Only a digital photo file from a commercial photographer or studio is accepted. When you upload it, you enter the studio's name, address and the date the photo was taken. Upload the studio's file exactly as it is, with no editing, resizing or re-saving. Source: canada.ca, checked 28 Sep 2026.
For the Canada Passport Renewal photo, only a digital file from a commercial photographer or studio is accepted.
| Who makes the photo | Only a digital file from a commercial photographer or studio is accepted. |
|---|---|
| Size (official rule) | Portrait, at least 1200 × 1800 and at most 3000 × 4500 pixels |
| File size | 200 KB to 5 MB |
| Background | Plain white or light-coloured |
| Head size | 45% to 50% of the photo height, chin to top of head |
| Source | canada.ca |
| Checked | 28 Sep 2026 |
On 28 July 2026 IRCC lifted the cap on online passport renewal, opening it to every eligible adult in Canada. You sign in to the IRCC Portal and send the form, photo and payment digitally. It works only if you were 16 or older when you applied for your current blue passport, which was valid for 5 or 10 years, shows your birthplace, was issued within 15 years and expires within 6 months or already has. Home and mailing address must be in Canada. Allow up to 20 business days plus delivery; the old passport is cancelled once you apply.
Instead of prints, you upload a commercial photographer's digital file, shot in person within 6 months of submitting. It must be a .jpeg or .jpg, portrait at 3:2, from 1,200 × 1,800 to 3,000 × 4,500 pixels and 200 KB to 5 MB, with chin to crown at 45 to 50% of the height. It must come straight from the camera's original; trimming or brightening it counts as altering, which gets the application rejected. Black and white is accepted. At upload you enter the studio's name and address and the shoot date.
Sources, checked 25 Oct 2026: Renew a passport online in Canada (canada.ca, IRCC, modified 21 Sep 2026), Passport photo requirements: Online renewals (canada.ca, IRCC, modified 23 Sep 2026), Canada expands online passport renewal to all eligible adults (IRCC news release, 28 Jul 2026) and Pay your passport fee in Canada (canada.ca, IRCC).
No. Only a digital photo file from a commercial photographer or studio is accepted. When you upload it, you enter the studio's name, address and the date the photo was taken. Upload the studio's file exactly as it is, with no editing, resizing or re-saving.
For the Canada Passport Renewal photo, only a digital file from a commercial photographer or studio is accepted. The official size rule: Portrait, at least 1200 × 1800 and at most 3000 × 4500 pixels. File size: between 200 KB and 5 MB.
Background: plain white or light-coloured, head 45% to 50% of the photo height. Taken no more than 6 months before you apply. Neutral face, eyes open, mouth closed. Glasses are fine if your eyes are clearly visible with no glare, but no sunglasses or tinted lenses. No scans of printed photos, no filters or AI tools, and no changes of any kind.
The official rules say: Glasses are fine if your eyes are clearly visible with no glare, but no sunglasses or tinted lenses.
An adult renewing their own regular blue passport, applied for at 16 or older, valid for 5 or 10 years, issued in the last 15 years and expiring within 6 months or already expired. Your home and mailing address must be in Canada, and you must not be travelling in the next 20 business days.
IRCC asks for a .jpeg or .jpg in portrait at a 3:2 ratio, at least 1,800 pixels high by 1,200 wide and no more than 4,500 by 3,000. The file must be 200 KB to 5 MB, with the chin-to-crown height at 45 to 50% of the photo.
No. IRCC counts any change as an alteration, including cropping around the head and shoulders, adjusting colour, brightness or sharpness, removing glare, red eye or shadows, and using editing software, filters or AI tools. It rejects applications with altered photos.
The fees for applications in Canada rose on 31 March 2026 to CAN$163.50 for a 10-year adult passport and CAN$122.50 for a 5-year one. Only online renewals can be paid for online.
On canada.ca. We checked them on 28 Sep 2026.
Source: canada.ca, checked 28 Sep 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on the official page before you apply.