Canadian Citizenship Photo

Who Is Eligible to Become A Canadian Citizen?

Only meeting all the following requirements can you be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship.

• You must be a Canadian permanent resident.
• You have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years.
• You have already filed your taxes if needed. 
• Pass a citizenship test.
• Demonstrate your language skills.

What Kind of Citizenship Application Requires A Photo?

You need to prepare your photo if you want to:

• Become a Canadian citizen. The number of photos varies according to the way you apply. If you want to apply on paper, you should attach 2 identical printed photos. While applying online, 1 digital photo is enough.
• Obtain proof of citizenship (citizenship certificate). Same as the above rules. Applying on paper requires 2 identical printed photos and applying online needs 1 digital photo.
• Give up your citizenship. If you want to renounce citizenship, you need to prepare 1 printed photo.

No matter what kind of application you apply, your photo needs to satisfy all the specifications. If your photo fails to do so, your application will be rejected.

Further Requirements for Your Digital Photos

The digital photos also need to meet all the formatting criteria to be standard ones.

• File format. The file format of your digital photo should be JPG or JPEG with minimal compression.
• Pixels. The pixel requirement is at least 420 by 540 pixels.
• File size. About 240 kB in file size, however, no more than 4 MB.

Common Mistakes We Make When Taking Citizenship Photo

• Alter your photo. You can not edit or change your original picture by any means. For example, changing the shape or size of your eyes, mouth, or nose or removing your wrinkles or birthmarks is not allowed. 
• Apply heavy makeup. As we all know, wearing elaborate makeup can change the way you look to a large extent, which is not appropriate in a citizenship photo. Therefore, wearing natural and light makeup is the best choice.
• The light of your photo is uneven or the appearance of a shadow. It is very likely to make mistakes with shadows since we do not have much professional photographic equipment. Any uneven lighting or shadows are not allowed in your citizenship photos, so try your best to prevent them from appearing.
• Reflections on your transparent glasses. There is no limitation on whether you can wear your glasses or not. But if your transparent glasses cause any reflection or cover your eyes, your photo may be unqualified. To avoid unnecessary trouble, putting off your glasses when taking photos is a smart try. Of course, you can wear your glasses if you needed, just make sure there is no reflection in your photo.
• Smiling. We understand your idea of making yourself look better in your citizenship photos, however, you do not need to smile in your photo. Keeping a neutral expression can better show your facial feature, helping the facial recognition systems identify you in a quicker and more precise way.
• Your face is covered by your hair. When putting your hair down, you should make sure your entire face is visible and will not cover by your bangs or hair.

Steps for Making My Citizenship Photos Online

It is accessible for you to take your Canadian citizenship photo online! Nowadays, a large number of people make their photos in this more convenient way. Follow these steps and you can also get your picture without leaving home.

1. Read the official requirement carefully. Before you start, of course you need to know the detailed information about your citizenship photo. We mentioned above useful instructions for you to consider.
2. Equip yourself with a photographic device. Find a digital camera or a smartphone to take a picture of you. Choose a device that can take a high-quality photo as far as possible.
3. Choose a plain color background. The background color in your Canadian citizenship photo should be white and with no patterns. Taking a picture in front of a white wall is a good choice.
4. Ask someone to take a photo for you. You can not take your picture with your hand so please ask your friends or your families to help you. If you have to do it by yourself, you can use a camera mount to fix your device.
5. Adjust your photo to meet all the requirements. This is the final and most important step which decides whether your photo is up to standard or not. You can use an online photo editor to help you do the job. Upload your photo to our website, wait for a few seconds, and you can get your printable photo!

What Should I Wear When Taking My Citizenship Photo?

Decent and formal clothes are highly recommended when taking your citizenship photo since they will make you looks neat. Your normal clothes are also an apt option. As for the color of your clothes, you can feel free to choose one provided that the color of your clothes do not resemble your background’s color.