IRCC photo file checker: test a photo against the digital photo rules
Choose your photo, set two lines on the top of your head and your chin, and see which Canadian photo rules the picture meets. Your photo is never uploaded.
Free · no signup Runs in your browser
What are the IRCC digital photo requirements?
IRCC sets different digital photo limits for each application. A digital passport photo is a JPEG between 1,200 × 1,800 and 3,000 × 4,500 pixels, 3:2 portrait, 200 KB to 5 MB. A PR card photo is 4 MB or less, between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels. A citizenship photo is at least 420 × 540 pixels and no more than 4 MB. This checker reads your photo file and tests it against each of these, so you see which rules it meets.
What this checker does, and does not do
Photo rejections usually come from numbers, not from art: the picture is too small, the wrong shape, over the file-size limit, or the head is too big or too small in the frame. Those are the things a program can check, and the checker tests each one against the published rule for the document you are applying for. It reads the picture only and changes nothing, which matters because some applications require the file to come straight from the camera, unedited.
It cannot judge what a reviewer looks at: whether the face is centred and square to the camera, the expression neutral, the eyes open and visible, shadows absent and the background plain. And a passport photo must be taken by a commercial photographer, with the studio's date and address on a printed photo, so a self-taken photo will not be accepted for a passport whatever its size. Use the checker to confirm a photographer's digital file meets the limits before you upload it. To check measurements you type in instead of a file, use the passport photo size checker; if the file is too big use the IRCC upload compressor.
It runs in your browser. Your photo is never uploaded, and there is no sign-up.
When to use it
- Checking a photographer's digital file before an online passport renewal
- Checking a photo before uploading it for a PR card or citizenship application
- Seeing how big the head is in the frame
- Finding out why an upload was rejected
Mistakes it helps you avoid
- Uploading a file in the wrong shape, such as a landscape photo.
- Cropping or editing a photo that must be saved straight from the camera.
- Letting the head fill too much or too little of the frame.
- Assuming a photo you took yourself is accepted for a passport.
The checks
Each document's published limits, tested against your picture.
file type = JPEG (or JPEG2000 for the work permit photo)pixels = width × height compared with the minimum and maximum for the documentshape = width ÷ height compared with 2 ÷ 3 for the digital passport photo and 5 ÷ 7 (50 × 70 mm) for the othersfile size = within the KB or MB limitshead height = (chin line − top-of-head line) ÷ photo height × 100; passport digital 45% to 50%; for the paper-based rules 31 to 36 mm on a 70 mm photo is 44% to 51%
The limits come from the IRCC pages listed below, read on October 25, 2026 (the dates of the pages are in the source notes). The digital passport photo rule states the head as 45% to 50% of the photo's height. For the PR, citizenship and work permit digital photos the pages give a face size of 31 to 36 mm for the printed photo and no percentage, so the percentage shown is worked out from the printed size and is marked as such. Resolution (dpi) is not stated for these photos, and a page's rules can change, so check the IRCC page for your application.
Example: a 1,600 × 2,400 pixel photo
A photographer sends a 1,600 × 2,400 pixel JPEG of 1.8 MB for an online passport renewal, and the head is about 47% of the height.
- Pixels1,600 × 2,400: within 1,200 × 1,800 to 3,000 × 4,500
- Shape1,600 ÷ 2,400 = 0.667, the 2:3 portrait the rule needs
- File size1.8 MB: between 200 KB and 5 MB
- Head47%: between 45% and 50%
Meets every size, shape, file and head-height rule checked for the digital passport photo
The same photo would be too small and the wrong shape for the printed 5:7 PR card rules.
Terms on this page
- Chin to crown
- The height of the head from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
- Aspect ratio
- The proportion of a picture's width to its height.
Common questions
What size is a Canadian passport photo?
50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the face between 31 and 36 mm from chin to crown. IRCC's page says the background must be plain white or light-coloured.
What are the digital passport photo requirements?
A JPEG, 3:2 in portrait, from 1,200 × 1,800 to 3,000 × 4,500 pixels, between 200 KB and 5 MB, with the chin-to-crown height 45% to 50% of the photo's height. It must be taken in person by a commercial photographer.
Can I take my own passport photo?
No. IRCC requires a passport photo to be taken by a commercial photographer. Use this checker to test the photographer's digital file.
What file size does a PR card photo need?
A digital photo of 4 MB or less, a JPEG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. Your browser reads the picture on your own device and nothing is sent over the network, which matters for a photo of your face.
Where these numbers come from
- IRCC — Canadian passport photos 50 × 70 mm, face 31 to 36 mm, and the digital photo rules (page dated September 23, 2026).
- IRCC — Permanent resident card photos 50 × 70 mm and the digital photo limits (page dated March 26, 2026).
- IRCC — Citizenship application photo specifications (grant, online) The digital photo file rules (page dated August 15, 2024).
- IRCC — International Experience Canada: apply for a work permit The digital photo file rules (page dated May 28, 2026).
- MDN Web Docs — Using files from web applications How a page reads a file you choose without uploading it.
Last verified 2026-10-25 The method on this page is checked against the sources above at least once a year. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
Related tools
Passport photo checker
Check a photo's size, face size, file size and date against IRCC's passport photo rules, for print and online renewal.
Open calculatorIRCC upload compressor
Shrink a photo or scan of a document to under the IRCC online account's file size limit (4 MB or 5 MB). Nothing is uploaded.
Open toolImage resizer
Change a picture's size in pixels by width, height, percentage or exact size. Many files at once, nothing uploaded.
Open toolCrop image
Crop a picture by dragging a box, with free or fixed shapes such as square, 4:3 and 16:9, and save the cropped part.
Open toolCombine PDF for IRCC
Join PDFs and photos of documents into one PDF in the order you choose and keep it under the IRCC upload limit, in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
Open toolAlberta PNP points
Your AAIP Worker EOI score out of 100, from the official points grid.
Open calculator🛂 Benefit and immigration calculators
Government publishes the rules and the rates. It rarely publishes a calculator. These fill that gap.
See all 24 tools in this section