Canada Passport photo requirements

Canadian passport photo requirements, in plain English

Canada's passport photo rules are stricter than many countries' in two ways: the photo is a tall 50×70 mm format (not the square or 35×45 mm sizes used elsewhere), and the photo must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio and left completely unaltered — no home printing, no editing, no filters, no AI tools. Every rule below comes straight from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Size and head height

Your photo must be 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 inches by 2¾ inches). Within that frame, your face must measure between 31 mm and 36 mm from chin to crown (the top of your head). Your face and shoulders must be centred and squared to the camera, not tilted in any direction.

Expression — neutral, no smiling

IRCC requires a neutral facial expression. That means:

• your eyes are open and clearly visible
• you are looking straight at the camera
• your mouth is closed
• you are not smiling or frowning

Unlike the U.S. passport, Canada does not allow a smile — "Smiling" and "Mouth open" both appear in IRCC's list of unacceptable photos.

Glasses

Canada is one of the more permissive countries on glasses. Prescription glasses are accepted as long as your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Tinted glasses and sunglasses are not acceptable.

Head coverings and hats

Hats and head coverings must not be worn, except when worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons. If worn, your full face must be clearly visible and the covering must not create shadows on your face. Medical headwear or a nasal cannula is allowed for medical reasons if your eyes are clearly visible — include a signed letter of explanation, and IRCC may ask for a letter from your doctor.

Lighting, shadows, and red-eye

Photos must be clear, sharp and in focus, with uniform lighting and no shadows, glare or flash reflections, and must reflect your natural skin tone. "Shadows behind ears" is a listed rejection reason. Because the photo must be an unaltered original, you cannot edit out red eye afterward — the lighting has to avoid red eye and flash glare at the moment of capture.

Background

Use a plain white or light-coloured background that shows a clear difference between your face and the background. Avoid wearing white clothing — it can blend into the background and get your photo rejected. Snapassport standardizes your background to a compliant colour automatically, so a slightly off-colour wall is corrected for you.

Hair and obstruction

Your facial features and the edges of your face must be clearly visible. Wear your hair off your face (up or down is fine) so the edges of your face show. "Facial features covered" is a listed rejection reason.

Children and infants

Child photos follow the same size, quality, expression and background rules and show the head and shoulders only — no hands in the picture. For newborns, you may take the photo with the child sitting in a car seat, as long as a white blanket is placed over the seat behind the child's head and there are no shadows around the ears, in the background, or on the face or shoulders. IRCC recognizes that a neutral expression is hard to achieve with a newborn and allows some range for infant facial expressions.

Number of photos, the back, and recency

Submit 2 identical, unaltered photos taken no more than 6 months before you apply. On the back of one photo, the photographer must write or stamp the date taken and the studio's name and complete address, and your guarantor must write "I certify this to be a true likeness of (the applicant's name)" and sign. Adults renewing a passport do not need a guarantor.