http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5445E.PDF
Photo Specifications
Photographs required for the Permanent Resident Card are not the same as passport photographs.
Tinted prescription glasses may be worn as long as the eyes are clearly visible. Sunglasses are not
acceptable.
False hairpieces or other cosmetic devices are acceptable if they do not disguise the natural appearance
of the bearer and are worn habitually.
Photos in which the applicant is wearing a hat or head covering or anything that interferes with the
photo’s value in providing commercial carriers a means of identifying the card holder, are not
acceptable for the PR Card. While allowances may be made for practitioners of religious faiths that
prohibit the removal of a head covering, any photos in which the full facial features of the subject are
not visible are not acceptable.
Photos cannot be older than one year to ensure an up-to-date likeness. Photos may be either black and
white or colour.
Notes to the photographer
The photographs must:
• show a full front view of the person’s head and shoulders showing full face centred in the middle of the
photograph;
• be clear, well-defined and taken against a plain white background without shadows;
• be produced from the same unretouched film or from the same file capturing the digital image or from two
identical photos exposed simultaneously by a split-image or multi-lens camera;
• be original photos (not taken from any existing photo);
• measure between 25 mm and 35 mm (1” and 1 3/8”) from chin to crown;
• have a 35 mm x 45 mm (1 3/8” x 1 3/4”) finished size;
• be on photographic paper that has a backing which accepts and retains the date and the guarantor’s
signature without smearing. Photos without this backing are not acceptable;
• be on prints that are well-fixed and washed to prevent fading and discolouration;
• bear the date the photo was taken (not the date the photo was printed) directly on the back of one print
(stick-on labels are not acceptable); and
• allow sufficient space on the back for the signature of a guarantor.
TAKE THIS SHEET WITH YOU TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER
45
mm
(1
3/4”)
35 mm (1 3/8”)
Max.
35
mm
(1
3/8”)
Min.
25
mm
(1”)
Date photo was taken
Guarantor’s signature