How Much Does a Passport Photo Cost at Walgreens?

Published on July 19, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 13 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

A Walgreens passport photo is a retail-counter service for travelers who need printed ID photos before mailing or filing passport paperwork.

Walgreens Photo sells the counter service, the U.S. Department of State sets the passport-photo rules, and USPS, CVS Photo, Walmart Photo, FedEx Office, and AAA Northeast are the nearest substitute channels readers may compare. The fee decision turns on four entities: the photo counter, the acceptance facility, the federal passport agency, and the applicant who may need a printed pair, a digital file, or both.

As of July 2026, Walgreens lists $16.99 for two printed 2 by 2 photos, a free emailed digital copy, in-store-only ordering, no appointment, and no passport acceptance through its store-service details.

The useful unit is one two-photo set per applicant. The receipt can change with local sales tax, a USB copy, a second applicant, or a switch from printed photos to a digital-upload path for online renewal.

The bill covers photo capture, face framing, compliance analysis, and photo-paper output. It does not cover federal passport application fees, the USPS or local-facility acceptance fee, delivery, expedited passport processing, or a second store trip if the photo is rejected.

TL;DR: Walgreens charges $16.99 for two printed passport photos, and the main money question is whether you need counter capture or only a compliant print.

How Much Does a Passport Photo Cost at Walgreens?

Jump to sections

• Base: $16.99 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 34 minutes, before taxes) for two Walgreens passport photos and an emailed digital copy, a figure matched by an independent 2025 check.
• Competing counter price: USPS lists a $15.00 photo fee at Post Offices that provide photo service, separate from its $35.00 acceptance fee in the photo-service fee lines.
• Print-only low: Walmart Photo lists $7.64 for a pair of printed passport or visa photos through a printed photo order.
• Passport fees are separate: an adult first-time passport book is $130 plus a $35 facility acceptance fee as of 2026 on the adult passport fee schedule.

What you’re actually buying

A Walgreens passport photo is a retail photo-counter service for people who need an image that matches U.S. passport rules. The store employee takes the picture, frames the face, uses a plain background, and prints the result in the passport-photo format used for paper applications. Walgreens is not the passport agency, and the photo service does not file the application or collect government passport fees.

The closest substitutes are a post office or acceptance facility that can take the photo during an appointment, a competing retail photo counter such as CVS or FedEx Office, or a DIY image printed elsewhere. Walgreens differs from a home-print route because the store handles capture and print format in one stop.

Photo Center line items

The posted Walgreens figure pays for the photo-counter work, not just paper. A staff member takes the image, checks the framing, prints two 2 by 2 inch copies, and can send the digital copy by email. The main hidden cost is local sales tax, which is not a national Walgreens number. In a place with 8% sales tax, the math is $16.99 (about 34 minutes at $30 per hour) times 0.08, or $1.36, bringing the receipt to about $18.35 before any store-specific add-on.

Watch the difference between passport-photo service and ordinary photo prints. Regular print coupons can cut the price of snapshots, but that does not mean the staffed passport-photo service will ring up as a standard 4 by 6 print. If you already have a compliant image, a print-only path may cost less. If you need Walgreens to take and crop the picture, the counter service is the clean comparison. A related look at Meijer photo pricing shows why passport photos should be compared as a separate product, not mixed with gift prints or basic snapshots.

Walgreens vs USPS, CVS, Walmart

Walgreens sits between several named retail counter prices checked in July 2026. CVS lists $17.99 (about 36 minutes at $30 per hour) for passport photos in its posted CVS price, and FedEx Office lists $15.95 for two 2 inch by 2 inch passport photos in printed and digital formats. Against those, Walgreens at $16.99 is $1.00 lower than CVS and $1.04 higher than FedEx Office.

The cheaper number is not always the better errand. USPS may be the stronger trip if you are filing a first-time application because the same building may handle the acceptance appointment and the photo. Walmart may be the cheaper choice if you already have a compliant image and only need printed copies. A nearby UPS Store may be another retail counter to check, and the service logic is similar to a local UPS passport photo errand.

Provider	Posted passport-photo price	Best fit
Walgreens	$16.99	Photo taken and printed at a pharmacy counter
USPS	$15.00	Photo paired with a passport acceptance appointment
CVS	$17.99	Another pharmacy-counter option nearby
Walmart Photo	$7.64	Lower print price when the image is already ready
FedEx Office	$15.95	Print-shop counter with printed and digital formats

Store access, retakes

A buyer should treat store access as a local photo-counter question. The store finder helps, but a quick call is safer when the passport appointment is close. Pharmacy hours and photo-counter service hours may not match at every location.

Retakes matter because the photo must pass government review. The State Department says printed passport photos must be 2 by 2 inches, the head must measure 1 inch to 1.4 inches, and the image must be on glossy or matte photo-quality paper under its 2 by 2 inch photo rules. Babies and children add friction because a small head turn, closed eyes, uneven lighting, or a parent’s hand in the image can send the applicant back for another attempt. The value is strongest when the clerk has time to retake the shot before you leave.

