Canadian passport photos are 50 by 70 mm - larger than the 35 by 45 mm used across Europe and Asia, and a different shape from the American square. A photo cropped for anywhere else is the wrong size here, full stop.
The specification
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Print size | 50 × 70 mm (2 × 2 3/4 in) |
| Head height | 31-36 mm, chin to crown |
| Background | Plain white or light coloured |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, eyes open and clearly visible |
| Glasses | Not permitted |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last six months |
| Quantity | Two identical prints |
| On the back | Photographer or studio name, address, and the date taken |
The back of the photo
This is the rule that makes Canada different. One of the two prints must carry, on the reverse, the name and full address of the photographer or studio and the date the photograph was taken. On a child's or guarantor-backed application, further endorsement may be needed.
It exists to make the photo traceable, and it is the reason "just print it at home" is not straightforwardly available for a Canadian passport the way it is elsewhere. A commercial print counter is generally the practical route - many will apply the required details, and some will not, so it is worth asking before paying.
Preparing the photograph yourself and having it printed commercially is still a reasonable approach. What you cannot do is skip the endorsement.
Head height, and why 31 mm matters
Chin to crown between 31 and 36 mm on a 70 mm tall print means the head occupies roughly 45 to 51 percent of the frame - noticeably less than the 70 to 80 percent a Schengen photo uses. The face sits smaller in a larger rectangle, and cropping a European-format photo to Canadian proportions leaves the head much too large.
Other Canadian applications
Permanent residence and citizenship applications, handled by IRCC, use their own photo specifications - often the same 50 by 70 mm print with their own endorsement requirements, sometimes a digital upload for online applications. Visitor visa applications made from outside Canada more commonly use a 35 by 45 mm format.
The document decides, not the country, which is worth repeating because Canada is a place where the two genuinely differ.
What gets refused
- The wrong print size, usually because a photo was prepared to a generic passport template.
- A missing or incomplete stamp on the back.
- Head height out of band, nearly always too large.
- Glasses, which Canada does not accept.
- Shadow behind the head, the usual home-photo failure.
IDShot carries the Canadian presets at 50 by 70 mm with the 31 to 36 mm head band, and prints sheets at true size so a commercial counter can print and endorse them without rescaling anything.
Requirements are changed by the authorities that publish them, and the official page is the only source that settles an argument. Each preset in IDShot links to that page, so you can confirm the current wording before you submit.