Updated on September 23, 2020
Cheapest Places To Get Passport Photos + Visa Photos Taken
It's time to get a photo for your new passport application, renewal, or to get a visa. Where do you go? I was looking for the cheapest passport photos near me. There are many places to get passport photos or visa photos in person including pharmacies, warehouse clubs, shipping stores, post offices as well as some large retailers. If you need several copies for passports and visas, it can get expensive quickly! When I last took a passport photo at CVS, they wanted to charge me full price (another $12.99) for a second set of prints even though a single 4×6 print costs only $0.36.
Here is a comparison of the prices you can expect at some of the most popular locations. This is a little secret that these stores don't want you to know. The cheapest way is take your own photo using these free apps/tools and then print it on a 4 x 6 photo at one of these stores below for almost nothing (less than $0.40 for 2 photos). Why 4 x 6? Because you can fit two (2 x 2) passport photos on a single (4 x 6) size print.
How To Print Passport Photos Yourself
- Take your own photo using a free app/tool
- Email yourself the photo or save it on your computer
- Upload the photo to the pharmacy or store's photo department (links below) then pick up the print. It costs almost nothing!
- OR With your photo saved on a thumb drive or memory card, bring it to one of the stores listed below. Find the photo printing machine and insert your memory card. You will most likely want to print one 4×6 image. Again, the cost is almost nothing though this method is often a few pennies more expensive than uploading it.
Uploading the image (#3 above) is the way to go. Not only will it be waiting for you when you arrive, but it is often a few cents cheaper! Or just print it from the app if you don't feel like making the trip to the pharmacy for around $6.
**NOTE: It has been reported that Walgreens has refused to give a customer their 4×6 because it contained a passport photo. I have yet to see any official policies against printing a 2×2 image on a 4×6 print, but don't make it obvious you are printing a passport photo (i.e. don't ask for help using their kiosk “to print a passport photo”).
List of Pharmacies and Other Places To Print Your Passport Photos
- CVS Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost
(was $12.99) $13.99 while one 4×6 print will cost you $0.29. With more than 7,600 stores in the United States, it is easy to find a CVS store. Use this link to print your photo and pick it up in the store. Until recently, the CVS Photo website was shut down due to an “illegal intrusion” but it is up and running again now. Avoid CVS stores in Manhattan during lunch time unless you have a spare hour! - Walgreens Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $12.99 but one 4×6 print will cost you $0.29. Use this link to upload your photo and pick it up in the store. If you use one of the tools mentioned above, you will be able to print your passport photos for only $0.29! Walgreens has over 8,200 locations throughout the US.
- Amazon Prime: One 4×6 print will cost you $0.12. Upload your photo and have it mailed to you. Use one of the tools mentioned above to take your picture.
- Costco Passport Photos: Four passport photos cost $5.34 making Costco one of the cheapest options around. A single 4×6 photo costs only $0.17. Use this link to upload your photo and pick it up in the store. Costco does require a paid membership starting at $55/year. If you are already a member, then it may be worth it stopping by on your next trip. Skip the lines in the store by using one of these free tools to create your photo then upload it the Costco Photo website. They will even ship it to you for free (HT to Bruce). Otherwise, the parking and crowds at their 672 locations are probably not worth the trouble.
- Duane Reade Passport Photos: Walgreens bought Duane Reade in 2010 but you'll find the 250 stores all over Manhattan everywhere you turn. The prices are the same as Walgreens listed above.
- Rite Aid Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $8.99 and one 4×6 print costs $0.29. Rite Aid has 4,600 stores in the United States. Unfortunately, Rite Aid does not allow you to upload photos so you will have to save the photo on a memory card or USB drive and bring it into the store.
- Walmart Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $7.44 but one 4×6 print costs $0.19. There are over 5,000 stores in the US. Use this link to upload your photo and pick it up in the store.
- Sam's Club Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $5.31. A single 4×6 print costs $0.17. Use this link to upload your photo and pick it up in the store. Like Costco, Sam's club requires a paid membership to shop at one of their 600+ US locations.
- Target Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $9.99 while a single 4×6 print costs only $0.19. Use this link to upload your photo and pick it up in the store. One of the 1,800 stores are probably conveniently located nearby.
