Citizenship grant online: photo specifications

Becoming a Canadian citizen: Photo specifications for online applications

You must provide 1 colour digital photo (preferred) or 1 digital black-and-white photo.

If the photographer can’t give you a digital file for some reason, you can also either scan or take a picture of a printed photo from them.

However, it’s safer to use a digital photo straight from the photographer.

Go to a commercial photographer or studio to have your photo taken.

Make sure your photo

Your photo must meet these size specifications:

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)

Your photo must

What is an altered photo?

An altered photo is any photo that was edited or changed in any way, by any means. This includes

technical corrections or enhancements, such as
- adjustments to colour, brightness, contrast or sharpness
cropping around the subject’s head and shoulders, including
- cutting and pasting the subject against a white background
editing of the facial features, such as
- changing size or shape of eyes, nose, mouth or ears
editing to improve the appearance of the subject, such as
- removing glare
- removing red-eye
- changing hair colour
- eliminating wrinkles, blemishes or birthmarks
editing the subject’s clothing, including changing colours
changing the background, including eliminating shadows

Additional requirements for digital photos

Digital photos must also meet the following requirements:

JPG or JPEG file format with minimal compression
- It must be saved directly from the camera without any changes to the original file
at least 420 by 540 pixels
approximately 240 kB in file size, but no more than 4 MB

You must have a neutral facial expression. This means your

Your photo must show

your current appearance
- This means it must be taken no more than 6 months before you submit your application.
your face and shoulders straight-on to the camera, centred and squared
a plain white or light-coloured background

glasses if
- your eyes are clearly visible
  - The frames must not cover your eyes
- there is no glare on the lenses
hair either 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 create shadows on your face
a wheelchair if
- you place a white blanket behind your head to clearly show both
  - your facial features
  - the edges of your face

sunglasses or tinted eye glasses
- This includes even if they are prescription lenses and your 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
- Lighting must be uniform to avoid shadows
  - around your ears
  - in the background
  - across your face or shoulders