Get a Canadian citizenship photo in 50×70 mm in seconds. Take a selfie at home, and our AI photo maker crops it, sets a white background and checks it against the Canada citizenship photo rules.
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets the specifications for the Canadian citizenship photo. The AI check validates your photo against each parameter below.
Canadian citizenship gives you the right to live, work and study in Canada without restrictions, to vote in federal, provincial and local elections, and to apply for a Canadian passport. It is the step that makes you a full member of Canadian society. The photos you send with a Canada citizenship application have to meet the IRCC citizenship photo specifications. The Canada citizenship photo size is 50 × 70 mm, which is larger than many ID photos, so a picture cut for another document may not fit.
The frame is 50 mm wide and 70 mm high (5 × 7 cm). Your head, from chin to crown, should measure about 35 mm, and your eyes should sit about 39 mm above the bottom edge of the photo. These numbers keep the face centred with some space above the hair and around the shoulders. Getting this size right by hand is the hardest part of a home photo: a phone picture has a different shape, and the head is rarely the right height. Our photo maker measures your face and places the head at the right size automatically, so you don't need a ruler or a photo editor.
The Canadian citizenship photo can be printed or used in an online application. For a print, the file is prepared at 600 DPI so the 50 × 70 mm photo stays sharp on photo paper. For an online upload, the digital photo stays under the 4 MB file size limit. You get the same Canadian citizenship photo in both formats from one selfie, so you can decide later how you submit it.
A modern phone camera is more than enough for this photo. Ask someone to take the photo from about one to two metres away, or use the timer and lean the phone against a stack of books at eye level. Stand facing a window during the day so the light falls evenly on your face. Don't worry about a perfect white wall: our AI removes the background and replaces it with plain white. What matters most is a sharp photo of your face, taken straight on, with nothing covering your eyes or forehead.
Take several photos in a row and upload the best one. If your hair covers part of your face, tie it back. If you wear glasses every day, check for reflections on the lenses; the easiest fix is to take them off for the photo. Keep your chin level: tilting the head up or down changes the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the photo and can push the head out of the required size.
Minors can be included in a parent's Canada citizenship application. If you need a citizenship photo for a child, the steps are simple. For a baby, lay the child on a white sheet and take the photo from above, or hold the child on your lap with your hands out of the frame. The AI crops the photo to 50 × 70 mm and sets the white background, so you only need a sharp photo with the eyes open and the face turned to the camera. Make a photo for every child the same way you make your own.
Young children rarely hold still, so take many shots in a short burst and pick the one where the eyes are open and the head is straight. Good light matters even more with kids, because a fast shutter in bright daylight keeps a moving face sharp. A toy held just above the phone helps the child look at the lens. A neutral face is the goal, but for a very young baby the eyes being open and the face clearly visible is what counts most; no hands, pacifiers or toys should appear in the final picture.
After you upload a photo, the tool finds your face, measures it and builds the final picture in the required frame. It then runs a list of checks on the result: whether the head height and eye line fall in the right place, whether the background is plain and evenly white, whether the face is sharp and evenly lit, whether the eyes are open and visible, and whether the head is straight. If a check fails, you see which one and why, so you can retake the photo instead of guessing. Most problems come from light and pose, and both are easy to fix with a second shot.
If you need a printed photo, download the print-ready file. It is prepared at 600 DPI, so a lab or a home photo printer reproduces the face with fine detail. Print it on glossy or matte photo paper at 100% scale, without "fit to page" or any other scaling option, otherwise the printed photo will come out larger or smaller than 50 × 70 mm. After printing, measure the photo with a ruler: the width should be 50 mm and the height 70 mm. Cut along the edges with sharp scissors or a paper trimmer, and keep the photo flat, clean and free of fingerprints, stains or folds.
A local photo shop can also print the file for you. Bring the file on your phone, ask for a print at 100% scale, and check the measurements before you leave. Printing at home on plain office paper is a poor choice: the colours are flat and the photo can look grainy, so use real photo paper whenever you can.
For an online application, upload the digital file you download from us. The photo keeps the same frame, head position and white background as the print, and it stays under 4 MB. Do not crop, rotate, compress or edit the file afterwards: any change can move the head out of position or add blur. If a form asks for a photo you already uploaded once, use the same file again so all your pictures match.
Wear everyday clothes in a colour that stands out from a white background; a dark or mid-tone top works better than white, which can blend into the background around the shoulders. Keep hair away from your eyes and the outline of your face. Remove hats, headphones and large accessories. If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, make sure your full face, from the chin to the top of the forehead, stays clearly visible. Avoid heavy makeup that changes how you look, because the photo should show your natural appearance.
Good light makes the biggest difference to how a photo looks. The best source is daylight from a large window: stand facing it, about one metre away, so the light reaches both sides of your face equally. Avoid direct sun, which creates hard shadows under the nose and chin and makes people squint; a cloudy day or a north-facing window gives the softest result. If the light comes from one side only, one cheek will be darker than the other, and the check may report uneven lighting. A white sheet of paper or a pillowcase held just below your face, out of the frame, bounces light back and fills in shadows under the chin.
In the evening, turn on several lamps in front of you rather than one ceiling light above your head, because overhead light leaves dark circles under the eyes. Switch off the phone flash: it flattens the face, causes red eyes and puts a bright spot on the forehead and on glasses. Also check that no strong light shines from behind you, as a bright window at your back turns your face into a dark silhouette.
