Biometrics for Canada means your fingerprints and a photo. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says that, unless you are exempt, you give them when you apply for a visitor visa, a work or study permit, permanent residence, or refugee or asylum status. You pay the biometrics fee when you apply, wait for a biometric instruction letter (BIL), then book an appointment. Inside Canada, IRCC says biometrics are given at a designated Service Canada office, by appointment only.
Missing this step can hold up an application. Here is what IRCC’s pages say.
Who has to give biometrics
IRCC’s list covers applications for a visitor visa, an initial work or study permit or an extension (US nationals excluded), an extension of your stay in Canada as a visitor (a visitor record) unless you are from a visa-exempt country, permanent residence, and refugee or asylum status.
IRCC also lists people who do not need to give biometrics, including:
- Canadian citizens and citizenship applicants, including passport applicants
- existing permanent residents, with one exception explained below
- visa-exempt nationals coming to Canada to visit only
- children under the age of 14
- applicants over the age of 79, although IRCC states there is no upper age exemption for asylum claimants
- heads of state and heads of government, and applicants who hold or are eligible for a diplomatic or official visa
- US visa holders transiting through Canada
- visitor visa, study permit or work permit applicants who already gave biometrics for a permanent residence application that is still being processed
The permanent resident exception is specific. IRCC says an existing permanent resident does need biometrics when both of these are true: they are applying to renew or replace their PR card, and they were exempt from biometrics because of their age when they applied for permanent residence. If that is you, our PR card renewal guide covers the rest of that application.
IRCC also offers a short questionnaire on its biometrics pages to find out if you need to give them.
The 10-year rule for visitors, students and workers
For temporary residence, IRCC states that your biometrics are valid for 10 years and that temporary residence applicants need to give them only once every 10 years. IRCC’s Check status tool shows whether your biometrics are still valid and when they expire.
The 10 years also sets a ceiling. IRCC says it can’t issue a visa or permit for longer than 10 years from the last date you gave biometrics. If you want a visa or permit that runs past that date, IRCC says you can choose to give biometrics again even while they are still valid.
Permanent residence is different
The 10-year rule does not carry over to permanent residence. IRCC states that you must give biometrics every time you apply for permanent residence, even if you have already given them. While a permanent residence application is open, IRCC says it will reuse those biometrics for a temporary resident application.
The fee and the biometric instruction letter
IRCC’s fee list, checked today, shows:
| Who is applying | Biometrics fee (CAD) |
|---|---|
| One person | $85.00 |
| A family of 2 or more applying at the same time | $170.00 maximum |
| A group of 3 or more performing artists applying for work permits at the same time | $255.00 maximum |
IRCC says there is no biometrics fee for a transit visa, and that you must pay the fee when you apply or you may experience delays.
After you apply and pay, IRCC sends a biometric instruction letter. It confirms that you need to give biometrics and tells you how to book an appointment. For temporary residence applications, IRCC says you must use the BIL issued for that application.
Your letter starts the clock. IRCC says you have 30 days from the time you get your BIL to give your biometrics, and asks you to book your appointment as soon as you receive it. Read the important information section of your own letter as well, and follow its instructions.
Where to give biometrics in Canada
- Wait for your BIL. Book only after it arrives.
- Find a location and book through the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool. IRCC says you can give biometrics at a designated Service Canada office.
- Do not walk in. IRCC states: don’t go to a Service Canada office unless you have a scheduled appointment.
- Bring your BIL and your valid passport, the two documents IRCC lists.
IRCC also states that booking an appointment is free, including at a designated Service Canada office, and tells you to use its official website to find a location so you avoid fraud. The fee you paid with your application is the government biometrics fee.
If IRCC cannot get high-quality fingerprints at your appointment, its guidance says you may need to give biometrics again at a later date.
Biometrics in Edmonton and Alberta
IRCC’s page does not name individual Service Canada offices. To find a designated office in Edmonton or elsewhere in Alberta, search the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool, which shows locations and open times.
IRCC does list Edmonton International Airport, Calgary International Airport, Carway and Coutts among ports of entry where biometrics can be collected. That option is narrow. IRCC limits it to applicants who are eligible under its rules to apply for a study or work permit at a port of entry and who start and finish the application there. It also says you can’t give biometrics at the border if you already submitted an application and got a BIL.
What happens to your biometrics after the appointment
IRCC says your fingerprints and photo are encrypted and sent electronically to a secure Government of Canada database. While your application is processed, they are shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Canada Border Services Agency uses them to verify your identity when you arrive in Canada.
Where biometrics fit in your application
Biometrics are one step in a larger file. Students can read our study permit page, workers our work permit page, and visitors staying longer our guide to a visitor record extension.
Book a consultation
Imprint Immigration Services is an Edmonton practice at 300-9006 132 Avenue NW, and clients in Calgary and elsewhere in Alberta meet with us by video. A 30-minute consultation with Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), is $50 + GST, by video or in person. Book a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
For temporary residence, IRCC says biometrics are valid for 10 years. IRCC’s Check status tool shows whether yours are still valid and when they expire. Permanent residence applicants give them every time they apply.
IRCC’s fee list shows $85.00 per person, a $170.00 maximum for a family of 2 or more applying at the same time, and a $255.00 maximum for a group of 3 or more performing artists. It is paid when you apply.
IRCC says you have 30 days from the time you get your BIL to give your biometrics, and asks you to book as soon as the letter arrives. Read the important information section of your own BIL too, because it is the document issued for your application.
No. IRCC says not to go to a Service Canada office unless you have a scheduled appointment, booked through the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool.
IRCC exempts children under the age of 14 and applicants over the age of 79. There is no upper age exemption for asylum claimants.
Official sources
- IRCC: Biometrics
- IRCC: Who needs to give their biometrics
- IRCC: When to give your biometrics
- IRCC: When to give your biometrics, temporary resident applicants
- IRCC: When to give your biometrics, permanent resident applicants
- IRCC: How to give your biometrics
- IRCC: Where to give your biometrics
- IRCC: What happens after you give your biometrics
- IRCC: Fee list
Checked against the official source on 7 October 2026. Immigration rules change. Where this page and an official page disagree, the official page is correct.
Immigration advice provided by Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence R705794. This article is general information about government processes, not advice on your situation.
This article is general information and is not immigration advice. Advice about your own situation comes from a consultation with Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence R705794. Representation begins only once a retainer is signed.
Written by
Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB
CICC Licence R705794 · Commissioner for Oaths (Alberta) · Founder, Imprint Immigration Services Inc.
