Canadian passport photo requirements
As of October 25, 2026, Canada’s passport photo is 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the face 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, taken by a commercial photographer within 6 months (per canada.ca, checked on Oct 25, 2026).
IRCC requires Canadian passport photos to be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio.
IRCC rejects a passport application if its photos were altered in any way, and it names photo-editing software, filters and AI tools specifically.
A rectangle, not a square: 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 x 2 3/4 inches). The face, measured from chin to crown, takes up 31 to 36 mm of that height.
Children and babies use the same size. The face and shoulders must be centered and square to the camera, and you need 2 identical prints for each application.
Source: canada.ca
No. IRCC says the photo must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio and professionally printed on plain, high-quality photo paper. Home prints are refused.
The studio writes or stamps the date and its name and full address on the back of one print. For a new passport, your guarantor also certifies that photo as a true likeness and signs it; adults renewing do not need a guarantor.
Source: canada.ca
Not at all. IRCC treats any change as an alteration and rejects the application: adjusting color, brightness, contrast or sharpness, cutting the person out onto a white background, recoloring clothes, removing shadows from the background, or retouching red eye, glare, scars or birthmarks. Software, filters and AI tools are all covered.
Source: canada.ca
A JPEG in portrait orientation with a 3:2 aspect ratio, from 1,200 x 1,800 pixels up to 3,000 x 4,500 pixels (width by height), between 200 KB and 5 MB, with the head filling 45% to 50% of the height.
It still comes from a commercial photographer, saved straight from the camera’s original file, and you type in the studio’s name, address and the photo date when you upload it. Online renewal is open only with a home and mailing address in Canada and a passport expiring within 6 months or already expired.
A newborn can sit in a car seat with a white blanket over the seat behind the head, as long as no shadows fall around the ears, on the face or on the background. No hands, the parent’s or the baby’s, may show.
IRCC allows some range in an infant’s expression. A child passport cannot be renewed, so each new one needs new photos.
No. IRCC requires a neutral expression with the mouth closed and no smile or frown, following an International Civil Aviation Organization recommendation that supports facial recognition checks. Newborns get some leeway. Source: official page "Passport photo requirements", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
Yes, clear glasses are accepted if your eyes are plainly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not, even prescription ones. Source: official page "Passport photo requirements", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
No. IRCC accepts color or black-and-white photos, for prints and for the digital file used in online renewal. Source: official page "Passport photo requirements", checked on Oct 25, 2026.
No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or any other government agency. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publishes the photo rules for free at canada.ca; this page links to each one.
IRCC requires Canadian passport photos to be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio and printed professionally, and it refuses photos printed at home. SelfieToPassport does not make this photo. Use this page to check the prints you get.
Every rule on this page comes from a page published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, read on the date shown. We rewrite each rule in plain words and link to the page it came from. Each rule has a review deadline; one that passes it without a new check comes off the page.
Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.