What size is the Canada passport online renewal photo?

As a digital photo, 1,200 to 3,000 pixels wide, 1,800 to 4,500 pixels tall. The file: JPEG; 200 KB to 5,000 KB. The head takes 45% to 50% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.

Can I wear glasses in my Canada passport online renewal photo?

Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.

Can I smile in my Canada passport online renewal photo?

Neutral: eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning.

Can I wear a head covering in my Canada passport online renewal photo?

Only if worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons; full face clearly visible; no shadows on the face.

How recent must my Canada passport online renewal photo be?

Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.

Can I take my Canada passport online renewal photo myself?

No: the official rules ask for a commercial photographer or photo studio. This page checks the photo they give you.

Is my photo uploaded?

No. The photo is read and checked in your browser. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.

How is the head measured?

The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.

Will my photo be accepted?

Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 4 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.

What does the Detail check add?

Detail check for your Canada passport online renewal photo, €6.99: the Detail check of your own photo against the official rules (opt-in; it never changes your photo), unlimited re-checks and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. No file and no print sheet: the rules don't allow us to change this photo. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more in the file you chose, if you choose to send it, and never changes it. Without buying you can check any photo here and save the acceptance report, free.

Passport, visa and ID photos · Canada

Canada passport online renewal photo: check yours

Check your Canada passport online renewal photo against the official rules before you send it. We never change it. Official size: at least 1,200 x 1,800 pixels. Background: plain white or light-coloured, clear difference between face and background. Rules read on canada.ca on 4 November 2026.

Choose the photo file you were given
We check it against the official rules, without changing it
If it passes, send that same file

Choose your photo file

Free check. Once it passes, our Detail check, €6.99: unlimited re-checks for 30 days, and we never change your photo. Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed.

Your photo

Your photo stays on your device: nothing is uploaded, and no face is recognised.

What a passing photo needs

Stand a step in front of a plain light wall, with nothing behind you.
Face a window or soft light: even light on the face, no shadows on it or behind.
Have it taken by a photo studio or commercial photographer, as the rules ask.
Glasses only with no tint and no glare on them.
A neutral face, mouth closed, eyes open.

Check your photo

Drop your original photo file here, or choose it As the photographer or the camera gave it

The first photo loads the face finder and the background outline from this site, about 15 MB, once.

Guide lines Dashed: top of head. Solid: chin.

Adjust the top-of-head line

Top of head The top of your head is an estimate: move the dashed line to it. This moves the line only; your photo is not changed.

See every measurement

Check	Measured	Result

Before you send it: our Detail check

€6.99

Detail check of your own photo against the official rules: glasses, expression, shadows and more (opt-in: our AI model, run in the EU)
It never changes your photo: you send the same file you checked
Unlimited re-checks and the whole family's photos for this document, for 30 days
Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed

Choose a photo first.

Pay only once your photo passes: the button turns on once it passes every check. One payment, no subscription. No file and no print sheet: the official rules don't allow us to change this photo. Rejected by the authority after it passed here? Email us the rejection within 30 days and we refund you in full. While you pay, your photo waits in this browser on this device for up to 24 hours: it is never uploaded.

Before you send it, confirm

Only you can see these: we never judge them from the photo.

A commercial photographer or photo studio took the photo. If I wear glasses, they have no tint and no glare, and my eyes are clearly visible. My expression is as the rules ask (Expression, below). My eyes are open and clearly visible. The light on my face is even, with no shadow on my face or behind me. The photo was taken in the last 6 months.

If your photo passes, send the same file you checked here, unchanged.

Free: every rule your file was checked against, with the official words, made on this device.

The face finder and the background outline run in this page from files served by this site (sources and licences). They find where a face is in the photo; they never recognise who it is.

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government.

This page only checks your photo: it never crops, edits or re-saves it.

Canada accepts only a photo taken by a commercial photographer, with the file saved directly from the camera's original and not altered in any way, cropping included. So this page checks the photographer's file as it is and never re-saves it: upload that same file.

Upload refused? The published file limits, and the usual reasons a file is outside them.

The rules at a glance

For the Canadian passport, online renewal (digital photo), as the official rules state them.

Size: at least 1,200 x 1,800 pixels
Background: Plain white or light-coloured, clear difference between face and background.
Head size: 45% to 50% of the photo's height, chin to top of head
Glasses: Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression: A neutral face, mouth closed, eyes open.
Taken by: A commercial photographer or photo studio
Taken: In the last 6 months
Edits: None: this page only checks your photo, it never changes it.

