Canadian passport photo requirements
The IRCC / Government of Canada rules — unusual on both size and source.
Size a Canadian passport or visa photo
For the passport itself, IRCC needs a commercial photographer. Sukat helps two ways: sizing and checking a 50 × 70 mm crop before your studio visit, and fully preparing the 35 × 45 mm photos that Canadian visa and permit applications accept.
Upload your photo
Drop a JPG, PNG, HEIC, or WebP onto Sukat's drop zone. An iPhone HEIC works directly, with no conversion first.
Crop to the right frame
For a passport size check, crop to 50 × 70 mm (a 5:7 portrait) and confirm the head sits 31–36 mm chin to crown. For a Canadian visitor visa, work, or study permit, crop to 35 × 45 mm instead — that's the size those applications use.
Compress to the upload limit
For a permit's online upload, choose JPEG, set Maximum File Size to the portal's cap, and Sukat finds the highest quality that fits. For the passport, take the sized reference to your photographer — or, if their high-res file is over IRCC's online limit, use Sukat to shrink it to fit (a size change only, no retouching).
Which Canadian document needs which photo
Canada splits by document: passports, PR cards and citizenship use 50 × 70 mm; visas and permits use 35 × 45 mm. Here's where Sukat fits.
Canadian passport (50 × 70 mm)
Requires a commercial photographer, name/address/date stamped on the back, and two identical prints — plus a guarantor's signature for new and child passports. Since April 2026, eligible adults can renew online using the photographer's digital file.
PR card and citizenship (50 × 70 mm)
Permanent resident cards and citizenship applications use the same 50 × 70 mm size, but each program has its own submission rules — confirm the one you're filing.
Visitor visa (35 × 45 mm)
Temporary-resident visa applications use 35 × 45 mm, and a self-taken photo is accepted — Sukat's home turf. Crop to spec and compress to the portal's limit.
Work and study permits (35 × 45 mm)
Permits use the same 35 × 45 mm spec as visitor visas, uploaded online with file-size checks. Do not use the 50 × 70 mm passport size — IRCC rejects it.
Applying from outside Canada
Canadians abroad apply through an embassy, high commission, or consulate; the passport photo is still the 50 × 70 mm photographer's print.
Need the 35 × 45 mm size details for a visa or permit? See Passport Photo 35×45mm. Comparing against the US 2 × 2 or another country? Passport Photo Compressor has every spec.
Why Sukat for Canadian photos
Sukat won't replace the studio a Canadian passport requires — but here's where it does real work.
The right frame, sized and checked
Crop to the exact 50 × 70 mm (5:7) passport frame or the 35 × 45 mm visa frame, and confirm the 31–36 mm face height, before you pay a studio or upload a permit photo. Knowing the target is half the battle when a studio defaults to the wrong size.
Full handling for visa and permit photos
Canadian visitor, work, and study applications accept a self-made 35 × 45 mm photo. Sukat crops to that spec and compresses to the portal's file limit — the whole job, in the browser.
Shrinks a photographer's file to the cap
An IRCC online passport renewal takes the studio's high-resolution JPEG, which can exceed the portal's upload limit. Sukat compresses it to fit — a size reduction only, no retouching. When in doubt, ask the studio to export at IRCC's size.
iPhone HEIC handled
Drop an iPhone HEIC straight in — Sukat decodes it and exports a clean JPEG at the right size and file weight, ready for a visa or permit upload.
Private, in-browser
Cropping, resizing, and compression all run on your device. The photo never reaches a server, and there's no account or email.
Common reasons for rejection
Beyond the commercial-photographer and guarantor rules above, these photo-level faults are what get Canadian applications bounced.
Incorrect dimensions
Using 35 × 45 mm or the US 2 × 2 square instead of Canada's 50 × 70 mm, or a face under 31 mm chin to crown. An undersized face is the single most common rejection.
Improper background
Not plain white or a uniform light colour, or a backdrop too close to the applicant's hair colour — light or white hair on white needs a light-grey background for contrast.
Shadows
Shadows on the face or behind the head. Even lighting with clearance behind you keeps the background clean.
Low image quality
Blurry photos, inkjet prints on plain paper, or a scan of a print for online renewal. Prints must be on photo paper, and the digital file must be the photographer's camera export.
Incorrect facial expression
Glasses, a smile or non-neutral expression, or hair covering the ears. Keep a neutral face, remove eyewear, and tuck hair behind both ears.