Independent reference to official photo rules

Not affiliated with any government. Always confirm with the issuing authority before you apply.

WorldPhotoSpecsOfficial photo rules for every country

Licences and permit cards

Canada firearms licence photo requirements

The 45 × 57 mm photo rules set by Royal Canadian Mounted Police for the Canada firearms licence, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

Rate this page

Quick answer

What size is the Canada firearms licence photo?

For a paper firearms licence application, the RCMP wants a 45 x 57 mm (1 3/4 x 2 1/4 inch) photo with your head at least 30 mm high. Online, you upload a portrait JPG or JPEG between 200 KB and 6 MB. Either way the photo must be under 12 months old, unaltered, in colour or black and white, on a plain white or light-coloured background, with a neutral face. Paper prints carry your name and, for first applications, a guarantor's signature on the back.

Firearms licences in Canada, including the Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) for adults and the Minor's Licence for ages 12 to 17, are issued through the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program (CFP). Applicants supply a licence photo, and the RCMP warns that it will reject a photo that misses its requirements, which means sending a new one and a slower application.

The photo rules depend on how you apply. The online service is open to first-time applicants aged 12 or older who have never held any firearms licence, and it takes a digital licence photo. Licence holders renew online through Individual Web Services, which also asks for a digital photo, or on paper with form RCMP 5614. Everyone else mails form RCMP 5592 with a printed photo.

The RCMP pages and forms do not say who must take the photo. The paper forms even suggest standing in natural sunlight half a metre from the background, and tell you to cut the print to size yourself. What the RCMP does insist on is an original, unedited image and, for a first application, a photo guarantor who confirms that the picture is you.

Canada firearms licence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Royal Canadian Mounted Police:[1]

Print sizePaper: 45 x 57 mm (1 3/4 x 2 1/4 in), head at least 30 mm (1 3/16 in) high
Digital sizeOnline: no pixel size set; portrait (vertical) orientation
BackgroundPlain white or light-coloured, without textures or patterns
ColourColour or black and white
Photo ageLess than 12 months old when you submit the application
File sizeOnline: 200 KB to 6 MB
File formatOnline: JPG or JPEG
Print qualityPaper: digital photos printed on photo-quality paper, cut to size, sticker on the back
Pixels when printed531 × 673 px at 300 dpi · 1063 × 1346 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
45 mm57 mm
45 × 57 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: plain white or light-coloured.

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

be an original photo that is not altered in any way

Photo requirements for a firearms licence[1]

Key requirements

  • Two channels, two specs

    Paper applications use a print 45 mm wide by 57 mm high, with the head at least 30 mm (1 3/16 in) tall; forms RCMP 5592 and 5614 add that the print must not be larger than 45 x 57 mm. Online applications need a JPG or JPEG of 200 KB to 6 MB in portrait orientation, and no pixel size is given.

  • Original and unedited

    The photo must be an original that is not altered in any way. The paper forms add that it must not be a photo of another photograph or of a piece of government ID.

  • Neutral expression

    Eyes open and clearly visible, looking straight at the camera, mouth closed, neither smiling nor frowning. The RCMP explains that a neutral face helps it confirm your identity and prevent fraud.

  • Framing and one person

    Face and shoulders are centred and squared to the camera, not tilted in any direction. Only you appear: the RCMP's examples reject group shots, full-body photos, photos cropped too close and photos that are not centred.

  • Guarantor sticker

    For a first application on paper, print your name and your guarantor's name on the photo sticker, have the guarantor sign it and fix it to the back of the photo. The guarantor must be at least 18 and have known you for at least 1 year. Renewals need no guarantor signature.

  • Even light, plain background

    Lighting is uniform, with no shadows, glare or flash reflections, and the plain white or light-coloured background contrasts clearly with your face. The RCMP's examples refuse textured dark backgrounds, objects behind you, a shadow behind the head and photos that are too bright or too dark.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check whether you will apply online or on paper before taking the photo.
  • Stand about half a metre in front of a plain, light-coloured wall.
  • Use soft, even light so no shadow falls on your face or behind you.
  • Keep your hair off your face so its edges show.
  • Send the digital file if you already had passport photos taken.
  • Print digital photos on photo-quality paper for a paper application.

Don't

  • Do not send a print larger than 45 x 57 mm.
  • Do not edit, filter or retouch the photo.
  • Do not photograph an existing photo or an ID card.
  • Do not wear sunglasses or tinted lenses, even prescription ones.
  • Do not include anyone else in the shot.
  • Do not upload a file under 200 KB or over 6 MB.

Sample photos

How a Canada firearms licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 45 × 57 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

Glasses are accepted in a firearms licence photo when your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Frames must stay clear of the eyes: one of the RCMP's unacceptable examples shows glasses covering them.

Sunglasses and tinted eyeglasses are refused, and the RCMP states that this includes prescription lenses even when your eyes can be seen. Sunglasses pushed up on the head also appear among its rejected examples, and a red-eye effect or a red-eye alteration is not accepted either.

