Short answer
A Canadian passport photo is 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the face 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, on a plain white or light-coloured background, taken no more than 6 months before you apply. You need 2 identical photos, and they must be taken by a commercial photographer or photo studio, professionally printed, with the studio's name, address and the date on the back of one. Photos printed at home are refused, and so are altered photos. Online renewal also needs a digital photo from a commercial photographer (canada.ca, checked September 2026).
Canadian passport photo requirements are stricter than most, and different in one way that matters before anything else: Canada does not accept a passport photo you take yourself. The photos have to come from a commercial photographer or photo studio, for paper applications and for online renewals alike. This guide sets out every rule on Canada.ca’s passport photo requirements page (checked September 2026), what to check before you leave the studio, and what a home tool like getPNG can and cannot honestly do for you here.
The short version
| Rule | Canadian passport, as canada.ca states it |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 by 2 3/4 inches) |
| Face size | 31 to 36 mm (1 1/4 to 1 7/16 inches), chin to crown |
| How many | 2 identical photos with each application |
| Who takes it | A commercial photographer or photo studio, in person |
| Printing | Professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper; not printed at home, not on heavyweight paper |
| Age | Taken no more than 6 months before you submit the application |
| Colour | Colour or black and white |
| Background | Plain white or light-coloured, with a clear difference between face and background |
| Expression | Neutral: eyes open, looking at the camera, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning |
| Glasses | Allowed if the eyes are clearly visible with no glare; no sunglasses or tinted lenses |
| Edits | None. Altered photos mean a refused application |
| Back of one photo | Date taken, studio name and full address; guarantor’s certification and signature where a guarantor is needed |
Canada.ca puts it plainly at the top of the page: the application is refused if the photos do not meet the requirements.
Why a home photo does not work for a Canadian passport
Three rules together rule it out.
- The photographer. Photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio.
- The printing. They must be professionally printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper, and canada.ca says it does not accept photos printed at home.
- The back of the photo. The photographer writes or stamps the date the photo was taken and the studio’s name and complete address on one of them. A photo from your kitchen has no studio to name.
Online renewal does not open a way round it. The digital photo must also be taken in person by a commercial photographer, and when you upload it you give the studio’s or photographer’s name, address and the date the photo was taken.
So the honest answer to “can I make a Canadian passport photo at home?” is no. Anything that promises otherwise is offering a photo the passport office tells you it will refuse.
What counts as an altered photo
Canada.ca spells out what it means by altered, and the list is longer than most countries’:
- technical corrections or enhancements to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness;
- cropping around the head and shoulders, for example cutting and pasting your image against a white background;
- editing facial features, such as the size or shape of the eyes, nose, mouth or ears;
- editing to improve your appearance, such as removing glare, red eye, scars or birthmarks, or changing hair colour;
- editing clothing, including its colour;
- changing the background, including removing shadows.
Photo editing software, filters and AI tools are all named. That means a background remover, or any app that puts you on white, produces a photo Canada refuses. The general reasoning, and how other countries word the same rule, is in the guide to passport photo backgrounds.
Size, pose and appearance in detail
Size. The photo is 50 x 70 mm. The face, from the chin to the crown (the top of the head), is 31 to 36 mm. That is noticeably larger than a US 2x2 photo, and a different shape, so a photo made for another country will not do.
Pose. Face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera, not tilted in any direction.
Expression. Neutral. Canada.ca explains that the International Civil Aviation Organization recommends a neutral expression, which lets facial recognition systems verify identity. No smile, no frown, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible.
Light. Uniform, with no shadows, glare or flash reflections. The page names shadows around the ears, in the background and across the face or shoulders.
Clothing. Avoid white clothing, which can blend into the background and gets the photo rejected.
Glasses. Accepted if the eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted glasses are refused, even prescription lenses where the eyes are visible.
Hair. Up or down, as long as it is off the face so the edges of the face are visible.
Head coverings. Accepted when worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons, with the full face visible and no shadows on it. Medical headwear or a nasal cannula needs a signed letter of explanation, and the eyes must be clearly visible.
Wheelchairs. A plain white covering over the headrest, so the edges of the face stand out.
Children and newborns
A child’s passport photo follows the same size, quality and studio rules, with these additions from canada.ca:
- no hands in the photo, neither yours nor your child’s;
- a newborn may be photographed sitting in a car seat, with a white blanket placed over the seat behind the head and no shadows around the ears, in the background or on the face and shoulders;
- some range is allowed for infant facial expressions.
The US rules for babies are more relaxed about who takes the photo, and are covered in the guide to baby passport photos.
Online renewal: the digital photo
You need a digital photo only if you renew online. Canada.ca suggests asking the photographer for both a digital copy and a print, so you can apply in person or by mail if online renewal turns out not to be an option. The digital photo must be:
- a .jpeg or .jpg file;
- 3:2 aspect ratio, portrait orientation;
- at least 1,200 pixels wide by 1,800 high, and no larger than 3,000 by 4,500;
- between 200 KB and 5 MB;
- with the chin to crown measurement between 45 and 50 percent of the photo’s height;
- saved directly from the original file captured by the camera, not a scan of a print, and not altered.
