the studio's name and address and the date it was taken.
The Canada passport photo must be 50 × 70 mm. The head must occupy 44–51% of the photo height.
White or light uniform background. No gradients, textures, shadows or objects behind the subject are permitted. The tool removes background shadows automatically, but starting with a flat, evenly lit wall gives the best result.
Yes. Stand in front of a flat, plain wall in good natural light, face the light source and use the rear camera of your phone with a 3-second timer. The tool handles the crop, background normalisation and compliance check against the Canada biometric standard.
Most passport authorities require the photo to be taken within the last six months. Do not reuse an older portrait even if your appearance has not changed.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the photo is rejected by the Canada authority and you supply the official rejection notice. See the refund policy page for the exact process.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections. In practice, the biometric scanner at submission points flags even minor lens glare that looks fine to the naked eye. Removing glasses before shooting is the only option that eliminates the risk entirely.
50 × 70 mm = 5 × 7 cm = 1.97 × 2.75 inches. At 300 dpi that is 591 × 827 pixels; at 600 dpi, 1181 × 1654 pixels.
Religious reasons only; must not cover the facial oval. The face must stay fully visible from chin to forehead and on both sides, with no shadow across it.