Canada Passport & Visa Photo Specs
Canada is one of the few countries that uses neither 35x45 mm nor the US 2x2 in — and the only one with a hard requirement printed on the back of the photo.
Generate a photo that matches the spec above — processed locally, never uploaded, no sign-up, with a 6-inch print sheet if you need paper copies.
Make a photo to this specSpecification · Canada Passport & Visa Photo Specs
| Passport size | 50 x 70 mm (about 2 x 2.75 in), portrait orientation |
|---|---|
| Visa size | 35 x 45 mm (413 x 531 px at 300 dpi) |
| Head height | 31-36 mm from chin to crown |
| Background | Plain white or light grey, no shadows or patterns |
| How it is taken | Passport applications require a commercial photographer; selfies and photo booths are typically refused |
| Back of photo | The photographer must write or stamp their name, full address and the date taken. Stick-on labels are not accepted |
| Guarantor | One of the two photos must be signed on the back by your guarantor |
| Quantity | Two identical photos for a passport application |
| Recency | Taken within the last 6 months |
How to shoot a photo that matches
- Confirm whether you are applying for a passport or a visa —— Passport means 50 x 70 mm; visa means 35 x 45 mm. Getting this wrong invalidates everything after it.
- Use a photo studio for passport photos —— Tell them it is for a Canadian passport and confirm they can endorse the back with the studio name, full address and the date.
- Handle the visa photo yourself if you prefer —— Our tool outputs a 6-inch print sheet for the 50 x 70 mm passport format, or 35 x 45 mm if you are preparing a visa.
- Check head ratio and background —— Chin to crown must be 31-36 mm, and the background must be plain white with no wall shadow.
- Print on photo paper with no border —— Plain office paper smudges and looks dull — an automatic fail.
Mailing a US visa photo with a Canadian passport application is the classic mismatch. Canadian passport photos are 50 x 70 mm, a tall rectangle — bigger and narrower than the US square, and the two are not interchangeable.
The harder part is the back of the photo. Paper applications require the photographer's name, full address and the date the photo was taken to appear on the reverse. Many photo shops in other countries do not offer this by default. Writing it on yourself is risky — some receiving offices only accept the photographer's own stamp — so it is safer to use a studio that issues the endorsement.
Keep the two documents separate in your head: a Canadian visa uses 35 x 45 mm, which is a completely different format from the passport photo. Needing both at once is not unusual.
FAQ
Can I take a Canadian passport photo at home?
Paper passport applications generally require a commercial photographer and the back-of-photo endorsement, so self-taken or self-printed photos are often returned. Online renewals are slightly more relaxed but still reject retouched images.
Do US and Canadian passport photos work for each other?
No. The US uses a 51 x 51 mm square; Canada uses a 50 x 70 mm portrait. Both the size and the aspect ratio differ.
Should I remove earrings and necklaces?
It is safer to. Canada is strict about anything that reflects light or obscures the facial outline.
Is a Canadian visa photo the same as a Schengen photo?
Both are 35 x 45 mm, so the format matches, but background preferences differ — Schengen usually prefers light grey while Canada leans towards pure white.