Name the issuing country, not just your location
A photographer’s standard passport service will often be arranged around local documents. If you need a different country’s passport, say so when booking and send its official specification. Ask whether the provider can produce that exact format.
Carry the requirements on your phone or as a printout. Include the head-size diagram and any instructions for the back of a photo. A verbal request for a passport picture can leave important details unstated.
Check whether a commercial photographer is required
Some authorities regulate who takes the photo as well as its appearance. Canadian passport guidance requires a commercial photographer. A home-taken image printed at a shop does not necessarily satisfy that capture requirement.
For Canadian printed passport photos, the required format is 50 × 70 mm and the official instructions include photographer information and a date on the back of one photo. Show the complete specification rather than asking a provider to adapt its usual smaller format from memory.
Measure and inspect before you leave
Check the outside dimensions and head measurement with the provider. Look at the actual prints for clipping, shadows, marks and color problems. Confirm that the requested number of identical copies has been supplied.
Read any required stamp or handwritten details while you are still there. Correcting an omitted address or capture date is much easier in person than after posting an application. Follow the rules about guarantor statements separately from the photographer’s information.
Keep the submission route in view
A paper application and an online process may ask for different deliverables from the same photographer. Tell the provider which route you are using and whether you need prints, a digital file or both. Do not assume a scanned print is an acceptable digital original.
If a local provider cannot meet the requirements, consult your embassy or consulate’s official guidance for help finding the right service. Retain the receipt and original files supplied to you, but treat the issuing authority’s instructions as the final reference.
Sources and further reading
Government of Canada · Passport photo requirements ↗Government of Canada · Printed photo specifications ↗Requirements can change. Check the official instructions for your application before submitting.
Merodim is an independent photo-preparation service, not a government agency. Find your document →
