Passport photos
🇨🇦 Canada Visa Photo Requirements
A rejected photo wastes your appointment time and delays your application. Here are the exact specifications.
Size
35 × 45 mm
Head size
Face must be between 31–36 mm from chin to crown of head
Background
White or light-coloured
Expression
Neutral expression with mouth closed
Glasses
Glasses permitted but frames must not cover eyes; no tinted lenses
Recency
Taken within the last 6 months
Quantity
2 identical photos for paper applications; 1 digital photo for online
Head covering
Only for religious or medical reasons
What to do
- White or light solid background, uniform lighting
- Both photos must be identical — printed from same exposure
- Photographer must write name and date on back
- High resolution, clear focus, no pixelation
- Neutral expression, eyes open, looking at camera
What NOT to do
- No hats or head coverings unless for religious or medical reasons
- No sunglasses or tinted glasses
- No busy backgrounds or objects in frame
- No excessive digital editing or filters
- Do not wear uniforms
Pro tips
- 1For online applications, photo must be at least 35KB and no more than 4MB
- 2JPEG format required for digital submissions
- 3Keep a copy of the digital photo file — you may need to reuse it
- 4Studio-taken photos are strongly recommended over selfies