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Canada permanent resident photo requirements

The 50 × 70 mm photo rules set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for the Canada permanent resident, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 4 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Canada permanent resident photo?

Canadian permanent resident photos come in 2 forms. Online, through the PR portal, you upload 1 JPEG between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels and no larger than 4 MB. On paper, you send 2 identical 50 x 70 mm prints with a 31 to 36 mm head. Either way, a commercial photographer takes the photo within 12 months of applying, on a plain white background, with a neutral expression and no editing.

IRCC applies one set of photo rules to permanent residents, whether you are applying for permanent residence itself or for a permanent resident (PR) card. The card is the status document you show to re-enter Canada by plane, train, bus or boat. New permanent residents normally receive their first card by mail without applying, but only if they gave IRCC a mailing address and photo within 180 days of immigrating. Otherwise they apply for it using Guide 5445, as do people renewing, replacing or updating a card.

Most applications now go through the online Permanent Residence Portal, which takes 1 digital photo. Paper applications take 2 printed photos. Both channels share the same quality rules but differ in format: a pixel range and a 4 MB cap online, a 50 x 70 mm print on paper.

Two details set PR photos apart from Canadian passport photos. The background must be white, not just light-coloured, and no guarantor signs anything. What IRCC does want is a record of the studio: its name and complete address, the date of the shoot, and your name and date of birth, either on the back of the print or in a separate document with the studio's receipt.

Canada permanent resident photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada:[1]

Print size50 x 70 mm (2 x 2 3/4 in) for printed photos
Digital sizeOnline: 715 x 1000 to 2000 x 2800 pixels
Head height31 to 36 mm (1 1/4 to 1 7/16 in), bottom of chin to top of head, not counting hair
BackgroundPlain, untextured white
ColourColour or black and white; uploads are displayed in black and white
Photo ageTaken no more than 12 months before you apply
File sizeOnline: 4 MB or less
File formatOnline: JPEG (.jpeg or .jpg); the PR card guide also lists PNG
Print qualityProfessionally printed on plain, high-quality photo paper
Pixels when printed591 × 827 px at 300 dpi · 1181 × 1654 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
50 mm70 mm31–36 mm
50 × 70 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 31–36 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: plain.

In the official words

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

Go to a commercial photographer or studio to have your photo taken.

Permanent resident photos[1]

Originality: original photo not taken from an existing photo or altered in any way

Permanent resident photos[1]

We don’t accept photos printed at home on heavyweight paper.

Permanent resident photos[1]

Key requirements

  • Taken by a professional

    Go to a commercial photographer or studio. Online, you can upload their digital file or a scan of their print, made with a scanner or a scanner app. A picture of a paper photo taken with a phone or camera is not accepted.

  • White, untextured background

    IRCC wants a plain white background with a clear difference between it and your face. It advises against white clothing and white religious head coverings, which can blend in and cause shadowing, and suggests standing at least 1 to 2 metres in front of the background.

  • Head size on prints

    Prints are 50 mm wide by 70 mm high. From the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, hair not included, the head measures 31 to 36 mm, centred and in proportion to the frame.

  • Pixel range online

    Uploads must fall between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels and weigh 4 MB or less. IRCC names photos outside that range, or over 4 MB, among the reasons it sends photos back.

  • No alterations

    Colour or brightness tweaks, sharpening, cropping around the head and shoulders, cut-and-paste onto white, background or shadow removal, smoothing wrinkles or blemishes, and changing hair or clothing colour all count as altering the photo. It must also not be taken from an existing photo.

  • Studio details, no guarantor

    One print carries your name and date of birth, the studio's name and complete address, and the date taken, stamped or handwritten; stick-on labels are refused. Online, upload these details in a document with a studio receipt. Nobody needs to sign the photo.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask the studio for the digital file if you apply online.
  • Keep the studio receipt to upload with the photo details.
  • Stand 1 to 2 metres in front of the white background.
  • Remove facial jewellery, especially around the eyes and mouth.
  • Put paper photos in a small envelope with your name on it.
  • Complete form IMM 5444 in the portal before adding the photo.

Don't

  • Do not wear white clothing or a white head covering.
  • Do not photograph a printed photo with your phone.
  • Do not use stick-on labels on the back of prints.
  • Do not staple or clip the photos.
  • Do not wear a turtleneck or bulky collar that hides your neck.
  • Do not use a photo taken more than 12 months ago.

Sample photos

How a Canada permanent resident photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 50 × 70 mm, head height 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 can stay on if your eyes are clearly visible behind them and there is no glare on the lenses. IRCC lists sunglasses, and tinted prescription glasses that reflect light or hide your eyes, among the things to avoid, and its example photos mark tinted glasses and reflections as unacceptable.