- FedEx Office Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $14.99 and a single 4×6 print costs $0.39. They have about 2,000 stores in the US which were formerly called Kinkos. Photo printing is in-store only so you won't be able to upload them ahead of time.
- UPS Store Passport Photos: Two passport photos cost $11.99. There are 4,700 independent franchise stores. Photo printing is in-store only so you won't be able to upload them ahead of time.
- USPS Passport Photos: Only some post office locations take passport photos which cost $15. Unless you enjoy going to the DMV, I recommend staying far away from USPS due to the long lines and limited inconvenient operating hours.
- AAA Passport Photos: The passport photos prices vary with the type of member: non members $12, Basic member $8, Plus Members 1 free set/yr, Premier Members get 2-4 free sets/yr depending on location.
| # | Store | Two Passport Photos | One 4x6 Print |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CVS Passport Photos | $13.99 | $0.29 |
| 2 | Walgreens Passport Photos | $12.99 | $0.29 |
| 3 | Costco Passport Photos* | $5.34 | $0.17 |
| 4 | Duane Reade Passport Photos | $12.99 | $0.29 |
| 5 | Rite Aid Passport Photos | $8.99 | $0.29 |
| 6 | Walmart Passport Photos | $7.44 | $0.19 |
| 7 | Sam's Club | $5.31 | $0.17 |
| 8 | Target Passport Photos | $9.99 | $0.19 |
| 9 | Fedex Office | $14.95 | $0.39 |
| 10 | UPS | $11.99 | |
| 11 | USPS | $15 | |
| 12 | AAA Passport Photos | $12 |
*Costco provides 4 photos
How Much Does a Passport Cost?
For an adult to apply for a passport, the fee is a $110 application fee + $35 execution (acceptance) fee. This is for a Passport Book only. Getting a Passport Card is $30 or you can get both the book and card for $140 + $35. Children under the age of 16 pay a lower fee of $80 + $35. A list of the detailed fees can be found on the official government website.
Where Do I Go To Apply for a Passport?
The US Dept of State website will give you list of where you can apply for a passport. Just type in your zip code and you'll get a list of local passport offices, post offices, county clerk and other locations. Or you can apply by mail using the forms found here.
How Long Does It Take To Get a Passport?
Processing times will vary but you can get the official current wait times here. Expect delays due to COVID-19.
Good info; thanks!
Great post! I recently had to renew my passport and I was not happy when I brought my passport photo (on a thumb drive) to CVS to find out that I had to pay $12.99 for a 2×2 print when the 4×6 was around $.50 after taxes.. Stupidest thing ever. In times like this I miss Japan! They have passport photo booths and its around $2 USD.
I like Costco. If you’re a member, you can transmit your photos online. Use any one of a number of free passport photo generators then simply upload on the Costco Photo website. You can pick up in store or have the photos mailed, thus avoiding the lines. A 4×6 with 6 photos costs .17. That’s 2.8 cents per photo; cut the 4×6 into six photos. Shipping is free.
Thanks – I added that to the post.
try epassportphoto.com
Thanks Mark – I already included that in my list of free apps/tools
I don’t understand why you keep talking about and listing the 4×6 print price. If the photo is 2×2, how is this information useful? This page actually left me more confused because of that, sorry.
Clint – I added a line to above to explain as I didn’t make it clear. A passport photo is 2×2 but is very expensive to print. A 4×6 is dirt cheap to print and can fit six 2×2 photos. You just have to cut them carefully yourself and you’ll save a lot.
I recently tried printing a 4X6 print containing passport size photos at Walgreens, and they would NOT let me. Said it was against the “law” for us to give you these photos. I have used this trick before at Walgreens but this time they said no. Never giving them my photo business again.
I am now going to try other places with Costco first.
That’s interesting since the government says you can take the photo yourself right on the state department website. So it’s legal to take your own photo but illegal to print it at Walgreens?
Did you print it online then try to pick it up or did you go in the store and ask for help printing it?
I have read the travel departments page carefully.Where does it say that you can take your own photo?The video on the page says “no selfies”.
FAQ Link
Can I use a digital camera to take my passport photo?
Yes, you can use a digital camera. However, most webcams and mobile phones cannot provide images of sufficient quality.
Most smart phones have cameras that are equal or better than many digital cameras, especially iPhone and Galaxy Android phones.
