You must submit 2 identical and unaltered photos with each passport application.
Photo requirements

Your passport photos must be:

• clear, sharp and in focus
• taken with a neutral facial expression
  • eyes open and clearly visible
  • mouth closed, no smiling
• taken in person by a commercial photographer or studio with:
  • uniform lighting and with no shadows, glare or flash reflections
  • face and shoulders to the camera: straight-on, centered and squared
  • a plain white or light-coloured background with a clear difference between your face and the background. Photos must reflect/represent natural skin tones.
• 50 mm wide X 70 mm high (2 inches wide X 2- 3/4 inches long)
  • the height of the face measures between 31 mm (1- 1/4 inches) and 36 mm (1- 7/16 inches) from chin to crown of head (natural top of head)
• an image of your current appearance, taken within the last six months
• professionally printed on plain, high quality photographic paper
  • we don’t accept photos printed at home and photos printed on heavy weight paper
• original photos that are not altered in any way or taken from an existing photo

Back of photo details

On the back of 1 photo

• the photographer must put a stamp or written information showing the
  • date the photo was taken
  • name and complete address of the photo studio
• your guarantor must
  • clearly write "I certify this to be a true likeness of (applicant's or child’s name)" for an application
  • sign the back of the photo

If you’re renewing an adult passport using the Simplified Renewal application form, you don’t need a guarantor.

Extra details

We accept photos with:

• glasses worn if:
  • your eyes are clearly visible
  • there is no glare on the lenses
• hair down or up
• hats and head coverings worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons if:
  • your full face is clearly visible
  • the head covering doesn’t cast shadows on your face

Photos may be in colour or in black and white

We don’t accept photos with:

• sunglasses or tinted eye glasses (even when the eyes are clearly visible)
• red-eye effect or red-eye alterations
• hats and head coverings not worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons
• shadows, as lighting must be uniform to avoid shadows:
  • around the ears
  • in the background
  • across the face or shoulders

Child photos

Child photos must follow the same rules as standard passport photos. They must show your child's head and shoulders only. Parent's or child's hands must not appear in the photo.

For newborn babies, the photo may be taken while your child is sitting in a car seat, as long as:

• a white blanket is placed over the seat behind their head
• there are no shadows:
  • around the ears
  • in the background
  • on the face or shoulders
• you write “I certify this to be a true likeness of (child’s name)” and sign the back

We recognize the difficulty in getting a neutral expression from your newborn. We do allow some range for infant facial expressions.

Examples of acceptable passport photos

These photos don’t represent the actual size of a passport photo.