A US passport photo costs $15 at a post office, $16.99 at Walgreens, and $17.99 at CVS (prices read on October 19, 2026). Each price is for two 2 × 2 inch prints. If you take the photo at home, you pay only for one 4 × 6 print, or nothing if you renew online.
The photo fee is not part of the passport fee. The State Department says: “Acceptance facilities and photo vendors charge different fees for taking your photo.” Below is what each option costs and what you get for the money.
Prices compared
| Where | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Post office (USPS) | $15.00 | The “Post Office photo fee”. Many locations can also take a digital photo, “provided on a USB drive”, for a fee |
| Walgreens | $16.99 | Two printed photos, and a digital copy by email at no extra charge |
| CVS | $17.99 | Two 2 × 2 inch prints. A digital copy by email costs $3.99 more |
| At home, with a friend or family member | The price of one 4 × 6 print | Two 2 × 2 inch photos on one sheet, if you crop them to size yourself |
| Online renewal | No photo cost | You upload a photo from your phone. The application lets you crop it and runs a basic check |
| PassPose | Free check, $9.99 to download | A 4 × 6 print sheet and a digital file, cropped to the official size |
Prices can differ from store to store. Other stores with a photo counter also take passport photos. Call before you go, because not every location offers the service.
Can you take the photo yourself?
Yes. The State Department lists three places to get the photo: “An acceptance facility that will take a photo when you apply for your passport”, “Any company that offers photo services”, and “A friend or family member”. A photo from home is fine if it meets every photo rule.
The two rules that fail most often at home are the head size and shadows. The guide to a photo at home shows how to set up the wall, the light, and the phone.
The cheapest way: one 4 × 6 print
- Take the photo at home, against a plain white or off-white wall.
- Crop it so the photo is 2 × 2 inches and the head is 1 to 1⅜ inches. The size guide gives the numbers.
- Put two photos on one 4 × 6 inch sheet, and order one 4 × 6 print at a photo counter. Turn off any automatic crop.
- Cut along the lines, and check the size with a ruler.
The crop is the hard part. If the head is too large or too small, the photo is rejected: “Photos that are taken too close or too far away will be rejected.”
Renewing online: you need a file, not a print
The online renewal takes a photo file from your device. The State Department says: “You can reposition or crop your photo in the application. The photo tool will check if your photo meets the basic requirements.” You do not need to buy prints. Do not take a photo of a printed photo: “Do not take a photo of a printed photo or scan a physical photo to make a digital file.”
If you get your photo at a store, ask for the digital copy. Walgreens includes it, and CVS charges extra. Details are on the online renewal photo page.
When a store photo is the better choice
- You have no plain white wall or sheet, and no one to hold the phone.
- You need the prints today and you have no photo counter near you.
- You apply at a post office that takes photos. Then the photo and the application take one visit.
The cost of a rejected photo
The State Department says: “Unacceptable photos are the number one reason why we put passport applications on hold.” A rejected photo costs more than the photo: you send a new one and wait longer for your passport. Check the photo against the rules before you print or upload it, wherever you get it. A passport photo checker finds the common problems, such as shadows and the head size.
What PassPose costs
The check, the preview, and retakes are free. You pay $9.99 once to download the photo, as a 4 × 6 print sheet and as a file to upload. PassPose only crops and resizes the photo. It does not edit it. If an office rejects a photo that passed our check, you get a full refund (see the terms).
Sources: usps.com, Passports. Walgreens Photo, Passport and Visa Photos. CVS Photo, Passport Photos. Prices read on October 19, 2026. travel.state.gov, Passport Photos (updated March 24, 2026) and travel.state.gov, Uploading a Digital Photo (updated May 4, 2026), read on October 19, 2026.