Biometrics for Canada: fee, validity and where to go

What are the current Canada biometrics rules and fees?

As of 5 October 2026, IRCC charges $85 per person for biometrics, makes them valid for 10 years for temporary residence, requires them with every permanent residence application, and gives you 30 days from your letter to give them.

The table lists each figure with the page it comes from and the day we read it.

Who needs to give biometrics for Canada?

Unless you are exempt, you give biometrics when you apply for a visitor visa, an initial work or study permit, an extension of a work or study permit, permanent residence, or refugee or asylum status (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

IRCC makes two points that catch people out. US nationals are excluded for temporary residence, and visitors from a visa-exempt country who apply to extend their stay as a visitor do not give biometrics. The table sets out how the rule works for the applications people ask about most.

You can also use IRCC's short questionnaire to find out whether you need to give biometrics for your situation.

Who is exempt from giving biometrics?

IRCC exempts Canadian citizens and citizenship applicants, existing permanent residents, visa-exempt visitors, heads of state, people with diplomatic or official visas, children under 14 and applicants over 79 (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

• Citizens and citizenship applicants: a Canadian citizen or citizenship applicant, including a passport applicant, does not give biometrics.
• Existing permanent residents: exempt unless you are renewing or replacing a permanent resident card and were exempt for your age when you first applied for permanent residence.
• Visa-exempt visitors: a visa-exempt national coming to Canada to visit only, who applies for an eTA, is exempt.
• Heads of state and diplomats: heads of state, heads of government, and applicants who qualify for or hold a diplomatic or official visa are exempt.
• US visa holders in transit: a US visa holder transiting through Canada is exempt.
• Permanent residence applicants who already gave them: a visitor visa, study permit or work permit applicant who already gave biometrics for a permanent residence application that is still being processed is exempt.
• Children and seniors: an applicant under 14 or over 79 is exempt, and there is no upper age exemption for asylum claimants.

IRCC counts the age you were on the day you submitted your application. A child who was 13 or under that day does not need to give biometrics, and an applicant who was 79 or younger that day must give them even if they have since turned 80.

How much do biometrics cost in Canada?

Biometrics cost CAD $85 per person, with a maximum of CAD $170 for a family applying at the same time and CAD $255 for a group of three or more performing artists and their staff applying for work permits together (IRCC fee list, checked 5 October 2026).

Pay the fee when you apply, because IRCC warns that paying later may cause delays. If you have already applied and forgot, you can pay online and upload the receipt: in your IRCC secure account if you applied online, or through IRCC's web form if you applied on paper. The fee covers collecting your fingerprints and digital photo and moving your documents between the visa office and the visa application centre. The appointment itself is free to book, and for appointments outside Canada IRCC tells you not to pay anyone for one.

How long are biometrics valid and when do you give them again?

Biometrics are valid for 10 years for temporary residence, so if you gave them within the last 10 years IRCC attaches them to a new visitor visa, work permit, study permit or extension automatically (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

The limit that matters is the expiry date of the biometrics themselves. IRCC cannot issue a visa or permit that runs past it, so a permit can be issued for a shorter period than you asked for if your biometrics expire first.

IRCC provides a status check for your biometrics, listed as the "Check status tool" on its temporary residence page, which tells you whether they are still valid and when they expire. Check it before you plan an extension.

How do you give biometrics again to extend their validity?

To renew your biometrics early, pay the biometrics fee when you apply for your visa or permit, wait for the biometric instruction letter issued for that application, and book an appointment at an official collection site, inside or outside Canada (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

Do permanent residence applicants give biometrics every time?

Yes: you give biometrics every time you apply for permanent residence, even if you gave them before, apart from a few special cases (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

• Permanent resident card: you do not give biometrics for a card unless you were exempt for being under 14 when you applied for permanent residence, and are now 14 or older and have arrived in Canada or are applying to renew.
• Permanent resident travel document: you do not give biometrics for this application.
• Temporary residence after a permanent residence file: if you gave biometrics for a permanent residence application, IRCC reuses them for a temporary resident application while the permanent residence file is open.

Our PR card renewal guide and application status guide cover the steps that follow.

How do you give biometrics step by step?

You give biometrics by paying the fee, waiting for your biometric instruction letter, booking a free appointment and attending in person with the letter and your valid passport (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

1. 01

   Pay the biometrics fee

   Pay $85 per person, or the family or group maximum, when you apply. IRCC warns that not paying may cause delays.