@Manasi
Most likely they won’t help. Print the stuff and do not tell them what they are for.
Here’s what I did.
I got a photo of myself. Edited the photo (fixed exposure, cropped it to 2×2) and then added 6 copies of the image to a template of 4×6.
Went to CVS website and selected Photos > Prints > 4×6 and uploaded my photo and selected same day pick up. This was around 6 AM. The photos were ready at 7:30 AM. I went there and picked them up for 0.33/sheet (4×6).
The wouldn’t let me use the cutter to cut it to 2×2 since they didn’t take the photo for me there (they would cut if you purchase the Passport photo thing for around $12-$14). However, I have a cutter at home so it didn’t really matter.
Do not tell them it’s a passport photo. Just print the thing (preferably online since they machine will print them upside down and employees shouldn’t know the contents) and cut them yourself.
today walgreens refuse to give me the 4×6 picture because of the reason it contain passport pictures.
Really – Did you tell them you were printing passport photos or did they help you with it? Did they show you any official policy that restricts this? You should never tell them it is a passport photo even if it is. If they ask if it’s a passport photo say “no” and you can make something up like “it’s for my school”. It’s really none of their business what the photo is for.
I too just paid $12.99 for each photo that they took., to renew my 2 passports. They said even if I let them print off my photo, price will be the same, even though it says 2 for $12.99. Their excuse was my background was dark and it had to be light. I suggest you reprint your prices and stick with them.
Which store was this? It is true that a lot of people have difficulty getting a nice clean white background or they have shadows (which can often be eliminated by taking 1 step away from the wall). Yes, if you walk in and ask them to print you a “passport photo” they will likely charge you full price. But, it you upload the photo from home (or upload the photo to the kiosk in the store — by yourself) and choose a 4×6 print, it will cost pennies.
AAA Does not give free pictures, i have the upgraded membership it doesn’t matter what status you are. I just called their offices.
I believe it depends on your location – have a look at this link http://www.ny.aaa.com/Travel/Destinations/International-Travel/Passports.aspx
What city are you in?
This web address wont stay up long enough to rewd. I even tried to copy and paste it in the browser and it reroutes to their regular site. I am a 12 year member, guess I will just call and see.
AAA changes their websites from time to time and each region may have their own. While you may get a discount on your passport photos, it comes at a price. Manhattan has 1 location and the hours are limited, so may have to take 1/2 day off work to get there wait and get back to work. Its good if it’s convenient and you have time to spare. Otherwise I prefer the apps and order a print to be mailed.
Just to piggyback on your reply you are absolutely right. AAA advertise for plus members it’s free but when I telephoned them thy quoted a price of $8.00, They need to correct their advertisement.
“Passport photo
AAA will be onsite to take photos for an additional fee of $8.00 (members) and $14.00 (non-members) payable by credit card or
Bring your own (See Photo Requirements)”
This is according to the Denver Travel Show. I decided to google the topic to see if this was a reasonable price.
Great post, I borrow Sam’s membership card from friend. And 5$ is much better then 13$
Will use Walmart after I take my own iPhone picture for a license renewal form. I only need one picture and the size is already outlined! Is it best to print all 2×2 for future use on a 4×6 picture?
That’s probably the cheapest way and save the extras for later.
I just tried at Walmart and the kiosk would not let me do 6 even photos….they were different dizes. When I asked the representative she said there was no option for 6 even pictures…bummer
What do you mean by “even photos”? If you are using an app you will likely have a 4×6 image with up to 6 photos. You need to print this as a 4×6 photo. Once you have your 4×6 print, you can cut out the passport photos.
your information is absolutely greatly appreciated. You have saved tons and tons of people money. Where I can click the reaward boss? If you can hightlight it, it will be so much easier.
you’re welcome! which link are you looking for?
Very useful tip, thanks! I got today my photos printed at Walgreens by USD 0.27 each, and they even help me cutting it! Great service at the store.
Nice! Some employees seem to be instructed by management to not print these because it takes away from their expensive passport photo service.
How do you get your 2×2 image to duplicate six times across the 4×6? I have tried to do this at Walgreens and CVS websites and the 2×2 is resized/cropped to fit the 4×6 frame as a single image.
