Canadian Passport Photo

Preparing a Canadian Passport Photograph for Your Chosen Route

A passport from Canada brings together citizenship and identity information for international travel. Its photograph makes the document recognizable as yours, but the way you provide that image depends on the application route. A paper application uses photographs differently from an eligible online renewal, so decide which service you will use before requesting the finished image.

Canadian printed passport photos use a 50-by-70-millimeter frame. Canada’s guidance asks for a recent portrait taken in person by a commercial photographer. The photo requirements below contain the detailed measurements and appearance checks. Use them alongside our explanations of framing, background and photo quality; the introduction’s practical focus is matching the photograph to the service receiving it.

If you plan to renew online, ask for a suitable original digital photograph and follow the service’s upload instructions. For paper submission, check the required prints and information on their reverse. When applying abroad, the local Canadian office supplies the relevant checklist; our embassy and consulate directory can help you locate that representation. Sharing the Canadian instructions with a photographer abroad helps avoid confusion with the local default format.

Keep the image and photographer details together with the rest of your application material. Once the passport arrangements are clear, the visa finder can help you research your destination. A visa is a separate travel requirement where applicable, and its photograph should be checked independently rather than assumed to use Canada’s passport-photo specifications.