What to check before you leave the studio
A studio does this every day, but the refusal lands on your application, not theirs. Two minutes at the counter saves a second trip.
Check the prints at the counter
- Measure one photo with a ruler: 50 mm across, 70 mm high.
- Measure the face from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
- Turn one photo over and read the back.
You should see: a 50 x 70 mm photo with the face between 31 and 36 mm, two identical prints, and the date plus the studio’s name and complete address on the back of one.
If you do not: ask the studio to retake or reprint before you pay. Also check for shadows behind the ears, glare on glasses and a white collar blending into the background.
Then take the photos to your guarantor if your application needs one. On the back of the same photo, the guarantor writes that they certify it to be a true likeness of you, with your name, and signs it. If you are renewing an adult passport, you do not need a guarantor.
Where getPNG’s passport photo maker fits
For a Canadian passport, honestly, only at the edges. getPNG’s passport photo maker crops a photo you took yourself to an official size, and a home photo is exactly what Canada does not accept. The tool includes the Canadian 50 x 70 mm size with the 31 to 36 mm face band, and there are two sensible uses for it:
- Seeing the target before you go. Take a quick photo at home, choose Canadian passport and look at where the chin and crown have to sit. It makes it easy to spot a studio print where the face is too small or too large.
- Other documents in the household. A US passport or a US visa photo can be taken at home under US rules, as US passport photo requirements and US visa photo requirements explain.
The free way
See where the face should sit before you pay for prints
Choose Canadian passport and the tool shows the 50 x 70 mm frame and the 31 to 36 mm face band on a photo of your own. Use it as a preview only: for the application itself, Canada requires photos from a commercial photographer.
When this does not work
- Submitting a home photo. It will be refused, on paper or online. Use a commercial photographer.
- Using the tool’s file for an online renewal. The digital photo must come from a commercial photographer and be saved directly from the camera’s original file, at least 1,200 by 1,800 pixels. A cropped file from any home tool fails on both counts.
- Asking the studio to “clean up” the photo. Brightening, removing shadows, smoothing skin or swapping the background all count as alterations. Ask for a retake instead.
- Reusing a US or visa photo. Different size, different face band, and no studio details on the back.
- Canadian visas and permanent residence. Those photos follow a different specification from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. For a temporary resident visa, canada.ca’s photo specifications (checked September 2026) ask for two identical photos with a frame of at least 35 x 45 mm and the head 31 to 36 mm, on a plain white or light-coloured background, unaltered if digital. Read the page for the exact application you are making.
Whatever photo you end up with, it is a clear image of your face. Be careful which apps and websites you give it to: the guide to whether it is safe to upload photos online explains what to look for.
The steps, in short
- Read the official page. Canada.ca's passport photo requirements page. Print it and take it to the photographer, as the page suggests.
- Book a commercial photographer. A photo studio, or a pharmacy or shop that offers passport photos. Ask for Canadian passport photos, 50 x 70 mm, and a digital copy too if you may renew online.
- Dress for the background. No white clothing, which blends into the background. Take off tinted glasses and any hat not worn daily for religious or medical reasons.
- Check the prints before you leave. Measure the photo (50 x 70 mm) and the face, chin to crown (31 to 36 mm). Check the studio name, address and date are on the back of one photo.
- Have your guarantor sign one photo. For a first adult or child passport, the guarantor certifies the true likeness and signs the back of one photo. Adult renewals do not need a guarantor.
Questions
Can I take my own Canadian passport photo at home?
No. Canada.ca says the photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio and professionally printed, and that photos printed at home are not accepted. The digital photo for an online renewal must also be taken in person by a commercial photographer.
What size is a Canadian passport photo?
50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 inches by 2 3/4 inches), with the face between 31 mm and 36 mm from chin to crown, the top of the head (canada.ca, checked September 2026).
Can I wear glasses in a Canadian passport photo?
Yes, if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not accepted, including tinted prescription lenses.
What goes on the back of a Canadian passport photo?
On one of the two photos, the photographer writes or stamps the date the photo was taken and the studio's name and complete address. For applications that need a guarantor, the guarantor writes that they certify it to be a true likeness of the applicant and signs it.
What are the digital photo requirements for renewing online?
A JPEG in portrait orientation with a 3:2 aspect ratio, at least 1,200 pixels wide by 1,800 high and at most 3,000 by 4,500, between 200 KB and 5 MB, with the chin to crown between 45 and 50 percent of the height. It must be taken by a commercial photographer, saved directly from the camera's original file and not altered. You also give the studio's name, address and the date.
Can the photographer crop or brighten my passport photo?
Canada.ca lists changes to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness, cropping around the head and shoulders (such as cutting and pasting your image onto a white background), edited features and a changed background, including removed shadows, as alterations, and refuses altered photos. A good studio gets it right in the camera.