All the official rules and sources

Digital photo: 1,200 to 3,000 pixels wide, 1,800 to 4,500 pixels tall
File: JPEG; 200 KB to 5,000 KB
This page: Checks your photo as it is; it makes no file
Head height: 45% to 50% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head
Background: plain white or light-coloured, clear difference between face and background
Taken by: A commercial photographer or photo studio
Glasses: Allowed only with no tint and no glare, your eyes clearly visible
Expression: neutral: eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning
Head covering: only if worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons; full face clearly visible; no shadows on the face
Taken: In the last 6 months
Colour: Colour or black and white

taken in person by a commercial photographer; file saved directly from the original camera file
3:2 aspect ratio in portrait (height:width = 3:2)
no scanned copies of printed photos
no alteration of any kind (photo-editing software, filters, AI tools, colour/brightness/contrast/sharpness changes, 'cropping around the head and shoulders' such as cutting and pasting onto a white background, background changes, shadow removal)
face and shoulders centred and squared to the camera; uniform lighting, no shadows, glare or flash reflections; natural skin tones
no sunglasses or tinted glasses (including tinted prescription lenses); no red-eye
upload requires studio/photographer name, address and the date the photo was taken

For: online adult passport renewal.

Official source: www.canada.ca, checked on 4 November 2026.

You need a digital passport photo only if you’re renewing your passport online.

be taken in person by a commercial photographer

be taken no more than 6 months before the date you submit your application

not be a scanned copy of a printed passport photo

Your photo must be in .jpeg or .jpg format.

have a 3:2 aspect ratio with the camera oriented in portrait mode

be at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 pixels wide

be no larger than 4,500 pixels high by 3,000 pixels wide

be between 200 KB and 5 MB in size

have a chin-to-crown (top of head) measurement that’s between 45% and 50% of the photo’s height

The file must be saved directly from the original file captured by the camera.

The photo may be either in colour or in black and white.

mouth closed, not smiling or frowning

a plain white or light-coloured background with a clear difference between your face and the background

glasses, if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses

the studio or photographer’s name

Meets the published spec as checked on 4 November 2026. WinPhoto is not affiliated with any government. Rules change: check the official page before you apply.

How to use it

Use the original photo file, as the photographer or the camera gave it.
Choose it here. The page finds your face and checks the photo without changing it.
Move Top of head if the dashed line is not at the top of your head.
Fix what the page lists, and tick what only you can confirm.
If it passes, send that same file, unchanged.

Questions

What size is the Canada passport online renewal photo?: As a digital photo, 1,200 to 3,000 pixels wide, 1,800 to 4,500 pixels tall. The file: JPEG; 200 KB to 5,000 KB. The head takes 45% to 50% of the photo's height, from the chin to the top of the head. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
What background does the Canada passport online renewal photo need?: Plain white or light-coloured, clear difference between face and background.
Can I wear glasses in my Canada passport online renewal photo?: Yes, but only with no tint and no glare, and with your eyes clearly visible.
Can I smile in my Canada passport online renewal photo?: Neutral: eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning.
Can I wear a head covering in my Canada passport online renewal photo?: Only if worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons; full face clearly visible; no shadows on the face.
How recent must my Canada passport online renewal photo be?: Taken in the last 6 months. These are the official rules as checked on 4 November 2026.
Can I take my Canada passport online renewal photo myself?: No: the official rules ask for a commercial photographer or photo studio. This page checks the photo they give you.
Is my photo uploaded?: No. The photo is read and checked in your browser. The page tells our server only that a photo was checked, that it passed, or that a file was saved; never the photo, your face or any measurement. It finds where your face is in the photo; it never recognises who you are.
How is the head measured?: The page finds your chin and eyes in the photo and estimates the top of your head from your forehead, since hair hides it: the dashed line shows the estimate. If it is not at the top of your head, move it with Top of head and the checks follow.
Will my photo be accepted?: Only the issuing authority decides. A photo that passes every check here meets the published size, head and background rules as checked on 4 November 2026; you confirm the rest, such as glasses, expression and how recent the photo is.
Why can't I save a new file here?: This page only checks your photo: it never crops, edits or re-saves it. Canada accepts only a photo taken by a commercial photographer, with the file saved directly from the camera's original and not altered in any way, cropping included. So this page checks the photographer's file as it is and never re-saves it: upload that same file.
What does the Detail check add?: Detail check for your Canada passport online renewal photo, €6.99: the Detail check of your own photo against the official rules (opt-in; it never changes your photo), unlimited re-checks and the whole family's photos for this document for 30 days. No file and no print sheet: the rules don't allow us to change this photo. Pay only once your photo passes. Refund if the authority rejects a photo that passed. Paid once, with no subscription. In the Detail check our AI model, run in the EU, checks glasses, expression, shadows and more in the file you chose, if you choose to send it, and never changes it. Without buying you can check any photo here and save the acceptance report, free.