Canada Visa Photo Requirements: A Complete Guide
When you apply for a Canada, a key requirement is providing photos that meet the prerequisites set by Canadian authorities.
Photo Requirements for Canada Visa Application
To ensure your Canada visa application is accepted, your photo must meet the following specifications:
- Recent Photo: Taken within the last six months.
- Size: 35×45 mm or 420×540 px.
- Background: Plain white ( ), with no shadows.
- Quality: High-resolution, face shown clearly, no edits.
Do I Need to Take a Photo for a Canada Visa Application?
You are required to take a Canada visa photo if you are a national of one of the countries listed below:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Macau
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- São Tomé and PrÃncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
How to Take a Canada visa Photo?
Taking a photo for your Canada visa has never been so easy.
Follow these simple instructions to take the perfect visa photo.
Body camera distance
Keep the distance between the face and camera at 1 to 2 meters (3 to 7 feet). It’s better if someone else takes the picture.
Posture: straight ahead
Position your face in front of the lens. Make sure the camera is at eye level. Maintain a natural expression and hold the camera steadily.
Lighting
Make sure your face is evenly illuminated on both sides, without shadows, and your features are clearly visible. The photo should be focused, sharp, and properly exposed. It is best if you do take the photos during daylight hours.
File format and size
On the other hand, if you are required to upload your photos online, these are the specifications that you photos should meet:
| Format | Camera resolution | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| No required format specified, however, you can upload your photos in either of these formats .pdf,.jpg,.gif,.bmp,.png. | DPI | a maximum of 300KB |
Picture Quality
The pictures you submit for your Canada visa application must meet certain standards of quality to be acceptable, which ensure your facial features are visible and recognizable:
- Be sharp without any visible pixels or printer dots.
- Not be blurry so your face in focus and without motion or focus blur.
- In color (not black and white).
- There should be no objects occupying the space behind you and no shadows on you or the background. To prevent shadows, use uniform illumination when taking the photo.
- No flash disruption making your eyes red.
Facial Expression
When you take your Canada visa photo, you must:
- Have a neutral facial expression.
- Look straight at the camera.
- Face the camera with a neutral expression, without or smiling or showing your teeth.
- Keep your eyes open so your pupils and irises (colored portions of the eyes) are clearly visible in the photo.
Posture
You must stand straight and not tilt your head.
Attire
Your clothing in the visa photo affects the visibility of your face and the overall quality of the photo. You should wear clothing that you would typically wear on a daily basis when taking your visa photo. Religious attire is allowed unless it covers important features of your face.
If you are employed at a job that requires you wear a uniform to perform daily activites, (such as construction, police, firefighting, nurse etc.) you should take off your uniform when taking your photo.
Accessories
When taking a Canada visa photo, it’s important to ensure that you are dressed appropriately and that your photo meets specific requirements. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:
Before taking the photo for your a Canada visa application, bear in mind that any accessories that cover your face in any way are not allowed.
- Hats or head coverings. You must not wear a hat or head covering, unless you are medically or religiously required to wear one all the time.
- Jewelry.You must not wear jewelry that obscures your face.
- Glasses.You must not wear glasses that cover your eyes, cause glare or shadows, or distort your eyes in any way. If your glasses are medically required, and do not interfere with your facial images, you can keep them on.
- Hearing devices or similar articles If you typically wear a hearing device or other similar articles, you may wear it in your visa photo.
Note: If you must wear a hat or glasses for medical reasons, you must provide a doctor’s statement as valid proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Photos Should I Submit for Visa Application?
You should provide identical photos which were taken in the last six months. If the application is online, one copy of a photo will suffice.
Note: Although for most visa types, pictures are required, for certain visas, the Canadian embassy may request more or fewer copies of the same picture.
Can I Upload a Scanned Photo?
Yes, you can scan your existing physical photo and use it for your visa application. Make sure you follow the listed directions when you scan the visa photo:
- You must scan one photo at a time.
- The photos must be scanned in color.
- Scan photos clearly so the front and the back are seen.
- Do not put the photo on another piece of paper.
Should I Retake a Photo for Canadian Visa if I Already Have One?
You’ll need to take a new photo if your current photo is older than six months, or:
- You have gained or lost a considerable amount of weight.
- You have undergone surgery because you:
- Experienced facial trauma
- Changed your gender
- Removed numerous tattoos
- Removed numerous piercings
Keep in mind that even if your photo is not more than 6 months old, the embassy or consulate may ask you to submit a new one if it doesn’t represent your current look. Minor changes such as growing a beard or coloring your hair won’t require a new photo submission as long as you can still be identified from the photo in your visa application.
Should I Print Out the Pictures?
No, because the visa application process is online, you will not be required to print out your visa photo. You have to attach the digital copy of your photo to the application portal, as requested by the Canadian embassy or consulate.
Passport Photo Requirements
If you are applying for a Canadian passport, you should check the Canada passport photo requirements.