Canada visa photo size is written two ways on the IRCC pages. The visitor-visa photograph specification asks for a frame of at least 35 mm x 45 mm; the permanent-resident photo page wants 50 mm wide by 70 mm high (2 by 2¾ inches). Both put the head, chin to crown, between 31 mm and 36 mm, so a 50 × 70 mm print with the head at that size meets the wording of each, and that is the frame cut here.
Add a portrait and it comes out at 1181 × 1654 pixels, cut to 5:7, with 600 DPI stored in the JPG or PNG. That count sits inside the 715 × 1000 to 2000 × 2800 range on the permanent-resident page, and a print shop reading the DPI outputs it at 50 × 70 mm. The head measurement is the one thing the tool cannot judge.
Before and after
2400 × 3600 px1.03 MBJPG
1181 × 1654 px340 KBJPG
The dashed frame on the left marks the part that fits the new shape. It was scaled to exactly 1181 × 1654 px, and the top and bottom outside the frame were trimmed.
The file went from 1.03 MB to 340 KB.
The image on the right is the actual file the tool above produced.
How to use it
- Choose a photo taken straight on, with the top of the shoulders in view and plain wall above the hair.
- If the head looks too big or too small, crop the picture first so the chin-to-crown height is about half of the frame.
- Add the file. The boxes already read 50, 70, mm and 600 with “Crop to fill” selected, so the resize runs on its own.
- Check the result card for 1181 × 1654 and 600 DPI, then download for printing or upload.
Two frames on the IRCC pages, one head rule
The visitor-visa specification says the frame size must be at least 35 mm x 45 mm, with the face in the middle and the top of the shoulders included. The permanent-resident page fixes the print at 50 mm wide by 70 mm high. On both, chin to crown must measure 31 to 36 mm, crown meaning the top of the head or where it would be under hair or a head covering.
A 50 by 70 mm print exceeds the 35 × 45 mm minimum, so with a 31 to 36 mm head it satisfies the visitor-visa wording too. In 70 mm of height that head is 44 to 51 percent, and the tool never measures it: put the crown about a quarter of the way down and the chin a quarter of the way up. Typing 35 and 45 into the mm boxes instead needs the head at 69 to 80 percent of the height, so crop closer first.
Why 600 DPI, and the pixel window for uploads
Millimetres become pixels only once a DPI is chosen: one inch is 25.4 mm, so 50 ÷ 25.4 × 600 rounds to 1181 and 70 mm comes to 1654. At 300 DPI the same print would be 591 × 827, short of the 715 × 1000 lower limit on the permanent-resident page, which is why the DPI box starts at 600.
That page asks for photo dimensions between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels, a file size of 4 MB or less and a .jpeg or .jpg file, so convert a PNG portrait to JPG first. Both ends of the pixel range are almost exactly the 5:7 of 50 × 70 mm, and a JPG from here is normally a few hundred kilobytes. The visitor-visa specification has no pixel or kilobyte figure at all; the 420 × 540 minimum some photo sites quote for it is not on the official page.
Paper photos and the writing on the back
Guide 5256, for the paper visitor-visa application, says to provide two photos meeting the specification, to write your name and date of birth on the back of both, and that applicants who give biometrics need no paper photos. The specification sheet wants the two identical, taken within the last six months, on quality photographic paper against a plain white or light-coloured background.
The permanent-resident page wants more on the back: name and date of birth, the studio’s name and complete address and the date the photo was taken, with no stick-on labels. None of that lives inside a JPG, so the handwriting comes after printing. Digital photographs must not be altered in any way; cutting the frame and setting the pixel count is all that happens here.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Canadian visa photo size in cm, mm and inches?
- 50 mm wide by 70 mm high on the permanent-resident page, which is 5 × 7 cm or 2 by 2¾ inches. The visitor-visa specification gives a minimum of 35 mm x 45 mm, about 1 3/8 by 1 3/4 inches.
- What is the Canada visa photo size in pixels?
- At 600 DPI a 50 × 70 mm photo is 1181 × 1654 pixels; 300 DPI gives 591 × 827. Uploads on the permanent-resident page must fall between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels; the visitor-visa page names no pixel figure.
- Does the tool check that my head is 31 to 36 mm?
- No. It cuts to 5:7 and scales, with no idea where the chin or crown is. In a 70 mm frame the head should cover 44 to 51 percent of the height; crop and resize again if not.
- Can I upload a scan of my printed photo?
- The permanent-resident page accepts a scanned copy of a printed professional photo but not a photo of a paper photo taken with a camera or phone.
- Is this the same as the Canadian passport photo?
- For the print, yes: the passport page also asks for 50 mm wide by 70 mm high with a 31 to 36 mm face. The online renewal wants a different 3:2 file, at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 wide, with its own file-size and face-height rules, so switch the unit to px, type those and check that page too.
- Do the Canada visa photo requirements change in India or Bangladesh, and how old may the photo be?
- Six months for the visitor-visa specification, 12 months for the permanent-resident page. The IRCC pages give one specification and list no country-specific sizes.