Home › Guides

UK and Canada Passport Photo Size: 35 × 45 mm vs 50 × 70 mm

Updated 17 October 2026 · Free, private, works in your browser

The UK and Canada both use rectangular passport photos, but the sizes are very different. A photo that is perfect for a British passport will be rejected in Canada and the other way round. Here is what each country asks for and how to get it right with a photo taken at home.

Always confirm the latest rules on gov.uk or canada.ca before submitting, as requirements can change.

United Kingdom: 35 × 45 mm

• Print size: 35 mm wide × 45 mm high, the same as the common "passport size" used across Europe, India and much of the world.
• Head size: 29–34 mm from chin to crown.
• Background: plain cream or light grey. Pure white is acceptable but can wash out pale skin and light hair, so a light grey wall often works better.
• Digital photos: if you apply online, HM Passport Office prefers a digital image. It must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels high, in colour, with your full head and the top of your shoulders visible.

For online applications you can take the photo yourself; the online service checks it automatically and tells you if something looks wrong. For paper forms you need two identical printed photos, and one must be signed on the back by a countersignatory if you are applying for the first time.

Canada: 50 × 70 mm

• Print size: 50 mm wide × 70 mm high, much larger than most countries.
• Head size: 31–36 mm from chin to crown.
• Background: plain white or light-coloured.
• Back of the photo: must show the name and address of the photo studio and the date it was taken, and one photo must be signed by your guarantor.

Because of the studio stamp rule, Canadian passport photos for paper applications generally have to come from a commercial photographer. Home photos are still useful for practice, for online renewals where accepted, and for the many other Canadian forms (such as some permits and ID cards) that take digital photos. Always check the specific form.

Why the same photo does not fit both

The two formats have different shapes as well as sizes. 35 × 45 has a ratio of about 7:9, while 50 × 70 is 5:7, which is taller and narrower. Simply scaling one into the other either stretches the face or leaves the head too small. Start from the original, uncropped photo each time and crop to the correct ratio.

Taking a good photo at home

1. Stand half a metre to a metre in front of a plain light wall. Avoid textured paint and doors.
2. Face a window or use two soft lights at 45° so there are no shadows on your face or behind you.
3. Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression and your mouth closed.
4. Remove glasses if possible. The UK does not allow glasses with glare or thick frames, and removing them avoids problems.
5. Ask someone to shoot from your eye level with the rear camera, leaving space around your head.

Cropping to the exact size

The Crop Desk Photo Crop tool has passport presets including 35 × 45 mm, so you can drag the frame over your face and export at the right ratio and resolution. For Canada's 50 × 70 mm, use the custom ratio option or the Image Resizer, which lets you set the size in millimetres at 300 DPI (591 × 827 pixels). Crop Desk processes everything in your browser and never uploads your photo.

Printing

To print at home or at a kiosk, place your cropped photos on a 4 × 6 inch (10 × 15 cm) sheet and print at 100% scale. Measure with a ruler afterwards: a few millimetres off can be enough for a rejection.

Common reasons for rejection

• Shadows on the face or behind the head.
• Head too small or too large within the frame.
• Hair covering the eyes or the edges of the face.
• Red-eye, blur or visible editing.
• The wrong size for the country, often a 35 × 45 photo submitted for Canada.

Comparing other countries? See passport photo sizes by country and our US 2 × 2 inch guide.

Frequently asked questions