How Much Do Passport Photos Cost?
In order to get a new passport, visa, green card, or even renew your passport, you’re going to need an approved-sized photo in order for your application to get accepted. There are many places where you can get your passport taken, including pharmacies, warehouse clubs, post offices and even some government buildings. The cost of one will really depend on where you go.
How much does a passport photo cost?
On average, a passport photo is going to cost anywhere from $4 to as much as $15 depending on the location. We were able to contact a few of the most popular places people receive their passport photos and imported the costs below. These costs are accurate as of February of 2017.
| Store | Cost |
|---|---|
| AAA | about $8 for members and $12 for non-members |
| Costco | Four passport photos for about $5.50. Remember, you will need a membership to shop here. |
| CVS | 2 photos will cost $13.99 |
| FedEx Office/Kinkos | 2 for $15 |
| Post Office (USPS) | $15, but only a few will offer this service. Call or check website ahead of time to see if it can be done. |
| Rite Aid | 2 photos for $8.99 |
| Sam's Club | 2 photos for $5.31 |
| Shoppers Drug Mart | 2 photos for $11 |
| Speciality Photographers | $16 to $25 |
| Target | 2 photos for $10 |
| UPS Store | 2 for $12 |
| Walgreens | 2 photos will cost $14. |
| Walmart | 2 photos for $7.44 |
Passport photo overview
Most passport photos will be taken on the spot and can be processed in less than 15 minutes. No appointment is necessary at most retailer such as Costco, CVS, Walgreens, etc.
All passport photos must adhere to strict federal guidelines. All retailers will print two photos on a 4″x6″ sheet, but when cut, it will be 2″x2″, which will meet the government guidelines. Pictures will have easy to cut crop marks on the pictures.
There are several places you can get a photo taken. This includes shipping centers, membership warehouse clubs, pharmacies, retail stores, professional photography studios, the post office, passport offices and registered passport expediters.
Tips to know
If you’re going to take the pictures on your own, know the dimensions. To know the requirements, refer to the U.S. Department of State official photo requirements page. Always refer to this page for documentation because there’s a lot of falsified information floating around the web. At a minimum, most photos will specify a blank white background and a solid colored shirt with no logo or writing on it. Hats, scarves and anything else that may cover your head must be taken off during the photo as well.
How can I save money?
The cheapest way to take a passport photo is by downloading a phone app and taking the picture yourself. Once the picture is taken, email yourself the picture and upload the picture to a pharmacy’s photo website. Pick up the print, and if done right, it could cost you less than $0.30 for six photos since you’re able to fix six 2-by-2 photos on a 4-by-6. You can also download the picture to a thumb drive and take it to a local pharmacy printing kiosk to do it at the store. Keep in mind, however, that some pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens, may deny you if they assume you’re using it for a passport photo as it’s against their company policy. With this being said, do it at your own risk.
Sometimes, you can find a coupon on the official website if you look on the passport photo page. For example, at the time of this writing, CVS had a $2 off passport photo coupon, bringing the costs down to $11.99 instead of $13.99.
Printing your photos on your own isn’t hard at all and can be done very easily at home. Even if you don’t use a local retailer, you can always upload your photos to an online website, who will be more than happy to print them for less than $1. Popular passport photo online companies include epassportphoto.com and mypassportphotos.com. You can also see other options written on this WiseBread.com page.
They are free if you’re an AAA Plus member.
If you want to have it done a local retailer, it appears Costco is the cheapest option if you have a membership.
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Average Reported Cost: $0
How much did you spend?
- Alex (Algonquin , Illinois) paid $ and said:
Walgreens here charges $13 per 2 photos. Rip off!
Was it worth it? Yes
