Get Your Passport Photo at Jean Coutu for $0.32

If you live in French-speaking Canada, chances are you’ve been to a Jean Coutu drugstore. With 423 franchised stores situated in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario, residents have come to depend on the chain for their prescription, beauty product, and photo service needs. Most locations offer passport photo services, but the price has recently become expensive. Surely there must be a better way?

This post offers a solution for the indefinitely rising costs of Canadian passport photos. Here, we outline a method that allows you to print passport photos at Jean Coutu locations without having to spring for professional passport photo services. Your photos will meet all the requirements of the Canadian authorities at a fraction of the cost. Want cheap passport photos? Keep reading to find out how to get them done!

Jean Coutu passport photos – current services

Currently, Jean Coutu offers walk-in passport photo service at selected locations in all three Canadian provinces.

Not all locations provide passport photo service for babies or children under the age of 5 (five), so it’s best to inquire beforehand if your specific location offers this service. According to the Jean Coutu website, the photos are ready in minutes and adhere to the latest government-mandated standards for various documents, including Canadian passports, health insurance cards, permanent residency cards, citizenship cards, and Canadian visas.

Additionally, the chain offers an acceptance guarantee on in-store passport photo services. In the case of photo rejection by Canadian passport agents, Jean Coutu promises to take another set of passport photos free of charge and provide customers with a $20 Jean Coutu gift card. Sufficient proof of photo rejection must be provided to take advantage of this service. 

How to print passport photos at Jean Coutu

Jean Coutu no longer has a passport photo printing service for photos that have been obtained out of store. That is to say, customers can no longer select a passport photo template when printing their photos and are required to choose from standard photo sizes (e.g., 4” x 6”; 5” x 7”; 4” x 5 ⅓”) or square photographs (e.g., 4” x 4” and 5” x 5”).

Photos can be ordered online and picked up in-store, or customers can print photos directly at the photo studio. To print directly at Jean Coutu photo studios:

Step #1 Save your photos to the medium of your choice

Save all the photos you want to print to a single folder on a USB flash drive, miniSD, microSD, CD, DVD, Blu-ray, or other compatible picture storage device.

Step #2 Visit the photo lab at your nearest Jean Coutu 

Plug your storage device into a terminal and select the photos you want to print. The built-in software lets users touch up photos and get rid of that dreaded “red eye.” 

Step #3 Print your photos in seconds 

Print and pay for your photos. Each standard 4” x 6” photograph takes approximately 12 seconds to print. Prices vary depending on the size and number of prints, with 4” x 6” prints retailing at $0.12 for 100 or more.

How to print passport photos with Passport Photo Online and Jean Coutu

Since Jean Coutu no longer offers passport photo templates, there is a handy workaround savvy customers can use to get cheap passport photos. This method is also convenient for busy parents who want baby or child passport photos without the hassle of getting the family to the photo studio. Follow the step-by-step guide below to get biometric passport photos at a fraction of the price professional studios typically charge.

Step #1 Download Passport Photo Online on your mobile device

Visit your preferred application marketplace and download the Passport Photo Online smartphone application. Install the app so you have it ready to go.

Step #2 Use the app to take your passport photos

Take your children’s photos, take your partner’s photo, and use the selfie function or ask someone to take your photo using the application. Take as many shots as you like, and don't worry about the background.

Step #3 Select the photos you want for passport photos

Choose which photo(s) you would like for your passport photo(s). Our intelligent AI will make the final adjustments and remove any background to ensure the photos comply with Canadian government standards. We will then provide you with standard 4” x 6” digital copies (two passport photos per standard photo) that can be printed at any Jean Coutu retail store. 

Step #4 Save the photos on a USB drive or other storage device

Save your newly prepared passport photos on the storage device of your choice. For the lowest possible printing price, include your passport photos with other prints you would like since Jean Coutu requires a minimum of 100 prints for the $0.12 per 4” x 6” print price point.

Step #5 Print your passport photos at Jean Coutu 

Visit a Jean Coutu location and print your passport photos (along with any other photos you like) using their photo lab terminals. 

Step #6 Carefully cut out your passport photos

Carefully cut out your passport photos using sharp scissors or a paper cutting machine.

Get your Jean Coutu passport photos for less – final thoughts

With over 420 retail locations, Jean Coutu is an excellent choice for photo printing services of any kind. They also offer their own in-house passport photo service that’s backed by an industry-leading service warranty: Guaranteed acceptance of Jean Coutu passport photos or a new set for free and a $20 gift card that is redeemable at any Jean Coutu location. 

To save on costs, customers could use an award-winning passport photo app like Passport Photo Online to get digital copies of government-compliant passport photos and print them out at Jean Coutu locations with photo lab services. This is much more convenient and costs a fraction of the price of commercial passport services.

Sources:
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/photospecs-e.pdf
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/photos.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports.html