Use one of these apps
Both Walgreens and CVS turned me down when I did it on-line. Both said it was company policy. Goin to try Costco next but I’m expecting the same result.
What exactly did they say and what area were these stores located (what’s is the company policy, no printing passport photos?) I know this is a problem with some locations of a particular chain may say this and other stores not. I would ask to see the company policy if I was faced with that situation, though I doubt they’d be able to produce anything. It may be a case of a real company policy which is just not enforced. I took a look at their terms and conditions and don’t see anything that restricts printing of a 4×6 photo with 2 square images. (see link)
I just went to walmart to pick up my 4×6 photos, 38 cents was suppose to be the total given online when I uploaded them. But they guy wanted to charge me $59.52. He said they looked like passport photos (they were actually citizenship photos, but I said wallet size photos for a business application) so they would charge me 7.44 for each set of 2 passport photos. I had sized them 8 per page for me and my son so 8*7.44. Absolutely ridiculous, I took the photo, spent quite a while sizing them in gimp removing and shadow and printing them at home to measure the chin to crown etc. Walmart can only print 2×2 photos anyway which doesn’t work for any international applications.
There are probably 100s of uses of a 2×2 photo, funny how they just assume its a passport photo so they can charge a crazy price for a single print. Walmart has a home delivery option for just $0.09 per 4×6 print which might be easier. How did you get 38 cents? Pick up in store is 15 cents each, 1hr prints is 19 cents, according to their website.
I worked at Walgreens. I never was told to not print passports done from home. But we were told we were not allowed to cut them into the 2×2 size.
Makes sense. I think some people bring the file into the store and ask the employees to help them print a passport photo…instead of just printing a 4×6 print and cutting it at home.
I just called Costco’s $4.88 for 4 they take them it’s about at 10-15 minute process
It may be useful for readers to know that Walgreens and Riteaid often provide coupons for passport sized photos. Im getting ready to purchase some and found a Riteaid coupon for $2 off.
The Kodak kiosks, like at CVS, Walgreens, and wherever else you use one, make up the prices of the pictures, not the stores themselves. If you click on 2×2, you’re going to get the 2×2 price. It doesn’t matter if it comes out on a 4×6 print, or what you plan on doing with the photo. CVS charges $13.99 for their passport pictures now.
Are you saying if you print a 4×6 they will charge $13.99 if the computer thinks its a passport photo?
Walgreens and CVS now charge 13.99 for passport photos. Ridiculous!
bad experience with walgreen , inexperienced store associate took the snap with poor camara quality . Later thrown out those copies approached another store.
There is a drug store industry wide effort to monetize passport photos and stop customers from trying to bypass this effort. Employees at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and other chains are trained to examine and reject photos that appear to be for identification purposes. The telltale signs are images with a white background, expressionless photos, photos in the 2×2 size or similar sizes that contain multiple near-identical photos, and small orders that are comprised exclusively of identification type photos.
Because chains make an enormous amount of revenue selling passport photos, letting you bypass this with your own prints cuts into this revenue. Employees that have been trained to work in the photo department are told to stop customers from receiving these prints and will reject online orders as well. You must pay the passport photo price. Some stores are understaffed and employee turnover results in poor training so this may be unevenly applied, but the store manager will not be happy if they find out. They are on a mission to kill disruptive apps that threaten a lucrative revenue stream.
What is appalling is that chains often do a very poor job taking photos themselves. They are responsible for a lot of rejected photos, mostly because employees are not well trained to take these photos.
You are better off at AAA or even the post office, where employees are well trained in adhering to government bureaucracy.
Big profits agreed, though seems to work more often than not. Unfortunately AAA locations and hours are not usually convenient. Not all post offices do passport photos and I can’t remember the last time I saw an employee there who cared. And the lines…
just a little confused. i’m having trouble getting all 6 photos on a 4×6. not able to put app on phone therefore attempting to do on laptop. should all 2×2’s be on the 4×6 before i put them on cvs website or i can adjust when i get to the kiosk
Just print the 4×6 at CVS then cut them out. There is nothing to adjust on the kiosk.
Great suggestion. worked out at walgreens. paid 41 cents. order was waiting for me. no hassle. clerk doesn’t even look at order. i took a couple of selfies against a white wall and downloaded on to my hard drive put 5 pics on 4×6 right on their website and order. many other options. no need for kiosk. its egregious how these establishments take advantage of peoples lack of information for the sake of profits. i actually learned a lot. somewhat arduous to figure out but i was determined. thank you so much!