2. 02

   Receive your biometric instruction letter

   After you pay, IRCC sends the letter. It confirms that you need to give biometrics and tells you how to book.

3. 03

   Book your appointment straight away

   Booking is free. IRCC says to book as soon as you receive the letter to avoid delays, and you have 30 days from receiving it.

4. 04

   Go to an official collection site

   You must give biometrics in person. Use IRCC's official website to find a site, to avoid fraud.

5. 05

   Bring the letter and your valid passport

   Use the letter from your current application. An old letter can delay or sink a new application.

6. 06

   Give your fingerprints and photo

   If the site cannot capture high-quality fingerprints, you may be asked to give them again later.

How long do you have to give biometrics after the instruction letter?

You have 30 days from the time you receive your biometric instruction letter to give your biometrics, and IRCC asks you to book as soon as the letter arrives (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

If you cannot give biometrics before the letter expires, IRCC's web form lets you explain why you need more time. Give details of your situation. For example, if you could not get an appointment before the deadline, tell IRCC the date of the appointment you did get and upload a screenshot of the confirmation, and say where you plan to give them: outside Canada except the US, in the US, in Canada, or at a border crossing when you want to enter Canada.

Where can you give biometrics?

You give biometrics at a visa application centre outside Canada, at an application support centre or visa application centre in the US, at a designated Service Canada office in Canada, or at a port of entry if you qualify (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

In Alberta, as elsewhere in Canada, you find a Service Canada location and make your appointment through the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool.

Can you give biometrics at the border or an airport?

You can give biometrics at a port of entry only if you are eligible to apply for a study permit or work permit there and you start and finish the application there, never if you already received a letter (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

IRCC lists four Alberta ports of entry that collect biometrics: Calgary International Airport, Edmonton International Airport, Carway and Coutts. Make sure you are eligible before you go, because IRCC says most people already in Canada can no longer apply for a work permit at a port of entry and must apply online.

What can you wear for the biometrics photo and fingerprints?

Glasses are allowed if your eyes are clearly visible with no glare, and head coverings worn daily for religious or medical reasons are allowed if your full face is visible with no shadows (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

What if your application was refused because you did not give biometrics?

Do not give biometrics after a refusal: IRCC says to give them only if you reapply, pay the associated fees including the biometrics fee, and receive a new biometric instruction letter (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

This page covers the biometrics step only. We do not take refused-application cases, so we cannot advise on what to do about the refusal itself.

What happens to your biometrics after you give them?

IRCC encrypts your fingerprints and photo and sends them to a secure Government of Canada database, shares them with the RCMP while it processes your application, and shares them with the Canada Border Services Agency to verify your identity on arrival (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

• RCMP checks: the RCMP compares your fingerprints with records of criminals, refugee claimants, deportees and temporary resident applicants, and IRCC uses the result to support its decision.
• Other sharing: IRCC may share them with other Canadian law enforcement agencies and with Canadian institutions or foreign governments under Canada's privacy laws, and with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
• Collection sites: visa application centres, application support centres and Service Canada locations do not keep your biometrics, and delete them once sent to IRCC.
• Your rights: you can refuse to give biometrics, but IRCC may then refuse your application, and the Privacy Act lets you access and correct your information.

What mistakes delay biometrics?

The mistakes that cost applicants time are paying the fee late, waiting to book, using an old letter or turning up at a Service Canada office without an appointment, all of which IRCC names as causes of delay or refusal (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

• Paying late: IRCC says you must pay the fee when you apply, or you may experience delays.
• Waiting to book: the 30 days start when you receive the letter, not when you decide to book.
• Using a letter from an earlier application: the letter must be the one issued for the current application.
• Going without an appointment: IRCC says not to go to a Service Canada office unless you have a scheduled appointment.
• Poor fingerprints: IRCC says hands must be henna-free and cuts or cracks healed, and that if it cannot get high-quality fingerprints you may need to give them again later.

When is professional help worth it?

Biometrics are a short step, but a missed deadline or the wrong application order can stall a file, so help is worth it where the biometrics sit inside a larger plan.

• Running out of status: if your permit expires soon, the timing of biometrics, the extension and maintained status all interact.
• Several family members: the family maximum, children near the age cut-offs and linked files need to line up.
• Moving from temporary to permanent residence: permanent residence biometrics are separate from your temporary ones.

Working under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), our team represents applicants entirely online, by video call and secure document sharing, and never guarantees an immigration outcome. Prefer to file yourself? Our lower-cost File Review has an RCIC check your application before you submit.