Watch for red eye as well. IRCC tells you to avoid both the red-eye effect and red-eye alterations, so it has to be prevented when the picture is taken rather than fixed afterwards.

Headwear and religious dress

A head covering is allowed if you wear it daily for religious or medical reasons. Your face, including the area around your ears, the background and your shoulders must remain clearly visible, and the covering must not cast shadows or distort the image. Keep your hair off your face so its edges show.

For medical headwear or a nasal cannula, your eyes must stay clearly visible; IRCC recommends a signed explanation with the application and may ask for a doctor's letter. If you use a wheelchair, a plain white blanket over the chair behind your head keeps the outline of your face clear against the white background.

Babies and children

Children's photos follow the same specifications. They must show only the head and shoulders, with no hands from the parent or the child, and no hair accessories. A newborn can sit in a car seat with a white blanket over the seat behind the head, as long as no shadows fall on the face, shoulders, ears or background. Newborns are allowed a range of expressions.

Children who were under 14 when IRCC received their permanent residence application, filed on or after July 31 or December 31, 2018 depending on their country, may have been exempt from biometrics. Once they are older than 14 and apply for a new, replacement or renewed PR card, they must give biometrics.

Online, through the Permanent Residence Portal, you upload 1 JPEG photo between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less. It can be the photographer's own file or a scan of their print. The portal's photo editor asks you to position and crop the upload, and then shows it in black and white, which IRCC says is not a technical problem. If the photo checker warns about brightness, background or pixel range, you can resize the photo, replace it, or submit it anyway, and an officer then decides.

On paper, you send 2 identical 50 x 70 mm prints, professionally printed on plain, high-quality photo paper, in a small envelope marked with the applicant's name and without staples or paper clips. IRCC does not accept photos printed at home on heavyweight paper.

Where to submit the photo

For a PR card, Guide 5445 explains both routes. Online, complete the Application for a Permanent Resident Card (IMM 5444) in the portal first; the photo table then opens, with one row for the front of the photo and one for the back or the studio receipt. Submit only when both are in place, because the photo can no longer be changed afterwards. On paper, the 2 prints go into the envelope with the rest of the application.

People applying for permanent residence itself upload their photo in the Permanent Residence Portal under the same specifications. If IRCC returns a photo, you can send a new one through the portal.

How to get your Canada permanent resident photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Canada permanent resident: 50 × 70 mm print, 2000 × 2800 px digital file, plain background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: taken by a professional; white, untextured background; head size on prints; pixel range online.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Online, through the Permanent Residence Portal, you upload 1 JPEG photo between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less. It can be the photographer's own file or a scan of their print.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. For a PR card, Guide 5445 explains both routes. Online, complete the Application for a Permanent Resident Card (IMM 5444) in the portal first; the photo table then opens, with one row for the front of the photo and one for the back or the studio receipt.

Make this photo online

Canada permanent resident photo FAQ

Printed PR photos are 50 x 70 mm (2 x 2 3/4 inches), with 31 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head, not counting hair. Online uploads have no print size: they must be between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels and no more than 4 MB.

The print size and head size match, but the rules differ. PR photos need a plain white background, while passports also allow light-coloured. A PR photo can be up to 12 months old, against 6 for a passport, and it needs no guarantor signature. A PR print carries your name and date of birth on the back.

That is expected. IRCC says photos become black and white once uploaded and that this is not a technical issue. Colour and black-and-white photos are both accepted.

If the photographer gave you a digital file, upload a document with your name and date of birth, the date the photo was taken, the studio's name and complete address, and a confirmation from the studio such as a receipt. If you scanned a printed professional photo, upload a scan of its back showing the same details.

IRCC asks you to have the photo taken by a commercial photographer or studio. A phone can serve as a scanner app to scan a professional print, but a picture of a paper photo taken with a phone or digital camera is not accepted.

Yes. You can resize it, upload another, or keep it by ticking the Declaration and Acknowledgement boxes. An officer reviews it and tells you if a new one is needed. IRCC returns photos that are too dark, have a background that is not white, hide facial features, show too much glare, fall outside the pixel range or exceed 4 MB.

It must be taken no more than 12 months before you apply, for both online and paper applications, and it must show how you look now.

Yes, if you wear it daily for religious reasons. Your face, the area around your ears and your shoulders must stay clearly visible, with no shadows or distortion. IRCC advises against white religious head coverings, because they can blend into the white background and cause shadowing.

Related photo specifications

Other Canada documents

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Also 50 × 70 mm

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Official sources

  1. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Permanent resident photos canada.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Guide 5445: Applying for a permanent resident card canada.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Permanent Residents Photograph Specifications (PDF) canada.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Document checklist (IMM 5644) canada.ca. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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