Canada Visa Photo Online

The main requirement for traveling to Canada is obtaining a visa. One crucial element that must not be overlooked is your visa photo. Canadian officials have specific requirements for visa photos, and meeting these standards is essential to avoid delays in your application.

From the technical specifications to essential composition guidelines, we'll provide you with insights and tips to capture the perfect visa photograph that meets the government's expectations.

Table of contents

Documents for Canadian visa application
How to apply for a Canadian visa online?
Canadian visa photo requirements
Can I wear glasses in the Canadian visa photo?
Canadian visa photo: matte or glossy
Canadian Visa Photo Tool
What types of Canadian visas require photos?
Links

Documents for a Canada Visa Application

The Visitor Visa, also known as the Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), is the most common type of Canadian visa, suitable for tourism and business trips. To apply for one, you must submit a comprehensive set of documents to the consulate:

A valid passport that will remain valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay in Canada.
Two identical photographs that meet the photo specifications of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A completed visa application form, typically available online on the official IRCC website. You may fill it out online or download and complete it on your computer. The form must be filled out in either English or French.
The Supplementary Family Information Form (IMM 5645) completed and signed in English or French.
The “Schedule 1 – Application for a Temporary Resident Visa” form (IMM 5257B), if applicable, completed and signed in English or French.
A travel itinerary, including flight reservations, hotel bookings, and a schedule of planned activities or tours.
Proof of sufficient funds for your stay in Canada. This can include recent bank statements, proof of income or employment, a letter of financial support (if sponsored), or other financial documents.
An original employment verification letter confirming your position, salary, and length of employment (if applicable).
For pensioners: a copy of the pension certificate, a letter of sponsorship from a relative (if applicable), and a copy of the sponsor’s passport and proof of income.
For students and schoolchildren: a copy of the birth certificate, a current enrollment letter from the educational institution, a copy of the student ID, a sponsorship letter from a parent or guardian, and documents proving the sponsor’s financial capacity.
For minors traveling with only one parent or a third party: a notarized letter of consent from the non-accompanying parent or legal guardian is required.

Depending on your individual situation, you may also need to provide additional documents, such as a letter of no objection from your employer or proof of enrollment in your academic institution.

How to Apply for a Canada Visa Online

Submitting your application online through the official website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is the most convenient way to apply for a Canadian visa. The online system helps prevent mistakes—if any required information is missing, you won’t be able to proceed to the next step. Incorrectly filled fields are highlighted in red, making it easy to identify and correct errors.

Follow six steps to get your Canadian visa online:

Fill out forms and prepare documents

Download all the required forms for the visa you are applying for and save them to your computer.

Forms must be completed electronically, then saved, printed, signed, and scanned. All documents that you plan to attach to your application must be scanned clearly and legibly.

You do not need to submit your visa application at this stage. It must be submitted only as a complete package of documents. Incomplete applications will be returned without being processed.

Pay the visa application fee

The fee must be paid online using a bank card. After payment, you must print the confirmation, scan it, and include it with your other documents.

Submit documents online

When applying online, all required documents — except for your passport — must be submitted in scanned format along with the completed application form and proof of fee payment.

Wait for a letter from the consulate confirming receipt of your application

This typically takes around three weeks. If your application is accepted, the letter will include instructions for submitting your passport for visa stamping.

Send your passport to the consulate

You must send your passport by courier after receiving the instruction letter from the consulate indicating that your application has been approved.

Receive your passport with the visa

Your passport with the visa will be returned to you by the same courier service.

Canada visa photo requirements

Photographs must comply with the Canada visa application picture requirements as follows:

The required Canadian visa photo size in printed form is 35 x 45 mm (3.5x4.5 cm, 1 3/8″ x 1 3/4″ or 1.375x1.75 inch);
The size of the face vertically from the crown to the chin must be from 32 to 36 mm;
If you apply online through IRCC, the digital Canada visa photo must be between 715 × 1,000 pixels and 2,000 × 2,800 pixels, with a maximum file size of 4 MB. The photo must be in JPEG or PNG format.
The shoulders should be visible;
The head should not be tilted;
Both photos must be identical and taken within six months before submission of documents;
The photo can be either black and white or in color;
Blurry photos are not accepted;
The background should be white or plain light;
The face should be in the center of the frame. The facial expression should be calm and relaxed, with a mouth closed.
A person can be photographed wearing a hat or covering their head for religious reasons. In this case, facial features should be visible.

Here is a Canadian visa photo example:

Can I wear glasses in the Canada visa photo?

Photos in sunglasses are not allowed. If the applicant wears eyeglasses, he can take a picture in them. The main condition is that the eyes are visible. The frame should not be too thick.

Canada visa photo: matte or glossy?

The photo should be printed on high-quality photographic paper. The Canada visa picture requirements do not specify the exact type of paper.

Canada Visa Photo Tool: get your visa photo online!

What is the best way to take a photo for a visa application? As Canadian visa photo size requirements are strict, it is better to outsource this task to special online tools like Visafoto. This revolutionary solution not only saves you time and effort but also ensures that your visa application complies with the strict guidelines set by the Canadian government.

Take an image with a smartphone or camera against any background, upload it here and instantly get a professional photo for your visa, passport or ID. No registration required. You will see results in seconds.

Upload photo & Continue

Source

Result

Use our visa photo editing tool to get the quickest results. Just upload a full-face picture taken under conventional light. Visafoto will immediately resize and format it as needed, substitute the background with plain white and increase the image quality in general. The resulting image will meet 100% photo requirements for the Canadian visa application.

Take a photo of yours under daylight like this one: