Canada visa photo size: check the 35 × 45 mm frame
A Canada visa photo is at least 35 × 45 mm, with your head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown. Line a photo up with the guide to check its framing, or crop a copy for printing.
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What size is a Canada visa photo?
IRCC's temporary resident visa photo specifications set a frame of at least 35 mm wide by 45 mm high. Your head, from chin to crown, has to measure between 31 mm and 36 mm. The same page asks for a plain white or light-coloured background, a neutral expression with your mouth closed, and a photo taken within the last six months.
How many pixels does a Canada visa photo need?
The visa photo page doesn't give a pixel size or a file size. Pixel rules appear on IRCC's photo pages for other applications, and they don't match:
| Application | Digital photo | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary resident visa | No pixel or file size stated | Visa photo specifications |
| Citizenship grant, online | At least 420 × 540 pixels, JPG, up to 4 MB | Citizenship photo specifications |
| PR card and permanent residence, online | 715 × 1000 to 2000 × 2800 pixels, JPG, up to 4 MB | PR card photos |
The recency rule differs too. The visa and citizenship pages say six months and the PR page says 12. Follow the page for the application you're making, and don't treat the citizenship figure as a visa rule.
Can I crop my own photo for an online application?
No. IRCC's visa, PR and citizenship photo pages all say a digital photo must not be altered. The PR page is the most specific: it counts cropping around the head and shoulders, changing the background (including removing shadows), and changes to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness as alterations. For an online visa, PR or citizenship application, upload the original digital file from your photographer, exactly as you received it.
The PR page adds one more rule. You can send a professional digital photo or a scan of a printed professional photo, but not a picture of a paper photo taken with your phone or camera.
What is the visa photo cropper for?
The cropper checks whether a visa photo is framed correctly, and it makes a correctly framed copy for printing. To check a photo, load the photographer's file and line it up with the frame. If your head doesn't fall between the two ovals, ask the photographer for a retake before you rely on that photo. Checking doesn't change the original file.
For printing, the cropper gives you a 35 × 45 mm copy, for example for a paper application that asks for photos of that size. The download is an 840 × 1080 pixel JPEG in the 35:45 shape. Don't upload it to an online visa, PR or citizenship application: it's a cropped copy, and IRCC treats cropping as altering.
PR photos aren't meant to be 35:45: IRCC's PR card photo page describes a 50 × 70 mm photo, a 5:7 shape. The online citizenship page lists that 50 × 70 mm photo too, but gives a 420 × 540 pixel minimum, which is the 35:45 shape, so either shape can appear there. Follow the page for your application.
To test a photographer's file without changing it, add it to the IRCC file checker with photo checks on. It reports whether the file is a JPEG, whether it has at least 420 × 540 pixels (the online citizenship minimum) and whether its shape is 35:45 or 5:7. A 5:7 photo under 715 × 1000 pixels, the PR minimum, gets a warning. If something is off, ask your photographer for a new file rather than editing the one you have.
How do I use the guide?
Drag the photo so your face is in the middle of the frame, then zoom until your head, from chin to the top of your head, is bigger than the inner oval and smaller than the outer one. The ovals mark the 31 mm and 36 mm head heights for a 45 mm frame. With the crop area focused, the arrow keys move the photo and the plus and minus keys zoom.
What can't cropping fix?
Background, lighting and expression come from the original photo. If the background isn't plain white or light-coloured, your mouth is open or there are shadows on your face, a retake is the fix. Editing the photo afterwards counts as altering it. For photos of documents rather than of you, use JPG to PDF, which turns them into a PDF for upload.
Frequently asked questions
For an online PR card or permanent residence application, IRCC asks for one digital JPG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels, up to 4 MB, on a plain white background and taken within the last 12 months. Paper applications use two 50 × 70 mm prints. Those rules come from IRCC's PR photo page, not the visa page.
The online citizenship grant application asks for a JPG of at least 420 × 540 pixels, saved straight from the camera with minimal compression. IRCC says that's usually about 240 kB, and the file can't be over 4 MB.
IRCC's PR photo page accepts a professional digital photo or a scan of a printed professional photo. It doesn't accept a photo of a paper photo taken with a phone or camera. The scan itself can be made with a scanner app on a phone, tablet or computer.
No. It shows whether the framing and head size match the guide. It can't judge your background, lighting, expression or how recent the photo is, and IRCC checks all of those.
That's the 35:45 shape at twice 420 × 540 pixels, which leaves enough detail for a sharp print. It's still a cropped copy, so it's for printing, not for an online visa, PR or citizenship upload.
No. The photo is opened and cropped inside your browser, and the download is created there too. Your picture stays on your device.
Not affiliated with IRCC or the Government of Canada. IRCC can change its rules, so check the instructions for your application before you upload.