What to know
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has strict passport photo requirements, including specific sizing rules and differences from visa photos, meaning applicants must carefully follow guidelines before submitting.
- Zed Wang of Pro Passport Photo says passport renewals and photo requests typically spike in summer and during harsh winters, with this year’s cold season driving more Canadians to plan trips south.
- Applicants must have their photo taken by a commercial photographer, with the studio’s name, address and stamp on the back.
- Wang advises wearing dark clothing and avoiding shiny or SPF-based makeup, sunscreen, or post-workout sweat to prevent flashback and glare in photos.
With passport renewals and applications comes preparing for new photos and their specifications.
The government of Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has an extensive list of requirements when it comes to submitting a photo for the document.
Ahead of summer vacations and getaways, Zed Wang, marketing manager at Pro Passport Photo, says a spike in passport photos and passport renewals tend to be seen from June to August, as well as January and February if Toronto is seeing a harsher than normal winter that year.
“If the winter is pretty mild, the number could be different,” Wang told Now Toronto. “And considering the Canada and the US relationship at this moment, there’s significant numbers down for people who travel to the US as well.”
Wang says this year’s winter has been quite harsh, significantly increasing the number of people in need of a passport photo.
“This winter is a crazy winter,” he said. “More people are looking forward to going to the south.”
Here are some tips from Wang for anyone looking to get their picture taken.
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Commercial photographer
Anyone who has the chance of submitting a photo online or by mail is required to get their photo taken by a commercial photographer who specializes in passport photography. Wang says they are not able to take the photo themselves.
“They need to have a photographer’s name, or the photo studio name, business address and a stamp to be on the backside of the photo,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of camera they’re taking the photo on, they just cannot do it at home ”
Passport photos also have specific requirements versus a photo for another document, such as a visa. Though most of the specifics are similar, the sizing of either document varies. A visa photo can’t be used for a passport and vice versa.
The number of online applications is limited, and knowing if you need a digital copy of your passport photo ahead of time is key. Wang suggests beginning the online application process early in order to be prepared.
He says applicants are not able to scan their physical passport photo after the fact to use for an online application. “A scanned copy is usually not up to standard,” Wang said. “So, it doesn’t matter how good your scanner is, it just wouldn’t be the same as a digital photo.”
What to wear
Wang said that due to the white background necessary for a passport photo, it’s important to wear dark colours when showing up to take your picture to avoid looking like a floating head.
“That’s the one thing people forget the most,” he explained. “They cannot really show up with a white collar shirt, and it’s never going to work, because the whole thing is going to be blending to the background.”
Wang reassured that at his studio, the photographer tends to have a dark or black coloured scarf on hand in case this accident occurs.
“You don’t really need the whole top to be changed [for the photo], only the shoulders, so, the scarf will be able to cover their shoulders, [and] for guys, we usually have jackets”
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Makeup
Wang says anyone looking to wear makeup for their photo is able to come with any look they want, as long as it’s mattifying.
“Anything that will give you a shine under a strong light will be something that you want to avoid for a passport photo session,” Wang explained.
He added that sunscreen and makeup products with sunscreen mixed into the formula tend to cause this flashback effect.
“[In] recent years, we found out a lot of makeup will kind of contain some sunscreen in there already. Customers may not even pay attention to it,” Wang said. “The makeup looks extremely normal under normal circumstances, right? But it does not when the strobe light comes on, the flash [goes] off. So, that’s something they have to really pay attention to before they come, otherwise they’re facing a choice between completely removing their makeup or going home to come back another day.”
Wang also added that people should avoid going to the gym or working out ahead of the photo session, to avoid looking sweaty or shiny in their photo.
Research
Finally, Wang recommends everyone looking to take a passport photo, read the photographer’s guidelines carefully before getting to the studio, as well as beginning their passport renewal application, so they know what to expect.
“Our biggest challenge at this given moment is ‘do you know whether you need a digital photo or a physical photo?,’” he said. “[It’s] understandable that most people don’t want to get both on the spot, because it costs extra money, right? So, the customer doesn’t have to pay for something that they don’t actually need.”
