Canada Passport Photo Maker and Requirements

A physical Canadian passport photo measures 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, or 2 × 2¾ inches. The face must measure between 31 mm and 36 mm from the chin to the crown of the head. Two identical and unaltered photographs are required for applications that use physical photos.

Online passport renewals use a different digital specification. The photographer should provide the original JPEG or JPG file at the required 3:2 portrait ratio, within the current pixel and file size limits.

The Canadian passport photograph must show the person as they naturally look. The face and shoulders should be centred and squared to the camera, the eyes should remain open and clearly visible, and the mouth should be closed with no smile or frown.

Lighting must be even, with no shadows, glare or flash reflections. The photograph should remain clear and sharp and show natural skin tones against a plain white or light coloured background. Avoid white clothing because it can blend into the background and cause rejection.

• Physical size: 50 × 70 mm, or 2 × 2¾ inches
• Physical face height: 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown
• Digital online renewal size: 1,200 × 1,800 to 3,000 × 4,500 pixels
• Digital online renewal face height: 45% to 50% of image height

Canadian passport photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio. This applies to the normal physical passport photo workflow and also to the digital photograph used for an eligible online passport renewal.

For a digital renewal, ask the photographer for the original digital file rather than scanning a printed passport photo. For a physical application, ask for professionally printed photographs on plain, high quality photographic paper. Home printed photographs are not accepted.

The image dimensions are only one part of the Canadian passport photo requirement. Canada also uses photographer information to confirm where and when the photograph was taken.

For an online renewal, keep the photographer or studio name, complete address and date the photo was taken available for the upload process. For a physical application, follow the current instructions for the information written or stamped on the back of one photo. A new passport application can also require a guarantor to certify and sign one photograph, while an adult passport renewal does not require a guarantor signature on the photograph.

The Government of Canada says passport photos must be original and unaltered. Changes to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness can count as alterations. The guidance also lists replacing the background, cropping around the head and shoulders, removing glare or red eye, changing facial features, changing hair colour, changing clothing and using filters or AI tools as alterations.

For this reason, use the Canada page mainly to review requirements and measurements. If the original photograph has a problem, ask the photographer for another photo instead of trying to repair the submitted image with software.

Tell the photographer that the image is for a Canadian passport and whether you are applying with physical photos or renewing online. Canada publishes different specifications for those two routes, so the photographer should prepare the source for the correct workflow.

For an online renewal, ask for the original digital file from the camera rather than a scan of the printed passport photo. For a physical application, make sure the photographer supplies professionally printed photographs and completes the required information on the back of one photo.

The traditional physical passport photo uses a 50 × 70 mm print and a 31 to 36 mm face height. A digital photograph used for an eligible online renewal follows a 3:2 portrait ratio, pixel limits, file size limits and a 45% to 50% chin to crown measurement.

Do not convert a physical 50 × 70 mm photograph into a 590 × 826 pixel file and assume that it meets the online renewal rules. Canada requires the digital file to come directly from the original image captured by the photographer.

PassportPhotoBox can explain sourced requirements and review measurable properties such as dimensions, file size and face placement. It cannot confirm that a commercial photographer took the image, verify the photographer information, determine whether the photo has been altered outside the tool or predict the Passport Program's final decision.

For Canada, those limitations matter because photographer requirements and the rule against photo alteration are part of the official passport photo process, not optional recommendations.

Regular glasses are allowed when the eyes remain clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are not accepted, including tinted prescription lenses.

Use a plain white or light coloured background with clear contrast between the person and the background. Keep the face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera, and replace the source photo when these conditions are not present rather than trying to repair it digitally.

The Government of Canada can refuse an application when the submitted photos do not meet its requirements. Compare the finished physical or digital source with the current official instructions before submission, especially when the application type, online renewal eligibility or photographer process has changed. PassportPhotoBox is an independent measurement review tool and does not approve passport photographs.