Canada · firearms licensing

PAL Photo Requirements

By Hunters Guide. Checked against RCMP Canadian Firearms Program pages on September 21, 2026.

The RCMP wants a PAL photo under 12 months old, neutral in expression, on a plain white or light-coloured background. On paper that means 45 mm by 57 mm. Online it means a JPG between 200 KB and 6 MB.

1. Take the photo. Plain background, neutral expression, face and shoulders squared to the camera.
2. Match the format to your route. Printed at 45 mm by 57 mm, or a JPG of 200 KB to 6 MB.
3. Get the guarantor's signature. This applies to paper first-time applications only, not to a renewal.
4. Submit it. Uploaded inside the portal, or mailed to Miramichi with the form.

The PAL photo specifications

The specifications are a short list of size, quality, expression and age rules, and the RCMP splits them by application method. Here they are side by side. "Not published" means the RCMP page does not state it, and this table won't guess.

One wording difference is worth knowing. The photo page says the paper photo "Must be 45 mm wide by 57 mm high". The 5592 sheet says "Photo size must not be larger than 45 mm x 57 mm (1 3/4" x 2 1/4")", and its label instructions add "Cut the photo to fit the size requirements." Same numbers, two phrasings. Both are quoted here so you're not surprised by either.

What the RCMP says about glasses, hats and hair

Glasses, head coverings and hair are handled on the photo page as two lists, "We accept photos with" and "We don't accept photos with", plus a short tips section. The conditions attached to each item are the part that matters. Verbatim, checked September 21, 2026:

• Glasses. Accepted, with "Your eyes must be clearly visible. There must be no glare on the lenses."
• Sunglasses or tinted glasses. Not accepted: "This includes prescription lenses, even when your eyes are clearly visible."
• Hair. "hair down or up" is accepted, provided "Your hair must be off your face, so that the edges of your face are visible."
• Hats and head coverings. Accepted only when "worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons", and then "Your full face must be clearly visible. The head covering must not create shadows on your face." Coverings "not worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons" sit on the not-accepted list.
• Medical headwear or a nasal cannula."Your headwear or a nasal cannula may appear in a photo if worn for medical reasons. Your eyes must remain clearly visible."

Why does the RCMP reject a PAL photo?

A rejected PAL photo is one that fails any item on the RCMP's requirements list. The consequence the page states is a resubmission and a delay, not a refused licence. The page's "We don't accept photos with" list, verbatim:

• "sunglasses or tinted eye glasses: This includes prescription lenses, even when your eyes are clearly visible."
• "red-eye effect or red-eye alterations"
• "hats and head coverings not worn daily for religious beliefs or medical reasons"
• "shadows: lighting must be uniform to avoid shadows: around your ears, in the background, across your face or shoulders"

The page's example gallery labels the unacceptable photos, and those captions are a second rejection list in practice: "Textured dark background", "Object in background", "Dark lighting", "Shadow on face", "Shadow behind head", "Too bright", "Full body", "Cropped too close", "Not centered", "Glasses covering eyes", "Sunglasses", "Hair covering eyes", "Ball cap and glare", "Mask on ear", "Sunglasses on head", "More than one person in shot".

The 5592 sheet adds two the web page doesn't spell out: "Photo must not be a photo of another photograph or a piece of government ID." and "Photo must not be altered in any way."

The photo guarantor, and whether a signature is required

The photo guarantor is the person the RCMP names to vouch that the photo is of you. The 5592 information sheet defines the role in one paragraph: "A photo guarantor is a person who confirms that the photograph you supply accurately identifies you. Your photo guarantor must have known you for at least one (1) year and must be at least 18 years old. Your spouse or your common-law or other conjugal partner or one of your references can be your guarantor." Checked September 21, 2026.

What the guarantor does depends on the route.

Paper. The photo page's "Names and signatures needed on back of the photo" section, which appears only in the paper branch, says the applicant "must" clearly write the "name of the applicant", and the guarantor "must" "clearly write his full name" and "sign the back of the photo". The 5592 sheet describes it as a sticker: "Print your name and your guarantor's name on the sticker. Have your guarantor sign it".

Online. There's no back-of-photo section in the online branch. Instead the apply page lists, for an adult applicant, valid email addresses for "2 references", "photo guarantor" and any current or former conjugal partner. The RCMP reaches the guarantor by email.

Renewal. The photo page is blunt: "If you are submitting your photo with a licence renewal application, a photo guarantor signature is not required." Nothing on the page mentions a photographer's stamp, a studio endorsement, or a commissioner of oaths. Not published, so not required as far as the RCMP has said. The rest of the renewal is in how to renew your PAL.

How the photo is submitted with an online application

An online PAL photo is a digital file uploaded inside the RCMP's application portal. The apply page lists it as one of the things an eligible applicant has ready: "have a digital licence photo". The photo page's online branch adds one note the paper branch doesn't carry: "We recommend using a digital passport-type photo (if you have had passport photos taken, please submit the digital file)."

So the online spec is the file spec. JPG or JPEG, 200 KB to 6 MB, portrait. The millimetre size and the 30 mm head height are printed under the paper branch only. Whether the RCMP applies them to the uploaded file is not published.

The RCMP page that sets the PAL photo rules

The RCMP's "Photo requirements for a firearms licence" page is the single source for the licence photo. It splits into an online branch and a paper branch, and some bullets appear under only one of them. The page opens with a warning: "We'll reject your photo if it doesn't meet our requirements. If rejected, a new submission will be required, causing a delay in the processing of the application." Page last modified September 4, 2025, checked September 21, 2026.

Two other RCMP documents fill in around it: the apply page (modified January 15, 2026) and the RCMP 5592 information sheet (version stamp "RCMP GRC 5592e (2026-01)"), which carries the paper form's own photo instructions. Both checked September 21, 2026.

No passport-studio folklore here. The application itself lives at how to get a PAL in Canada. This page is the photo, and only the photo.

Questions about PAL photos

What size does a PAL photo have to be?

For a paper application the RCMP’s photo page says the photo “Must be 45 mm wide by 57 mm high (1 3/4 inches wide by 2 1/4 inches high)” with the head “at least 30 mm (1 3/16 inches) high”. For an online application the page gives a file rule instead: JPG or JPEG, not smaller than 200 KB or larger than 6 MB, in portrait orientation. Checked September 21, 2026.

Can you wear glasses in a PAL photo?

The RCMP accepts photos with glasses on two conditions it lists verbatim: “Your eyes must be clearly visible” and “There must be no glare on the lenses.” It does not accept “sunglasses or tinted eye glasses”, adding “This includes prescription lenses, even when your eyes are clearly visible.”

How old can a PAL photo be?

Less than 12 months. The RCMP’s photo page states “the photo must be less than 12 months old” and, under appearance, that photos must be “taken no more than 12 months before you submit your application.” The RCMP 5592 information sheet repeats it as “Photo must be less than 12 months old.”

Does a PAL photo need a guarantor signature?

On a paper first-time application, yes: the photo page says the guarantor “must” clearly write his full name and sign the back of the photo. On a renewal, no: the same page states “a photo guarantor signature is not required.” The online branch of the page has no back-of-photo section; the RCMP’s apply page instead asks for a valid email address for your photo guarantor.

Why would the RCMP reject a PAL photo?

The RCMP says it will reject a photo that does not meet its requirements, and that a rejection means “a new submission will be required, causing a delay”. Its list of photos it does not accept covers sunglasses or tinted glasses, red-eye effect or red-eye alterations, hats or head coverings not worn daily for religious or medical reasons, and shadows around the ears, in the background, or across the face or shoulders.