Is Walgreens the Cheapest Option For Passport Photos?

passport photo

What’s the Story Behind The Walgreens Passport Photo?

There are many places where you can get passport-sized photos printed if you need to renew your passport photo or if you need passport-sized photos for another reason. Given that you can get piles of photos printed for as little as the cost of shipping these days, you might think a passport photo or two would be inexpensive as well. Unfortunately, many places, such as popular drugstores, overcharge instead. We look at some of your options for getting a passport photo (including Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS) to see which is currently the cheapest. We also consider the do-it-yourself option, which is becoming increasingly popular.

What are The Official Photo Requirements for Passports?

With your passport application, you must include one colour photo that is 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in size and is printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper. It must be recent (within the last 6 months) and taken in front of a plain white or off-white background. There are a few more official requirements, which you can read about here on US Passports & International Travel.

Is Walgreens the Cheapest Option for Passport Photos?

No, it does not.

In-store, Walgreens charges a whopping $13.99 for two photos and offers same-day pickup at select locations. You might be lucky enough to find a discount voucher in your local newspaper to get them for $5, but otherwise, this is a very expensive option. CVS Photo sells a set for $12.99 in-store, but they usually have a $2 off coupon here all year. But it’s still a rip-off!

You can make your own passport photos online with Walmart and pick them up in one hour, or you can have them taken in-store as usual. Even if you do the majority of the work yourself, it costs $7.96 for two photos!

The Do It Yourself Option You are permitted to take your own passport photograph, but you must adhere to the same rules. Your photo must be scanned at 300 pixels per inch resolution (12 pixels per millimeter). You can upload your photo to the Department of State’s free photo tool, then resize or crop it and save it to your computer to print later. Your photos are only a few cents each!

Is There Anything Else I Should know About Walgreens Passport Photos?

PerfectPassportPhotos is clearly the clear winner among the store options listed here, though if you’re not a member, the Walmart tool is significantly less expensive than getting photos done at CVS or Walgreens. However, printing your own is unquestionably the way to go!

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