Sit or stand up straight with your shoulders level and your face turned directly to the camera. Look straight into the lens, not at the screen, so your eyes look at the viewer in the final photo. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed: no smile, no raised eyebrows, no squinting. Relax your face and breathe out just before the shot; this helps your expression look natural instead of tense. Keep the camera at the height of your eyes, because a camera held low or high distorts the proportions of the face and changes where the eyes fall in the frame.
The photo should look like you do today, because it is meant to identify you throughout the application. Take a new photo for each application rather than reusing an old print, and keep the original file in case you need another copy later. If you also apply for a Canadian passport after the ceremony, check the passport photo rules on their own page before you reuse a picture; the AI tool prepares each format from the same kind of selfie in a minute.
You don't need a studio or a white wall. The AI separates you from whatever is behind you and replaces it with an even white background, so a bookshelf, a door or a coloured wall all work. What helps the result is some distance: stand at least half a metre in front of the wall so your shadow does not fall right behind your head, and make sure no other person, pet or object overlaps your head or shoulders. Plain clothes help too, since busy patterns near the edge of the hair can make the outline harder to separate cleanly.
Frame the shot with some space around you. Your whole head, the top of your hair and your shoulders should be inside the picture, with a little room above the head. A photo cropped too tightly at the top or the chin cannot be rebuilt into the correct frame, because the tool would have to invent the missing part of your head. When in doubt, step back a little: a slightly wider shot is always easier to crop than one that is too tight.
Before you send your application, look at the photo one more time. Your face should be sharp, both eyes open and clearly visible, the expression neutral and the background evenly white with no grey corners. The colours should look natural, without a yellow or blue cast. If you printed the photo, confirm the measurements with a ruler and check that the print has no scratches, smudges or bent corners. A careful look takes a minute and can save weeks of delay if a photo has to be replaced later.
Retake the photo if the check reports shadows on your face, a tilted head, closed eyes or a blurry picture. Retaking costs nothing: open the camera, adjust your position and upload again. If the problem is uneven light that you cannot fix at home, the optional retouch corrects lighting and shadows for you. A recent photo is always better than an old one, so take a new picture rather than reusing one from years ago.
The photo is only one part of the application. Before you start, put together a copy of your permanent resident card or immigration documents, proof of language skills if you are between 18 and 54, your passports and travel documents for the last 5 years, and any records of trips outside the country. Having every paper ready at the same time as the photos makes it easier to fill in the form correctly and submit it in one go, without gaps that slow down processing.
According to the Government of Canada eligibility page, adult applicants must be at least 18, be permanent residents of Canada without conditions on their status, and have lived in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) in the last 5 years. Applicants aged 18 to 54 show adequate knowledge of English or French, and applicants pass a citizenship test about Canadian history, values, institutions and symbols. A criminal conviction can prevent you from becoming a citizen of Canada. You can check your eligibility online with the official tool before you prepare documents or photos.
The application fee is CAD 630 for adults (18 and older) and CAD 100 for minors under 18, paid online. The photo from our maker is a free digital download, and you only pay if you choose the optional retouch.
Processing typically takes several months; check current processing times on the Government of Canada website. If your application moves forward, you are invited to take the citizenship test about Canada and to attend an interview that confirms your application details. After the decision, approved applicants are invited to a citizenship ceremony, where they take the Oath of Citizenship and officially become Canadian citizens.
Canada allows dual citizenship, so you can keep the citizenship of another country. As a Canadian citizen you can vote, run for political office and receive protection from the Canadian government; you also have responsibilities, such as obeying Canadian law and serving on a jury when called. Once you have Canadian citizenship, you can apply for a Canadian passport, which has its own photo requirements; see our Canada passport photo page. More details are on the official Government of Canada citizenship page.
Each Canadian document has its own photo rules. Before you became a permanent resident you may have needed a temporary resident visa photo or a Canada visa photo. Don't reuse those photos for Canadian citizenship: make a new photo in the 50 × 70 mm citizenship format so the head size and frame match the citizenship rules.
Hold the phone at arm's length, camera at eye level. We crop the photo to the 50 × 70 mm citizenship size and straighten it.
Look into the lens with a neutral face and your mouth closed. Take off hats and anything that hides your face.
Face a window for even daylight and avoid flash. The AI replaces the background with plain white for your Canadian citizenship photo.
Make your Canada citizenship photo now
Digital photo online, checked in seconds.
Our AI check catches these photo mistakes before you download your Canada citizenship photo.
Approved
Don't smile
Mouth open
Approved
No fashion headwear
Head tilted
Shadow behind head
Large earrings
Approved
Use your phone camera or a photo you already have.
The tool crops to 50 × 70 mm, sets a white background and checks every Canadian citizenship photo requirement.
Download the digital photo for an online application, or print it at 600 DPI.
Get a Canadian citizenship photo that passes the check
Crop, centre and white background in one step, online.
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$5.99
The Canada citizenship photo size is 50 × 70 mm (5 × 7 cm). The head should measure about 35 mm from chin to crown, with the eyes about 39 mm above the bottom edge.
Plain white, without shadows. Our photo maker sets a white background automatically, so any wall at home works.
Yes. The digital Canadian citizenship photo stays under 4 MB for an online upload, and you can also print the same photo at 600 DPI.
It is better to take a recent photo. The Canada citizenship photo has to match the 50 × 70 mm size and head position above, so make a new photo for this application.
Yes. Minors can be included in a parent's application, and our maker works for children and babies as well: it crops the photo and sets the white background.
Yes. Use daylight from a window, keep a neutral face and upload the photo; the AI handles size and background.
The application fee is CAD 630 for adults and CAD 100 for minors, paid online.
Yes. The digital photo and the check are free; only the optional retouch costs $5.99.
