What size is a PR card photo?

Online: one JPEG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less. On paper: two prints, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown.

Can I smile in my PR card photo?

No. IRCC asks for a neutral expression, with your mouth closed, your eyes open and looking directly at the camera.

Can I take my PR card photo myself?

No. IRCC’s photo page says to go to a commercial photographer or studio, and the back has to carry the studio’s name and complete address, which a photo you take yourself does not have.

What should I wear for my PR card photo?

Avoid white clothing, which can blend into the white background, and turtlenecks, bulky jackets or tops that cover your neck. Remove facial jewellery around the mouth and eyes. Glasses are fine if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare.

Where can I get my PR card photo taken?

At any commercial photographer or photo studio. Many pharmacy and retail photo counters also offer PR card photos; the guide "Where to get your PR card photo" lists what to ask for.

How do I resize my photo for a PR card?

Don’t crop it: IRCC counts cropping around the head and shoulders as altering a photo. If the pixels are wrong, ask the studio for a new file. If only the file is over 4 MB, the free photo checker saves a smaller copy at the same pixel size.

How do I upload the back of a digital photo?

Photograph or scan the back the studio stamped, or upload the studio’s receipt or note carrying the same four details. It goes under Photos in the portal, after the front.

Why is the PR Portal not accepting my photo?

Check the file: a JPEG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less, with a file name of only letters, digits, hyphens, underscores and dots. The free photo checker measures the first three in your browser.

Can I use a passport photo studio for my PR card photo?

Yes. The paper size is the same 50 × 70 mm as a Canadian passport photo, so any studio that does passport photos can do this one. Ask for the back to be stamped with the PR card details and for the digital file.

Do I need printed photos if I apply online?

No. Online you upload one digital front image and one image of the back, or a studio receipt carrying the same details. Printed photos are only for paper applications.

What if my photo is older than 12 months?

IRCC asks for a photo taken no more than 12 months before you apply. Get a new one; an old photo is a reason for the application to be returned.

Renewal guide › Step 5

PR card photo requirements

What the portal accepts, what the photo page says, and the one requirement almost everyone misses: the back of the photo.

Verified Sep 18, 2026 against canada.ca and the PR PortalNothing you upload comes to us

Digital photo specifications (online applications)

One digital photo, uploaded in the PR Portal with an image of the back. The portal's upload screen quotes a lower minimum (420 × 540); meeting IRCC's larger one satisfies both.

Rule	IRCC value
File type	JPEG (.jpeg or .jpg). The portal’s upload screen also lists PNG; a JPEG satisfies both.
Size in pixels	715 × 1000 to 2000 × 2800. A studio file of 1000 × 1400 is inside the range.
File size	4 MB or less
Colour	Colour or black and white
Taken	No more than 12 months before you apply
Taken by	A commercial photographer or studio. Not a selfie, not a photo of a printed photo.
Look	Plain, untextured white background; neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open; no glare on glasses

The back: the part most people miss

Most missed

IRCC says

Upload one photo taken within 12 months of the date you apply and include images of the front and the back. The back shows the name and date of birth of the person in the photo, the date the photo was taken, and the name and complete address of the photo studio.²

You do

Ask the studio to stamp or handwrite all four details on the back of a printed copy.
Photograph or scan that back with your phone. That image is your second upload.
If the studio only gives you a digital file, ask for a receipt or a note with the same four details. IRCC accepts that as the back image.

Don't take the photo yourself. A selfie or a phone photo has no studio back to upload, and the portal will not let you submit without one.

At the studio, say this

IRCC says

Your photo can be a professional digital photo or a scanned professional photo. Don't take a picture of a paper photo with your camera or phone.²

You do

Say: "A Canadian permanent resident card photo, with the digital file and the back stamped." Studios in Canada do this daily.
Ask for the file by email, then photograph or scan the stamped back.
Upload both under Photos in the portal: the front first, then the back.

File names that pass the portal

Last-First-Photo-1.jpg Last-First-Photo-Back-1.jpg

You're set. Front file inside the pixel range and under 4 MB, back image with the four details, both uploaded under Photos.

