Quick answer: A Canada passport photo must be 50 × 70 mm with white or light uniform background. Head occupies 44–51% of photo height (31–36 mm chin to crown). Neutral expression, see glasses rule. Last verified .
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| 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. |
| Digital resolution | Check the authority portal before digital upload |
| File format | JPEG · sRGB / 24-bit |
| File size | Check the authority portal before upload |
| 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.
Canadian passport photo verification is run by **Service Canada / Passport Canada (IRCC)** under the photo specification published at canada.ca/passport-photos. The current spec, in force since February 2026, unifies the previously separate passport and PR card standards into a single 50 × 70 mm print with 31-36 mm chin-to-crown head height. Verification happens in two layers. First, Service Canada agents at any of the 300+ passport offices do a visual + dimensional check at intake. Approximately 4% of submissions are returned at this stage — most commonly for: head size outside the 31-36mm band, smiling, glasses glare, or photos older than 6 months. Second, Passport Canada's processing centres in Mississauga and Gatineau run automated ICAO 9303 quality scoring against the assembled file before the chip personalisation step. Canadian-specific quirks: photos must be taken by a commercial photographer (not self-taken) and the photographer must sign + date the back of one of the two required prints with their name, address, and date taken. This rule, dating to 1996, is uniquely Canadian — no other major issuing authority requires photographer endorsement. Self-taken photos at home are explicitly rejected even if they pass the dimensional check.
| Authority | Government of Canada / IRCC |
|---|---|
| Source | Canadian passport photo requirements |
| Verified | |
| Confidence | Official — exact |
One compliant example next to the six most common rejection causes for Canada passport applications. The final decision always belongs to Government of Canada / IRCC, but these are the differences that most often determine whether a document photo is accepted.
Upload a portrait — the tool crops, removes the background and checks compliance against the 50 × 70 mm rule automatically.
Use a blank white wall or tape a white bedsheet flat — avoid creases. Stand at least 50 cm from the surface so your shadow does not fall onto it. Patterned wallpaper or any textured surface creates a gradient that fails the automated background check, even if it looks white to the eye.
Face a large window during daylight hours. Even, frontal, diffused natural light produces the cleanest indoor result. Never use on-camera flash — it creates hard shadows on the background and washes out facial geometry. Turn off any coloured indoor light sources.
Extend your chin slightly forward and downward — this elongates the neck and sharpens the jawline. Keep your head level: the camera must be exactly at eye height. Tilting up or down distorts the biometric head-height ratio.
Keep both shoulders square to the camera. Passport standards require a straight-on stance — turned shoulders shift the perceived centre of the face and will cause the automated alignment check to fail.
Eyes must be fully visible; no tinted lenses or strong reflections In practice, the biometric scanner flags even minor glare invisible to the naked eye. Removing glasses before shooting is the only option that eliminates the risk entirely.
Look directly into the lens. Keep a completely neutral expression — no smile, raised eyebrows or squinting. Mouth closed and relaxed. Biometric matching calibrates against the neutral reference stored in the passport chip; any muscular movement lowers the match confidence score.
Avoid white or very light tops — they merge with the white background and make the shoulder outline hard to detect. Deep solid tones work best: navy, dark teal, burgundy or charcoal. No uniforms, hats or accessories that cover the face or neck.
Groom your beard one or two days before shooting — a freshly trimmed beard photographs with the cleanest edge definition. If shaving completely, do so the morning of the shoot and apply a calming balm to reduce redness, which can alter the skin-tone map used by background removal.
Government of Canada / IRCC publishes the following rejection codes. Knowing the exact code on your notice tells you precisely what to fix in the reshoot.
| Code | Reason | Fix |
|---|---|---|
CA-P-01 |
Head height outside 31-36mm chin-to-crown | Re-shoot at a Canadian photographer following the 50×70mm with 31-36mm head template |
CA-P-02 |
Photographer endorsement missing or incomplete | Photographer must print + sign their name, address, and date on the back of one print |
CA-P-03 |
Smile / non-neutral expression | Service Canada strict — neutral, mouth closed, eyebrows level |
CA-P-04 |
Glasses present (since July 2016) | Remove glasses; medical exception requires doctor's letter on letterhead |
CA-P-05 |
Photo older than 6 months from application date | Re-take within 6-month window |
CA-P-06 |
Background not pure white or off-white | Canadian photographers know the exact off-white tone Passport Canada accepts |
Canadian passport applications are processed by Passport Canada (IRCC). Photo must be taken by a commercial photographer who endorses the print — unique to Canada.
33 in-person passport offices + 300+ Service Canada Centres across Canada
33 in-person offices issue passports same-day if applicant arrives before noon
Authority pagePassport Program, Gatineau QC
Required for renewals where the previous passport is older than 1 year past expiry
Authority pageinternational.gc.ca/world-monde/offices-bureaux
Photo MUST be taken by commercial photographer locally; endorsement requirements identical
Authority pageThe required background is White or light uniform background. Even a slightly off-white, grey or cream tone may fail the automated colour check used by passport submission systems. Shadows from the subject onto the wall behind them are the most common cause of this rejection.
The head must be straight and centred. A tilt of even 3–5 degrees is flagged by the ICAO face-alignment algorithm used in Canada passport biometric verification. Place the camera at exactly eye level and centre your face horizontally.
Both eyes must be fully visible and clearly open. Glasses glare, a fringe across one eye, or a shadow from overhead lighting across the eye area are automatic rejection triggers in the biometric check.
Biometric matching calibrates against a neutral reference stored in the passport chip. A smile or even a slightly parted mouth shifts facial geometry and lowers the match confidence score, causing the application to be returned.
The digital file must be at minimum 600 × 600 px and free of motion blur or JPEG compression artefacts. Overexposed highlights on the forehead or cheeks erase facial geometry the biometric scanner needs to read.
Most passport authorities require a recent photo taken within the last six months. Even if your appearance has not changed, the application is delayed until a new photo is provided.
The head must occupy the specified percentage of the photo height (see the spec table above). Too close (face fills the frame) or too far (head appears small) both fail at the automated dimension check.
Canadian passport rules require a commercial photographer or studio. A home print can fail even when the crop looks correct.
For paper passport applications, one photo needs the photographer details and, unless exempt, guarantor certification on the back.
IRCC operates two photo formats for historical reasons: 50×70 mm for permanent resident card and Canadian passport (since the original photo-paste-onto-card workflow predates digital chips), and 35×45 mm for temporary resident visa (TRV) and study/work permits (modern Schengen-style standard). The face dimension (31-36 mm chin to crown) is consistent across both.
Yes, uniquely among major authorities. IRCC explicitly accepts both black-and-white and colour photos for Canadian passport applications. Most countries reject monochrome photos because automated systems calibrate skin tones, but Canada retains the option from its older application workflows.
IRCC keeps biometric data (fingerprints + photo) on file for 10 years after first capture. Any subsequent Canadian visa, study permit, work permit, or PR application within that window reuses the existing biometrics without a second appointment. The photo captured at your first IRCC submission becomes your reference image for the next decade.
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 white 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 — many submission systems check the photo timestamp against the application date.
Anfas.Pro provides a 14-day full refund if the photo is rejected by the Canada authority and you supply the official rejection notice. The refund covers the €4.99 download fee in full. 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.
Anfas.Pro is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any government authority. The final decision to accept or reject a document photo rests solely with the issuing authority. Requirements change — always verify on the official authority portal before submitting.