Get Canadian Visa Photos Online [In 3 Mins From Home]
Take photos for a Canadian visa without the trip to the photo studio—all it takes is 3 minutes and your smartphone.
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Canadian Visa Photo—Specifications
Printed size
35x45 mm
Head height
31–36 mm
Background color
White or light-colored
Digital dimensions
min. 420x540 px
Resolution
300–600 dpi
Recency
Last 6 months
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Canadian Visa Photos—All You Need to Know
Need to get Canadian visa photos, but you’re not sure what the requirements are? Look no further—
Here at Passport Photo Online, we’ve compiled all the necessary information you need to know about pictures for Canadian visas, including official requirements, sizing details, and more—all with image examples.
Read on to get a grasp of what picture you should submit with your visa application and how to get your photos.
Understanding Canadian visa photo requirements
If you plan on staying in the Great White North for longer than 90 days, you’ll most likely need to obtain a visa. Aside from a number of documents you’ll need to collect, you also need to attach two identical photos that meet all requirements.
What are those requirements?
We went through the information stated by the Government of Canada and compiled all guidelines in the handy sections below.
Note: If you’re unsure whether you need a visa to enter Canada, you can check on the IRCC website.
Canadian Visa Photo Requirements List
Requirement | Prints & Digital |
Size | 35x45 mm (3.5x4.5 cm or 1.38x1.78 inch) Head must fill 70–80% of the whole image |
Color | In color or black and white |
Recency | No older than 6 months |
Image clarity | Clear image of your face, not blurry, grainy, or pixelated, with uniform lighting |
Filters | Do not use filters commonly used on social media. The image must reflect your natural look |
Background | Plain white or light-colored background |
Print Quality | Printed on matte or glossy paper |
Resolution | 300–600 DPI |
Digital Alterations | Any alterations are prohibited |
Important: For digital visa photos, the size must be 420x540 pixels at minimum.
The fine details: Canadian visa photo specifications
Your photo may be rejected for various reasons, not only its size or unacceptable background. Have a look at these specific guidelines to ensure your picture meets even the finest Canadian visa photo requirements.
- Facial expression: Don’t smile or frown. Keep a neutral facial expression
- Head position: Keep your eyes open and mouth closed, looking straight at the camera. The top of your shoulders should be visible
- Clothing: Avoid uniforms and colors that blend with the background. Plain, dark-colored clothes are recommended
- Facial hair: Allowed
- Head covering: Only head coverings for religious reasons are allowed, but your facial features must be clearly visible. You can wear hairpins or other cosmetic accessories if they don’t disguise your natural appearance
- Glasses: You can wear prescription glasses but only if your eyes clearly show through the lenses and no reflections are visible. If you need your glasses for medical reasons, you may need to provide a medical statement signed by a doctor
- Hair: Your whole face must be clearly visible. Consider tucking your hair behind the ears and tying longer bangs with hairpins
Canadian visa photo sizing details
The Canadian visa photo size is 35x45 mm (1.37x1.77 inches). Additionally, the image you submit must comply with the following specifications:
- The size of your head (from the bottom of the chin to the top of the crown) must be 31–36 mm (or 1.25–1.43 inches)
- Your head must be centered, with equal spaces on both sides
Are you planning to apply online? Ensure your digital photo meets these specs:
- The frame size of the image is at least 420x540 pixels
- The applicant’s head (from the bottom of the chin to the top of the crown) must be between 372–432 pixels
- You must submit your photo in a JPG or JPEG format
- The size of the file should be between 60 kb and 240 kb
Remember that submitting an unacceptable photo will result in its rejection. You have to provide compliant photographs for the application process to go through.
Examples of non-compliant Canadian visa photos (and how to fix them)
A bunch of rules and regulations may be hard to visualize in a text-only format, so we’ve created a picture guide highlighting some key requirements for Canadian visa photos:
Online services for Canadian visa pictures
Local providers such as CVS or Walmart are known for their passport photo services, so you may try to get your Canadian visa photos there. But can you be sure they’ll get the country’s requirements right?
Don’t risk wasting time and money to find out—there’s a better solution.
You can take your own photo for a Canadian visa with browser-based & mobile applications. Check out the table below comparing the essential features of 5 popular Canada visa photo tools.
Provider | User- friendliness | Essential features | Large country database | Compliance guarantee & refund | Printing service | Price |
Passport Photo Online | 5/5 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $13.95 |
Passport Photo & ID Maker | 5/5 | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | $6.99 |
ID Photo For Passports And IDs | 4/5 | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Free |
iVisa Passport Photo | 3/5 | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | Unclear |
Passport Photo-ID Photo | 4/5 | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | $6.99 |
In a few clicks, Passport Photo Online will provide you with a perfectly compliant Canadian visa photo, and will send it straight into your inbox—in as little as 3 minutes.
The best part? Our photo experts verify all photos, and we provide an acceptance guarantee. So, you can rest assured your visa photo will be accepted—or we’ll refund 200% of your purchase cost.
Join over 6,000 Trustpilot customers who trusted us with pictures for their official documents—like this Canadian citizen living in the US!
Simply download our Passport Photo Booth App for iOS or Passport Photo Maker App for Android, or snap a photo with your phone or camera and upload it by using the button at the top of this page!
Sources:
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/photospecs-e.pdf
How does our photo tool work?
Take or upload photo
Take a photo or upload one from your mobile gallery. Follow our guidelines to meet all the requirements.
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