Printed photo size (paper applications)

Two identical printed photos, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, in a small envelope with no staples or paper clips.

The back rule is the same: name, date of birth, studio name and address, date taken.¹

The printed photo at its real proportions: 50 mm by 70 mm, with the head between 31 and 36 mm from chin to crown. Any studio that does Canadian passport photos works to the same paper size.

Common reasons a PR card photo gets returned

Each of these breaks a rule on IRCC’s photo page. The examples page shows them side by side.¹

Not from a studio: a selfie, or a phone photo of a printed photo. IRCC asks for a commercial photographer or studio.
No back: the name, date of birth, date taken, and the studio’s name and complete address are missing.
Too old: taken more than 12 months before you apply.
Wrong file: not a JPEG, outside 715 × 1000 to 2000 × 2800 pixels, or over 4 MB.
Expression: smiling or mouth open, eyes closed, or not looking at the camera.
Light and background: shadows, glare or flash reflections, or a background that is not plain, untextured and white.
Altered: filters, retouching, or cropping around the head and shoulders.

What to wear, glasses, smiling, religious head coverings

What IRCC’s photo page says on each. It says nothing about makeup or colours of clothing other than white.¹

Clothing: avoid white clothing, which can blend into the white background, and turtlenecks, bulky jackets or tops that cover the neck.
Jewellery: remove facial jewellery, particularly around the mouth and eyes.
Glasses: allowed if your eyes are clearly visible behind them with no glare on the lenses. Avoid sunglasses and tinted lenses.
Smiling: no. The expression is neutral, with the mouth closed.
Head coverings: only if worn daily for religious or medical reasons, with your face, including around the ears, and your shoulders clearly visible and no shadows. Avoid white head coverings.
Hair: off your face, so the edges of your face are visible.

Common questions

What size is a PR card photo?: Online: one JPEG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less. On paper: two prints, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, head 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown.
Can I smile in my PR card photo?: No. IRCC asks for a neutral expression, with your mouth closed, your eyes open and looking directly at the camera.
Can I take my PR card photo myself?: No. IRCC’s photo page says to go to a commercial photographer or studio, and the back has to carry the studio’s name and complete address, which a photo you take yourself does not have.
What should I wear for my PR card photo?: Avoid white clothing, which can blend into the white background, and turtlenecks, bulky jackets or tops that cover your neck. Remove facial jewellery around the mouth and eyes. Glasses are fine if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare.
Where can I get my PR card photo taken?: At any commercial photographer or photo studio. Many pharmacy and retail photo counters also offer PR card photos; the guide "Where to get your PR card photo" lists what to ask for.
How do I resize my photo for a PR card?: Don’t crop it: IRCC counts cropping around the head and shoulders as altering a photo. If the pixels are wrong, ask the studio for a new file. If only the file is over 4 MB, the free photo checker saves a smaller copy at the same pixel size.
How do I upload the back of a digital photo?: Photograph or scan the back the studio stamped, or upload the studio’s receipt or note carrying the same four details. It goes under Photos in the portal, after the front.
Why is the PR Portal not accepting my photo?: Check the file: a JPEG between 715 × 1000 and 2000 × 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less, with a file name of only letters, digits, hyphens, underscores and dots. The free photo checker measures the first three in your browser.
Can I use a passport photo studio for my PR card photo?: Yes. The paper size is the same 50 × 70 mm as a Canadian passport photo, so any studio that does passport photos can do this one. Ask for the back to be stamped with the PR card details and for the digital file.
Do I need printed photos if I apply online?: No. Online you upload one digital front image and one image of the back, or a studio receipt carrying the same details. Printed photos are only for paper applications.
What if my photo is older than 12 months?: IRCC asks for a photo taken no more than 12 months before you apply. Get a new one; an old photo is a reason for the application to be returned.

1.canada.ca, PR card photo requirements — canada.ca
2.Guide 5445, photos — canada.ca