Canadian passport photos in Seattle

September 21, 2015 12:39 PM

I'd like to get my passport photos taken in Seattle. The complication is that they need to meet dimensions required for a Canadian passport. Camera shops are mostly out of business, and FedEx and UPS offices can only take pictures meeting US passport dimensions (they print out to 2" x 2", and are too small). Per instructions, I am not allowed to take them myself. Do I have any other reliable and inexpensive options available in the Seattle area?
posted by a lungful of dragon to Law & Government (17 answers total)

I had my Canadian passport pictures taken in an American Walgreen's. I just took the passport picture requirements with me and showed them to the person who took the pictures.
posted by biscotti at 12:42 PM on September 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yelp suggests Rainier Copy and Print in the University District.
posted by bgrebs at 12:44 PM on September 21, 2015

Response by poster: Yelp suggests Rainier Copy and Print in the University District.

There's a one-star review which specifically calls them out as a poor place to get Canadian photos. I did try to research this before asking.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 12:47 PM on September 21, 2015

Do they have a local embassy?
posted by tilde at 12:53 PM on September 21, 2015

Is there a Canadian Embassy in Seattle? Why not try there?
posted by tckma at 12:56 PM on September 21, 2015

I had Australian passport photos taken at a Walgreens. They have a set up to do most international ones, there is a whole menu & they read the requirements to take it & it will print them out the correct size, including a template to make sure your head/face is the right size. When I had it done I had to wait for the person that was in charge of the photo area to be on & she took some faffing around in sub menus to find it.
posted by wwax at 1:20 PM on September 21, 2015

Did you find Clear Image Photography in your searching? They seem to know what they're talking about, and their Yelp reviews (while few in number) are positive. However, they're located up in Everett and Marysville.

When I had Canadian passport photos taken in Chicago several years back (around 2006 or so), there were several photo shops near the federal building in downtown Chicago that offered this kind of service. However, looking at Google Street View now, they appear to have largely closed down. The last time I had my Canadian passport renewed, I had my pictures taken in Canada because it would have been too hard to find a proper photographer where I was living at the time.
posted by Johnny Assay at 1:58 PM on September 21, 2015

Yes, when you get the photos taken they stamp the back of the photo with the name of the store and (I think) the date. Even dinky little convenience stores with a sign out front saying "passport photos" do this.
posted by quaking fajita at 1:59 PM on September 21, 2015

Walgreens has done it for me before, but it's sort of hit or miss depending on location. Here are several that my family has used:
Clear Image Photo and Frame Shop - endorsed by the Canadian consulate
Magic Photo
Alpha 1 Photo
Tacoma might be a pain to get to, but Speedy ePhoto is one of the places recommended by the Canadian Consulate.
posted by barnone at 2:47 PM on September 21, 2015

You may try calling the study abroad offices at the universities (or checking their websites) as visa photos often require the same dimensions as passport photos for the same country. I was able to get British passport photos taken at the study abroad office when I was a grad student.
posted by hoyland at 3:47 PM on September 21, 2015

There is a Canadian Consulate in downtown: 1501 4th Ave #600. It's the building across 4th Ave from Westlake Park, between Pike and Pine. They close during the noon hour, it appears, but are open until 4:30. Give them a call: [phone]
posted by Sunburnt at 4:00 PM on September 21, 2015

Best answer: Call perfect copy and print. If they can't do it, they'll know who still can/will.

Make sure you're VERY clear about what you need, though. They can do almost anything, but i've gotten crappy results once or twice by not clearly explaining exactly what i needed.
posted by emptythought at 4:27 PM on September 21, 2015

My husband just did this last week at Costco in Issaquah. He drove up to Vancouver on Wednsday and got his passport (expedited) the same day. So i can tell you for a fact that the Costco in Issaquah does Canadian size passport pictures.
posted by ramix at 5:06 PM on September 21, 2015

pony express in redmond at least used to do international photos, you should call first, but I got my UK one done there.
posted by evilmonk at 5:36 PM on September 21, 2015

Alpha 1 photo in Bellevue is the gold standard for international passport photos. All my Canadian passport shots (including infant) were flawless and accepted the first time.
posted by crazycanuck at 7:23 PM on September 21, 2015

My understanding is that Costco does passport photos and can accommodate Canadian passport requirements, as well. As Seattle is the putative home of Costco....
posted by Lynsey at 11:41 AM on September 22, 2015

Response by poster: Call perfect copy and print. If they can't do it, they'll know who still can/will.

Perfect Copy and Print do international passport photos for around $20, in about 5 minutes, with the correct dimensions. Very professional, clean and tidy operation for a print shop. Pleasant experience all around. Highly recommended.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 12:49 PM on September 22, 2015 [2 favorites]