All photo formats / Americas
Canada digital passport photo check for online renewal
Since July 2026, all eligible adults in Canada can renew a passport online, and that route needs a digital photo. Canada is strict: the photo must be taken in person by a commercial photographer and saved directly from the camera, unaltered in any way - no cropping, no filters, not even brightness corrections. Editing it yourself makes it invalid. This checker validates your photographer's file against every published specification, on your device: format, dimensions, aspect ratio, file size, head height, background and framing. It never modifies or re-exports the file, so a pass here describes the file itself.
The official requirements
| File format | JPEG (.jpeg or .jpg), saved directly from the original camera file |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 3:2, camera oriented in portrait mode |
| Dimensions | At least 1,200 x 1,800 px, at most 3,000 x 4,500 px |
| File size | 200 KB to 5 MB |
| Head height | Chin to crown (top of head) must measure 45-50% of the photo's height |
| Background | Plain white or light-coloured, with a clear difference between your face and the background |
| Expression | Neutral, eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, not smiling or frowning |
| Other rules | Taken in person by a commercial photographer, no more than 6 months before you apply; scans of printed photos are not accepted; the photo must not be altered in any way - IRCC rejects edited files |
Checked against the official sources below on 7 Nov 2026.
Canada treats any edit as an altered photo - even cropping around the head and shoulders, or colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness corrections. That is why this page only checks your file and offers no edited download: a converter output would be rejected.
Ask your photographer for both a digital file (for online renewal) and printed photos (for mail or in-person applications). The print route has a different spec: two identical unaltered 50 x 70 mm prints, face 31-36 mm from chin to crown.
How to do it
- Get your photo taken in person by a commercial photographer or studio, and ask for the digital file saved directly from the camera (shared by email, USB or a file-sharing service).
- Upload that file below - it is checked entirely on your device and never uploaded, stored or changed.
- Read the checklist: every line must pass before you upload the file to your IRCC online renewal account.
- If anything fails, ask the photographer for a corrected original - do not edit the file yourself.
Common questions
Can I use a selfie or a photo taken at home?
No. IRCC requires the digital photo to be taken in person by a commercial photographer; home photos, selfies and scanned prints are not accepted.
Can I crop or resize the file to make it fit?
No. Any alteration, including cropping or resizing, makes the photo invalid. If the file fails a check, the photographer must supply a corrected original.
Is a conversion available here?
No - deliberately. This page validates your photographer's file only, because an edited or re-exported file would be rejected by IRCC.