First of all, the best way to find out pricing is CALL your local stores, don’t listen to people online! I manage a portrait studio, and from what I can read on here people don’t understand how seriously precise Passport photos need to be. They need to be specific on so many levels: Photo size, face size, quality, with LOTS of rules and regulations for what WILL and WILL NOT be accepted. Your photo ABSOLUTELY HAS to be taken by a professional Photographer, meaning you cannot just go to a store and print a photo YOU took, and expect it to be accepted. They need to have a stamp on the back of the photo that shows it was someone else who took your photo, and that they are in-altered in any way, shape, or form. PLEASE guys, if you want to find the best pricing and best service for your Passport photos, CALL your local stores!
Jasmine, that is not true. In the United States, you CAN take your own photo. It says so right here on the United States government website. Besides the website saying so, so many people are doing it (including me).
Thanks guys! Super helpful!
Hey guys,
Any of you had this experience that even though the template was accurate (6 photos in 4*6), but the print was actually off centered a bit? It seems that he 4*6 photo was printed slightly off centered, causing the 2*2 photos to turn into 4 of 2*1.9, and 2 of 2*2.1.
This is not the first time this situation happened to me.
Use the PassportBooth format that puts 2 pics on a 4×6. That should solve your problem.
Thank you very much ! It helped me a lot! Stupid this they want $14 box for 2 pictures!
how do you print two images (or more) on one 4×6 print? When I upload the phot, it stretches to the 4×6 format.
Use the app listed in step 1 (click here)
This just basically underline the fact that people are fueled by greed. When a 4×6 cost less than a buck and a passport photo cost about 13x that much, it is a sign the people/business owners know that people need passport photos, so they jack up the price. Next time you see a polite person moving his/her facial muscle, showing their white, artificial veneers, remember that it’s fake. Behind the mask is unprecedented amount of greed and corruption.
Thank you so very much for this info! Getting a passport for the first time and thought I would have to pay $35.00 for just the photos. Your research just bought a dinner on my trip!
Glad to hear it!
There’s a pretty easy work-around for people getting rejected at CVS/Walgreens: Only include 1 or 2 ‘passport photos’ in your 4×6 printout, and fill the rest of the space with other images to make it look like you’re printing photos of a vacation, of your family, or something else. Print a few 4×6 copies with different ‘passport ‘photos’ so then you will only pay ~$1 instead of $13.
It’s not as cheap as the methods you share but… I got my photo taken at Costco and got 4 copies and a 16GB of flash drive that contains a digital copy of my photo for $9.99. They charge $0.17 for extra copies in case you want more. Walgreens wants $17 for only 2 photos and they charge full price again if you want more copies.
Wait, so these places will also take my photo? Or I still have to take my own photo and upload to their site?
Both. Which ever you prefer. I prefer using an app and printing it myself cheaply.
I just submitted a Costco photo order. It is only $0.09 + free shipping. It said $0.17 on the price list but the final checkout page said $0.09.
If you’re an amazon prime member, it is $0.12 + free shipping (4-5 days) on Amazon Photos
3-Feb-20 – I made a big mistake taking my photo formatted to 2″x2″ using Photoshop to Walgreens today thinking the price would be no more than a few dollars. I had never used their photo printing setup and when the employee asked if I needed help I said yes. The passport print-ready photo was downloaded and then the employee proceeded to recenter the photo and wash out the color and brush out the line at the bottom apparently created when moving the image. $14.99 + tax for the two small prints and 8 minutes of the employee’s time. Their price is the same whether I furnish a print ready jpg file or they take the photo. The prior advice of ASK THE PRICE FIRST would have lead to a different outcome. Walgreen’s lost my future business given an available choice.
You didn’t want to try the app which formats it into a 4×6 print?
Sam’s Clubs in MN no longer have photo departments as of 11/01/2019 (don’t know about the rest of the States?). Bummer because they did a nice, inexpensive job with passport photos like Costco.
UPDATE: As of 11/01/2019, all Sam’s Club Photo Centers are permanently closed. Passport photos will no longer be available. – Sams Website