Algerian Passport Photo Requirements in Montreal

An Algerian passport photo is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, about the size of a large postage stamp. The face takes up most of it: 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull, not counting the hair. That is roughly 70 to 80 percent of the photo.

The two prints must be identical, from the same shoot, and recent. The official rules want a photo that looks like you on the day you apply, so a picture from a few years ago, or from before a new beard, is a bad bet.

The print itself has to be clean: sharp, with no creases and no marks. Colour is strongly recommended.

The background of an Algerian passport photo is white. Not off-white, not light grey, not the pale blue some other countries allow: plain white, with no border around the picture and no shadow behind you.

Sit straight and look into the lens. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed, and keep your eyes open and clear of hair. The official standards ask for a bare head, with no hat and nothing decorative in the hair. If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, check with the consulate before your photo.

You do not have to wear your glasses. If you keep them on, the frames must be thin and must not cover your eyes, the lenses cannot be tinted, and there can be no reflection on them. A darker top helps too: against a white background, a white shirt makes your shoulders disappear.

Algerian passport photos for children under 12 come with one extra rule that catches parents out: each photo must show the photographer studio's name, its full address and the date the photo was taken. The photographer can write it by hand or stamp it. A sticker label is not accepted.

There is a reason the details matter so much. A child under 12 does not have to come to the consulate; a parent or legal guardian files the application. Since nobody photographs the child on the day, the photos you hand in have to meet the standards exactly: white background, face the right size, eyes open, looking at the camera.

When you come in, tell us the photos are for a child's Algerian passport, and we stamp the studio name, address and date on the back before you leave.

Size. Algerian: 35 x 45 mm. Canadian: 50 x 70 mm. Cutting a Canadian photo down does not work, because the face would come out the wrong size.

Face height. An Algerian photo wants the face at 32 to 36 mm, measured to the top of the skull without the hair. On the smaller print, that leaves very little room above the head.

Background. An Algerian photo needs plain white. A Canadian one may be white or a light colour.

The back of the photo. A Canadian passport photo always carries the studio's name, address and date on the back. For an Algerian passport, those details are required on the photos of children under 12.

An Algerian passport application in Montreal goes through the Consulate General of Algeria on Saint-Urbain Street. The file includes, among other documents, two identical recent photos at 35 x 45 mm that meet the international ICAO photo standard.

Good news for adults: the photo printed inside your passport is taken at the consulate when you file in person, along with your fingerprints and electronic signature. Teenagers from 12 to 19 come in too, with a legal guardian. Your two prints still have to meet the rules, so do not treat them as a formality.

The passport itself is produced in Algeria, so there is a wait before you can pick it up. Procedures and opening hours at the consulate change from time to time: check its current instructions before you go.

An Algerian passport photo can be turned down after the application is filed. If that happens, you are told by text message or on the application tracking site, and you do not have to start over.

The fix is a new digital photo, uploaded on the official passport portal with your application number. The official rules say that file must come from a professional photographer, on a removable device such as a USB key. That is a good reason to ask for the digital file with your prints, and to keep it until the passport is in your hands.

• A Canadian-format 50 x 70 mm photo, or one trimmed down from a larger print

• A grey, cream or blue background instead of plain white

• A shadow behind the head or across the face

• A smile, an open mouth, or eyes half closed

• A face that is too small or too large for the 32–36 mm range

• A hat, or a decorative object in the hair

• Tinted glasses, thick frames or glare on the lenses

• A child's photo with no studio name, address and date, or with a sticker label instead

A rejected photo means delays, and for a child under 12 there is no photo session at the consulate to save the day.

Algerian passport photos are part of our international passport photo service at 683 Rue Jean-Talon O in Montreal. We shoot on a plain white background, print two identical 35 x 45 mm photos, and measure the face before you leave. For children under 12, we add the studio name, address and date on the back.

No appointment is needed, and photos are usually ready in about 15 minutes.

You can get two identical prints, a digital file or both. Current prices are on our international passport photo service page. If your photo is turned down, we reshoot it free. We have been taking passport photos for over 20 years.