Thin film being formed on the surface of cobalt in the early stage of electrochemically induced passivation was studied by the three-parameter ellipsometry. The growth of the passive film was complete in a few seconds from the onset of the passivating potential, and was followed by a slight decrease in the thickness in 4-40 seconds. The optical constants of the passive film changed gradually during the changes in the thickness. The thickness and the optical properties at the steady state of passivation depended on the potential of the electrode. From the coulometric data and the optical properties, the composition of the passive films was deduced to be close to those of CoO, ${Co_3}{O_4}$ and ${Co_2}{O_3}$ depending on the potential. Cathodic reduction in the presence of EDTA was found to be an efficient way to obtain film-free reference surface of cobalt.