Canada Passport Photo

Canada is a beautiful country full of breathtaking mountains, frozen glaciers, beautiful cities and wonderful wildlife! If you want to live there and you need a Canadian passport, you have to provide two photographs that meet the official Canadian requirements. 

According to global mobility, the Canadian passport has been ranked in 18th position as one of the 20 most powerful passports in the world! If you want to be a holder of this strong travel document you should read this guide to know how to apply for one and how to take the right photo to your Canadian passport!

Canada passport photo guidelines

To apply for a Canadian passport is more simple than you think! You can choose to fill an online application or in-person. Regarding Canadian passport photos, they are biometric photos that mean that they enable easy and quick identification of people because it highlights all the individual biometric features of the face, like the oval of the face, the shape of the eyes, nose and mouth. Biometric photos are the only ones accepted when applying for a Canadian passport. This is why you should know the general rules concerning the Canadian passport photos in biometric type.

General specifications regarding Canadian passport photos:

• The measurements are 50×70 mm (2 × 2 3/4 inches).
• The background should be white and uniform.
• Print photos in 2 identical copies.
• There cannot be any shadows in the photo.
• Make sure the photo is sharp and reflects the natural skin tone.
• Position your body and head straight ahead.
• Do not tilt your head, do not position yourself from the half-profile.
• Have a neutral face expression.
• Don't squint your eyes, don't smile and keep your mouth naturally closed.
• Make sure that your hair does not cover your face and eyebrows.
• Make sure that the oval of your face is visible.
• Make sure that the frame covers the entire face from the top of the head to the chin, neck and part of the shoulders.

When your photos are ready and printed, sign on the back of them and put a note with the date on which the photo was taken.

Canada passport photo size

The two pictures which you will provide in your Canadian passport application form have to have identical dimensions of 50 mm in width and 70 mm in height (2 × 2 ¾ inches). The length of the face from the chin to the top of the head must be between 31 mm (1 1/4 inch) and 36 mm (1 7/16 inch) in the frame. It is crucial to provide an actual photo taken within 6 months before the date you are applying. 

Background

The photo must be taken against a plain white or light background. It must have the sharpness and sufficient contrast between the background, facial features and clothing. All this so that your facial features are clearly visible against the background. The lighting in the photo must be uniform and frontal to avoid glare or shadows. If you can't reach the appropriate background colour or light, just use our background remover which changes the colour to the required one - white and removes any patterns or shadows.

Body position

The picture must show the entire head from the crown of the head to the bottom of the chin as well as the neck and the edge of the shoulders. Position your body in front of the camera and do not tilt it in any direction. Your face in the photo must also be frontally facing. You have to look straight into the camera lens and the face and top of your shoulders have to be visible in the photo. The body must be squared to the camera (centred). Keep your eyes open and clearly visible.

Glasses

Glasses are allowed for the Canadian passport photos if they are medical and you have to wear them, however, they cannot reflect the light or cannot be any glares on them. You’re not allowed to wear tinned or sunglasses. Also, your eyes, especially pupils including the color of the iris must be visible. If there is a chance that the thick frames of the spectacles will reflect something, it is better to remove them for the time of the shooting.

Makeup

There are no specified requirements that Canadians pointed to regarding the passport photos but it is simply the best to avoid heavy makeup. It can change someone's appearance and makes your skin look unnatural. The so-called makeup no-makeup is the best choice! So something delicate and natural will work. Avoid lip gloss, dark eyeshadows and eyeliners. If your skin tends to glow - it's a good idea to use special matting wipes or face powder before taking the image. But not too much!

Jewellery

Wearing bright, shiny and large jewellery will just distract from your appearance and focus on accessories. It is not appropriate as the passport is an identity document. The photo must show you! So it is supposed to be easy to identify by authorities. Something that will cover your face or neck, like wearing large earrings or necklaces is just simply not allowed. It will result in disturbing the visibility of the full oval of the face - which is necessary to take a correct biometric photo for the passport.

Clothes

There is no dress code required for Canada Passport photos. However, it is better to not wear anything white because it can just blend with the background. Also, extravagant outfits do not suit the official document. Generally, uniforms aren’t allowed and photos in uniform might be rejected.

