Canada Passport Photo: 200 KB – 5 MB, and a 45–50% Head Rule
Canada is the only passport rule on this site that states the head size as a proportion rather than a measurement: your chin to crown has to be between 45% and 50% of the photo height. That is a ratio you have to hit in the frame, not a number you can fix afterwards — which matters, because Canada also lists cropping around the head and shoulders as a form of alteration. So the one obvious repair, cropping in closer, is the one thing that gets the photo rejected. Around that sit a 3:2 portrait frame, a 200 KB to 5 MB window, and a hard ceiling of 4,500 by 3,000 pixels. Read the table before you touch anything.
Canadian passport digital photo requirements (official)
| Aspect ratio | 3:2, with the camera oriented in portrait mode — for the online renewal route |
|---|---|
| Head size | Chin to crown between 45% and 50% of the photo height — a proportion, not a millimetre figure |
| Minimum dimensions | 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 pixels wide |
| Maximum dimensions | 4,500 pixels high by 3,000 pixels wide |
| File size | Between 200 KB and 5 MB |
| Format | .jpeg or .jpg only |
| Source of the file | Saved directly from the original file captured by the camera |
| Who takes it | Taken in person by a commercial photographer. When you upload, you must give the studio or photographer name, address and the date |
| Scanned photos | Not accepted — a scanned copy of a printed photo is refused |
| Age of photo | No more than 6 months before you submit the application |
| Colour | Colour or black and white — both accepted |
| Cropping | Counts as alteration — Canada lists "cropping around the head and shoulders" as a form of alteration (New Zealand, by contrast, tells you to crop) |
| Technical corrections | Not allowed — changes to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness are all listed as alteration |
| AI tools | Named explicitly: "Altering includes using photo-editing software, filters, or AI tools" |
| Glasses | Allowed if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses; sunglasses and tinted glasses are not allowed, and that includes prescription tinted lenses |
| Head coverings | Hats and head coverings worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons, with your full face clearly visible and no shadows on your face |
| Red eye | Photos with a red-eye effect or red-eye alterations are not accepted |
| Medical headwear or nasal cannula | Your eyes must be clearly visible and you must include a signed letter of explanation in the application |
| Wheelchair | The photo must be against a plain white background; if the wheelchair has a headrest, place a plain white covering over it |
| Background | Plain white or light-coloured with a clear difference from your face. Avoid light-coloured clothing, which can blend into the background |
Source: Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Passport photo requirements
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How to use
- Check the frame first: 3:2, camera held in portrait mode. Not 4:3, and not the 3:4 that New Zealand asks for.
- Check the pixel range: at least 1,800 px high by 1,200 px wide, and no more than 4,500 px high by 3,000 px wide.
- Over 5 MB, or over the pixel ceiling: drop the file in and compress toward 5 MB. Under 200 KB: do not compress — go back to the original from your photographer.
- Do not crop. If the head is the wrong size, the photo has to be retaken, not trimmed — Canada lists cropping around the head and shoulders as alteration.
- Convert a HEIC file to .jpg first; Canada accepts .jpeg and .jpg only.
- Download, then re-check the ratio, the pixel range and the byte size before you upload.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is the 45% to 50% head rule?
The distance from your chin to the crown of your head, measured in the finished image, must be between 45% and 50% of the photo height. If your photo is 4,500 pixels high, that means a head between 2,025 and 2,250 pixels tall. Canada states it this way, as a proportion, rather than giving a millimetre figure — which is what most countries do. It is the reason a photo can be the correct size in bytes and pixels and still be refused: the head is simply too small or too large inside the frame.
Can I crop the photo to fix the head size?
No, and this is the trap. Canada lists "cropping around the head and shoulders" among the things that make a photo altered, and states that an altered photo means a rejected application. So a head that is too small in the frame cannot be fixed by cropping in. New Zealand, which also takes digital passport photos, says the opposite — it tells you to step back, shoot wider and crop to the correct head size. The two rules are not interchangeable, and applying the New Zealand habit to a Canadian application is exactly how a photo gets refused.
Why is there a 200 KB minimum?
Because the passport system needs enough pixel detail to run facial recognition against the chip and against other records. Canada pairs the 200 KB floor with a pixel floor of 1,800 by 1,200, so the two move together: a photo that is too small in bytes is usually too small in pixels as well. Note that the floor is different again from the UK, which rejects anything under 50 KB, and from New Zealand, which sets its floor at 250 KB. A file compressed for some other purpose can easily land under any of them, and no compressor can put the detail back.
Is there a maximum pixel size?
Yes — 4,500 pixels high by 3,000 pixels wide. That ceiling is unusual; most countries publish a minimum only. It matters because a 48-megapixel phone sensor produces 8000 by 6000 pixels, well past both limits, and a file that large is normally over 5 MB as well. Compressing to a byte target reduces the dimensions at the same time, so it addresses both at once. But remember that in Canada the photo has to come from a commercial photographer, and the file has to be the one their camera produced — so the resize belongs to them, not to you.
Does resizing the photo count as altering it?
Canada does not list resizing or re-encoding among the alterations it names. What it lists is technical correction and enhancement — changes to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness — plus cropping, editing facial features, improving your appearance, editing clothing, and changing the background. It also requires the file be saved directly from the original captured by the camera, while simultaneously capping the file at 4,500 by 3,000 pixels and 5 MB. A camera that shoots larger than that makes some form of resizing unavoidable. Our reading, and it is only our reading: resizing to meet the stated technical limits is not the same as changing how you look. Where the rule is genuinely strict, it is strict about the image, not the encoder.
Can I wear glasses in the photo?
Yes, if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Tinted glasses are not allowed, and Canada states that this includes prescription tinted lenses — which is stricter than New Zealand, where prescription glasses are fine as long as they are not tinted or thick-framed. Photos with a red-eye effect, or with red eye that has been corrected afterwards, are not accepted either.
Can I wear a head covering?
Hats and head coverings are allowed when they are worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons, with your full face clearly visible and no shadows on your face. The word doing the work is "daily" — the rule is about a covering that is part of how you normally appear, not one worn for the photograph. If you wear medical headwear or a nasal cannula, your eyes must still be clearly visible and you have to include a signed letter of explanation with the application.
Who has to take the photo?
A commercial photographer, in person. For the online renewal route Canada requires the photo be taken in person by a commercial photographer, and when you upload it you must supply the studio or photographer name, their address, and the date. Scanned copies of printed photos are refused. The photographer can pass the file to you by email, on a USB drive, or through a file-sharing service — but the file itself has to be the one their camera produced.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The compression runs entirely in your browser and the file stays on your device. For a passport photo that is the point — you can confirm it yourself in the browser network panel.