Photo on a Resumé in Canada? (2026)

Short answer: No. In Canada, leave your photo off your resumé. Job Bank says a photo "is not the norm in Canada", and Alberta's alis career site lists "Photograph" as something your resumé should not include. Leave off your age, marital status and other personal details too. The main exceptions are acting, modelling and some on-camera jobs, where a headshot is sent separately.

Why Canadian resumés don’t have photos

In many countries a photo is normal. In Canada it isn’t. Job Bank, the Government of Canada’s job site, says: “Although in some countries it may be acceptable to include a photo, it is not the norm in Canada” (Job Bank). Alberta’s alis career site lists “Photograph” among the things a resumé should not include (alis).

Canadian employers want to judge you on your skills and experience. A photo doesn’t help with that, and it takes up space you could use to show what you can do.

What else to leave off

The same goes for personal details. Job Bank says it’s “best to leave out any personal details such as age, weight, height, marital status,” and to “never include your Social Insurance Number.” alis adds sex and ethnic background to that list.

Leave off:

Your photo
Date of birth or age
Marital status and number of children
Height, weight, sex, religion or nationality
Your Social Insurance Number (SIN), passport or ID numbers
Your full street address (your city and province are enough)

Keep:

Your name
City and province
Phone number and email
A LinkedIn or portfolio link, if it helps

What about a photo on LinkedIn?

That’s different. A profile photo on LinkedIn is normal and expected. Just don’t paste it onto your resumé.

When a photo is expected

A few fields do ask for one:

Acting, modelling and performing. You send a headshot, usually as a separate file.
Some on-camera or presenting jobs. The posting will say if they want a photo or a short video.

If a posting asks for a photo, follow the posting. If it doesn’t ask, don’t send one.

New to Canada? Check the rest of your resumé too

If your resumé was written for another country, a photo is often only one of several changes. Length, personal details, references and how you list your education may all need to change. Our Canadian resumé guide for newcomers covers each one, and if your resumé is in another language, see how to translate your resumé into English.

Sources

All accessed 2026-10-29.

Job Bank (Government of Canada). How to write a good resume. https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/findajob/resources/write-good-resume
Government of Alberta, alis. Resumé checklists. https://alis.alberta.ca/look-for-work/resumes-and-references/resume-checklists/