Head coverings

Religious or medical headwears are allowed. However, it must not cover the face or even cast a shadow. The entire face must be clearly visible. So if your scarf, which you wear because of religious beliefs, covers your mouth and nose - you will have to lower it below your chin for a photo. If you do not need to wear any head coverings, we recommend taking the photo for a Canadian passport without a hat.

Editing

Pictures have to be originals. Do not modify the photo in graphic programs like PhotoShop. Any interfering or beautifying, like retouching, changing natural features such as removing wrinkles, scars or even tattoos are forbidden. Use the PhotoAiD site or app to edit your picture under the official Canadian requirements.

Canada passport photos for babies and children

Children's photos must follow the same rules as standard Canadian passport photos. This means they must show your child's head and shoulders. They cannot hold any toys or have pacifiers in their mouth. Only one exemption regards the facial expression. There is higher difficulty in getting a neutral expression from newborns so there is the range for infant facial expressions.

If you take a photo of your baby which cannot stand yet, your hands must not appear in the photo. Put your child on the bed instead, on the white sheet or the photo may be taken while your child is sitting in a car seat, as long as a white blanket is placed over the seat behind their head and there are no shadows around the ears, in the background or on the face or shoulders. After you managed to take the right photo of your little one, just write on the back: “I certify this to be a true likeness of (child’s name)” and sign the photo. 

Intelligent Canadian Passport Photo Tool

The passport photo tool is based on Artificial Intelligence Technology. This means that all pictures uploaded to the PhotoAiD editor are automatically verified by AI and marked as correct or incorrect. This means that your uploaded Canadian passport photo is checked based on your facial features if it meets all of the requirements pointed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The things you need to use the Canadian passport photo editor:

• A smartphone, tablet or a digital camera (a webcam is not allowed)
• Our Canadian passport photo guidelines close to you
• Someone who will take the photo of you or you can put a tripod approximately 3 metres from the place you stay, sets up with a self-timer
• Canadian Passport Photo Tool App or website

Passport photo background editor

Artificial Intelligence works like a background remover; it removes all the patterns or shadows and is able to change your background color really quick! You get a picture that has the right white background for your Canadian passport!

Passport photo resizer

The online photo cropper measures your photographs and changes the size regarding Canadian passport photos requirements. It adjusts the distance from the head and face to the top and bottom of the photo. The app or online service automatically crops your picture to the size specified for the Canadian passport.

Passport photo verification

The pictures to documents which you are supposed to supply with an application form must comply with the specifications we presented above. If they don’t, it causes the photo as well as the passport rejection. You will need to provide new pictures before your application can be processed. If you want to be sure that your photographs will have the Canadian institution’s acceptance, let us use our artificial intelligence to verify photos produced on our website or in the app.

Every photo which is validated by our photo creator has a 100% warranty of acceptance. You may not remember which is the correct size or a background’s color but once you choose a passport, the technology will do the rest! 

Passport photo template 

The last thing which our photo tool does is creating a passport photo template that is ready to download via email. You will receive a photo of guaranteed quality ready to send or print by yourself in a local printing place or you can order an already printed one to be shipped for you. The choice is up to you! 

The most common mistakes on Canadian passport photos

Once you know how our Canadian photo tool works you can get acquainted with the most common mistakes to be sure you DON’T repeat any of the disqualifying failures.

The most common rejections of passport photos are: 

• Uploading an old photo - photos to passport should be recent, not older than six months and original, not cut from any other, old picture.
• An incorrect size - the size for a Canadian passport photo is 50x70mm so be sure that you do not print it in different values.
• Overexposed or underexposed - remember that the quality is also very important, photos without focus, not sharp and blurred are denied.
• Forbidden background color - the color for a Canadian passport should be white and without any patterns or spots, if it doesn’t meet the requirement it will cause rejection.
• Bad lighting - try to take photos in daylight to avoid red eyes and bad expose 
• Smiling - as it can be desired in different types of photography, for an official document like passport is, we recommend to not smile 
• The Head is not straight - the head cannot be tilted sideways and sight has to be directed straight to the camera lens.
• Headwear obscuring face - like was mentioned before, the Canadian are biometric photos so nothing cannot obscure the applicant’s face!