In addition to being Canada’s leading pharmacy retailer, Shoppers Drug Mart’s passport photo centres are known for providing Canadians with quality biometric photos for their identity documents.
In this insider’s guide, we’ve done the legwork and visited countless Shopper’s locations to provide you with the latest info on passport photo prices, Shopper’s locations, digital passport photo availability—you name it.
Don’t want to wait in line? There’s a more convenient option! Take your passport photo at home and get prints delivered anywhere in Canada—no endless waiting or trek to Shoppers required.
Want to become a passport photo expert? Check out these related articles:
- Canadian Passport Renewal—All You Need to Know
- Applying for a Child Passport—Do Both Parents Need to Be Present?
- Do you need a passport to fly domestically within Canada?
Getting a Canadian passport photo at Shoppers
Before you run off to the nearest Shoppers to get your passport photo—
Contact the store since not all pharmacies offer passport photo services.
It’s also a good idea to ask them if you need to make an appointment before your visit—even though the retailer’s official website no longer mentions this requirement, it’s best to double-check if this applies to your location.
Plus—
During your call, ask whether your location offers specialized services such as baby passport photos, digital passport photos (saved on a USB key), or passport photos for foreign countries—if this applies to your situation.
To find the phone number of your nearest Shoppers Drug Mart passport photo provider, use the retailer’s store locator.
Simply input your city, a specific address, or postal code, and a list of Shoppers’ locations will pop up with contact details and store hours.
Now, just get to the store, snap your photo, and receive your passport photo prints in hand (or on a USB drive). Once you’ve arrived at the store, the process is usually completed in under 15 minutes—provided there’s no line.
Price & working hours
You won’t find any universal pricing information on the retailer’s official site, as each pharmacy is independently owned and operated.
However, on average, Shoppers photo lab charges $19.99 for 2 Canadian passport photos.
The price is the same whether opting for digital copies saved on a USB or physical prints.
Likewise, Shoppers photo lab working hours vary from place to place, with most locations open from early morning to late at night (8:00 am–10:00 pm on average) and on weekends.
There are three 24/7 Shoppers Drug Mart locations that offer passport photos in Canada:
- Toronto: 465 Yonge St. (416-408-4000)
- Vancouver: 1125 Davie St. (604-669-2424)
- Niagara Falls: 6565 Lundy’s Lane (905-354-3845)
Important: The official website doesn’t provide passport photo centre hours for any locations, so the best way to find out when to get a passport photo near you is to call your pharmacy directly.
Store locations
There are over 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart retail outlets across Canada—many of which offer in-store passport photos.
Thanks to the pharmacy chain’s store locator, you can filter search results by checking the “Passport Photos” box in the “Services and Facilities” dropdown to find your nearest store that offers passport photos.
Pro tip: Another way of finding your nearest Shoppers photo studio is by typing “Shoppers passport photo near me” into your preferred search engine with your device’s location settings switched on.
Additional document photo services
Besides Canadian passport photos, some Shoppers Drug Mart photo centres provide additional biometric photography products related to travel and identity documents.
For example, the retailer’s website lists photos for Canadian PR cards, student IDs, travel visas, and citizenship cards among its services—without providing any additional information (i.e., which locations offer these products).
As such, it’s best to contact specific stores to confirm the availability of any additional document services.
Shoppers passport photos: pros & cons
Is Shoppers Drug Mart your best option for getting Canadian passport pictures?
Have a look at the pros and cons of the retailer’s passport photography service to help with your decision.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Many locations nationwide | ❌ Unclear information (requires calling individual stores to confirm product availability) |
| ✅ Extended business hours | ❌ No refund policy or compliance guarantee for non-compliant passport photos |
| ✅ Possibility of getting other biometric photography products (visa photos, PR Card photos, etc.) | ❌ Relatively expensive compared with other services |
Closing thoughts
Shoppers Drug Mart is one of the best brick-and-mortar options for Canadians wishing to get printed passport photos. On average, the retailer charges $19.99 + tax for 2 Canadian passport photos and is open from 8 am–10 pm, 7 days a week.
However, you still need to travel to the store and potentially wait in line for passport photo service. Likewise, the chain does not have a comprehensive refund policy if your photos are deemed non-compliant by Passport Canada.
That’s why we recommend using PhotoAiD® for your Canadian passport photographs—
Not only do you get to snap your photos from the comfort of your home using your smartphone’s camera and our application (get our Passport Photo Maker App for Android or Passport Photo Booth App for iOS), but we also guarantee Canadian passport agents will accept your photos.
Simon Wojtyczka is a writer with experience living and working in 7 countries, each adding depth to his work. Holding a Master’s in Applied Linguistics, he has a profound grasp of language and its intricate ties to culture.