Headwear and religious dress

Hats and head coverings are accepted only if worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Your full face must stay clearly visible and the covering must not create shadows on it. The paper forms put it briefly: do not wear a hat. A ball cap is one of the RCMP's rejected examples.

Medical headwear or a nasal cannula may appear in the photo if worn for medical reasons, as long as your eyes remain clearly visible. If your religion prohibits photographs of its members, you can seek a photo waiver: the online application asks for the email address of a religious official who will attest to your membership. A renewal that requests a religious exemption from providing a photograph cannot be done online.

Babies and children

Young people aged 12 to 17 apply for a Minor's Licence, which is valid only for non-restricted rifles and shotguns. The RCMP publishes no separate photo rules for minors, so the same size, file, expression and background rules apply.

A minor applying for a first licence can use the online service with the email address of a parent or guardian. A Minor's Licence cannot be renewed online.

Online first applications and online renewals take a digital file: JPG or JPEG, between 200 KB and 6 MB, in portrait orientation. For these files the RCMP sets no pixel dimensions, no millimetre size and no head measurement. It recommends a digital passport-type photo, and if you have had passport photos taken, it asks you to submit the digital file.

Paper applications take a print 45 mm wide by 57 mm high, with the head at least 30 mm tall. Digitally produced photos must be printed on photo-quality paper, and the label instructions on both paper forms say to cut the photo to fit the size requirements, so trimming a larger print yourself is expected. The RCMP publishes no 35 x 45 mm option and no pixel size for firearms licence photos, so size a print to 45 x 57 mm and keep an online file within 200 KB to 6 MB.

Where to submit the photo

Online first applications are made through the Canadian Firearms Program's online service, where adults give email addresses for 2 references, a photo guarantor and any current or former conjugal partner. Renewals go through Individual Web Services, which needs a GCKey or Sign-in Partner account. The CFP sends renewal notices 3 months before a licence expires.

Paper applications and their photos are mailed to the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program, PO Box 1200, Miramichi NB E1N 5Z3. Before mailing, the PAL form's checklist asks whether you attached your photo with the signed sticker on the back. Quebec residents applying for a PAL that covers restricted or prohibited firearms also include the Sûreté du Québec form SQ-3007.

How to get your Canada firearms licence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Canada firearms licence: 45 × 57 mm print, plain white or light-coloured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two channels, two specs; original and unedited; neutral expression; framing and one person.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Online first applications and online renewals take a digital file: JPG or JPEG, between 200 KB and 6 MB, in portrait orientation. For these files the RCMP sets no pixel dimensions, no millimetre size and no head measurement.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Online first applications are made through the Canadian Firearms Program's online service, where adults give email addresses for 2 references, a photo guarantor and any current or former conjugal partner.

Make this photo online

Canada firearms licence photo FAQ

For a paper application, 45 mm wide by 57 mm high (1 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches), with your head at least 30 mm (1 3/16 inches) high. The paper forms say the print must not be larger than that. For an online application there is no millimetre or pixel size: the file must be a portrait JPG or JPEG between 200 KB and 6 MB.

The RCMP does not say who must take the photo, and its paper forms suggest standing in natural sunlight about 0.5 metres from a plain, light-coloured background to avoid shadows. The photo must still be an original, unaltered image less than 12 months old, and digitally produced photos must be printed on photo-quality paper.

Form RCMP 5592 says a photo guarantor must be at least 18 years old and have known you for at least 1 year. Your spouse, common-law or other conjugal partner, or one of your references can act as guarantor. They write their name on the photo sticker, sign it and complete the guarantor section of the form.

No. The RCMP says a photo guarantor signature is not required with a licence renewal application. On renewal form RCMP 5614 you print only your own name on the photo sticker and attach it to the back of the photo.

Yes, if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted eyeglasses are refused, including tinted prescription lenses, even when your eyes show through them.

No. The RCMP wants a neutral expression: eyes open and clearly visible, looking straight at the camera, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning. It says this kind of photo helps confirm your identity and prevent fraud.

The RCMP says it rejects photos that do not meet its requirements, and a new submission is then required, which delays the processing of your application. Check the size or file size, the lighting, the background and the back-of-photo details before sending.

The RCMP mentions one route: a photo waiver for religious reasons. The online application asks for the email address of a religious official who will attest that you belong to a religion that prohibits taking photographs of its members. A renewal requesting this exemption cannot be made online.

Related photo specifications

Other Canada documents

Licences and permit cards nearby

Was this page helpful?

No ratings yet. Be the first to rate this page.

Official sources

  1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Photo requirements for a firearms licence rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Apply for a firearms licence rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Licence renewal for individuals rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Individual Web Services rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Minors rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Firearms forms and reports rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Application for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (RCMP GRC 5592e) rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Application for Renewal of a Firearms Licence for an Individual (RCMP GRC 5614e) rcmp.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Royal Canadian Mounted Police before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Canada firearms licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/canada/firearms-licence-photo

Categories: