ConvertDuck

Canada eTA Photo: You Don't Need One

An eTA application collects no photograph. Canada's own list of what you need is a valid passport from a visa-exempt country, an email address and a card. It costs CAN$7 and most applications are approved within minutes.

You do not need a photo for this

This application does not include a photograph at all, so there is nothing to prepare and nothing to get wrong.

What happens instead

the eTA application asks for a passport from a visa-exempt country, an email address and a card — no photograph appears anywhere in it. A Canadian visitor visa is a different application and that one does take a photo

Requirements verified · Source: canada.ca

If you landed here looking for a size to match, that is the answer — there isn't one.

This application does not take a photo

the eTA application asks for a passport from a visa-exempt country, an email address and a card — no photograph appears anywhere in it. A Canadian visitor visa is a different application and that one does take a photo

Canada eTA Photo: The Application Doesn't Take One

Nothing to prepare. Canada's own list of what you need for an eTA is a passport from a visa-exempt country, an email address and a card. No photograph appears anywhere in it.

What an eTA Application Involves

1. Get your passport and card ready

The form cannot be saved, so have your details to hand before you start.

The eTA links to that specific passport.

2. Fill in the online form

Available in English and French, with field descriptions in other languages.

No photo upload appears at any step.

3. Pay CAN$7 and wait

Most applications are approved within minutes.

Some applicants are asked for documents within 72 hours.

Canada eTA: Photo Requirements

PhotographNot required at any stage
What you needPassport, email address, credit or debit card
FeeCAN$7
DecisionUsually within minutes
Who it coversVisa-exempt travellers flying to Canada

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.What size photo does a Canada eTA need?▼
None. Canada's official page lists what you need to complete the form and pay: a valid passport from a visa-exempt country or territory, a valid email address, and a credit or debit card. A photograph is not among them, and no upload step appears in the form.
Q.Is that different from a Canadian visa?▼
Yes. A visitor visa application does collect a photograph. The eTA is the visa-exempt route and does not. Which one applies depends on your nationality and how you are travelling — the eTA covers air travel.
Q.How much does an eTA cost?▼
CAN$7 on the Government of Canada's own site. Because it is cheap and mandatory, a great many lookalike sites offer to file it for you at several times the price.
Q.How long does it take?▼
Most applications are approved within minutes. If more is needed, you get an email with instructions within 72 hours.
Q.Are there other authorisations that skip the photo?▼
Yes — Europe's ETIAS collects no photograph or biometrics, and Sri Lanka's ETA has no upload field at all. The US ESTA went the other way and now asks for a selfie, so the pattern is not uniform.