Printed photos vs digital renewal photos

A printed Walgreens pair fits paper applications and many mail-in situations. Online renewal is different. The State Department’s digital-photo instructions say online renewal applicants upload one color photo taken in the last 6 months, saved as JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF, with a file size between 54 KB and 10 MB under its online renewal upload rules.

That distinction changes the value of Walgreens. The emailed image may help in some situations, but the buyer still needs to confirm that the file is acceptable for the specific online process. Do not scan a printed Walgreens photo to make a digital file. The State Department says scanned physical photos are not allowed for online renewal. For a traveler who is eligible for online renewal and has a good phone camera, the cheaper workflow may be digital-first, then print only if a paper copy is later needed.

Three Walgreens buyer paths

Budget path: an adult already has a compliant image and needs only printed copies. That person should compare Walgreens counter service with a print-only order at Walmart or another photo lab. The tradeoff is time versus savings. If the image is slightly off, the cheaper print can become a wasted trip.

Standard path: an adult walks into Walgreens, has the photo taken, gets two printed copies, and pays the posted counter price plus tax. This is the cleanest Walgreens use case because the photo-counter employee controls the camera distance, the crop, and the print output. The savings compared with CVS are only $1.00, calculated from $17.99 minus $16.99, so the closer store wins for many buyers.

Higher-friction path: a child, infant, or rushed applicant may need extra counter time. The posted fee can still be the same, but the real cost is the risk of leaving with a photo that fails review. If the applicant needs the same errand to include printing shipping labels or large documents, a retail print shop may fit better. A broader look at FedEx Office printing shows how those store visits can bundle document tasks with photo work.

A worked total

Take a first-time adult applying for a passport book in person and choosing Walgreens for the photo. The photo line starts at $16.99. The federal passport book application fee is $130, and the separate acceptance-facility fee is $35. Before local tax on the Walgreens photo, the arithmetic is $16.99 plus $130 plus $35, or $181.99.

Add the earlier 8% tax illustration on the Walgreens photo, and the photo tax adds about $1.36. That brings this modeled total to about $183.35. The photo is only about 9.3% of that pre-tax passport errand, since $16.99 divided by $181.99 equals 0.093. The fee split matters because saving a few dollars on photos will not offset choosing expedited passport processing or a paid delivery option.

When Walgreens is the sensible counter

Walgreens makes the most sense when the traveler wants a same-day staffed photo and does not want to manage sizing at home. It is also practical when the store is on the way to a passport acceptance appointment or a pharmacy pickup. It is weaker when the applicant is renewing online, already has a compliant digital image, or can pair the passport appointment with USPS photo service.

Makes sense if

• You need two printed passport photos today and the local Walgreens photo counter is open.
• You want the store to handle face framing, crop, and photo-paper output.
• Your application packet needs printed photos rather than a pure digital upload.
• You are already making a Walgreens trip and the extra stop would cost time elsewhere.

Doesn’t make sense if

• You only need a digital file for an eligible online renewal.
• You already have a properly sized image and can use a cheaper print-only order.
• Your USPS appointment can handle the photo and the application in one visit.
• The applicant is a baby and the store is busy enough that retakes may be hard.

Checks before you leave the counter

Inspect the pair before paying or before leaving the store. The face should be centered, the background should be plain white or off-white, the eyes should be open, and there should be no glasses, headphones, hats, shadows, creases, smudges, visible printer dots, or obvious blur. Small defects can matter because passport photo review is strict.

Ask the clerk for a retake if the image is too dark, the chin-to-head height looks wrong, or the shoulders are not squared to the camera. Good counter service also includes catching problems before the passport packet is mailed or handed to an acceptance agent. For Walgreens, that is the real reason to pay more than a print-only option.

Article Highlights

• Walgreens lists passport photos at $16.99 for two printed copies with an emailed digital copy.
• USPS and FedEx Office sit slightly lower on posted photo price, while CVS sits slightly higher.
• Walmart Photo can be much cheaper when you already have a compliant image and only need prints.
• The passport application fees are separate and much larger than the photo charge.
• For online renewal, a digital-photo workflow may be the better fit than a printed Walgreens pair.

Answers to Common Questions

Does Walgreens take passport photos without an appointment?

Walgreens lists passport photos as an in-store service with no appointment needed. Store-level availability can still depend on whether that location has an open photo counter at the time you arrive.

How many passport photos do you get at Walgreens?

The Walgreens service includes two printed passport photos. The company also says a digital copy is sent by email with the purchase.

Is Walgreens cheaper than CVS for passport photos?

Based on posted prices checked in July 2026, Walgreens at $16.99 is $1.00 less than CVS at $17.99.

Can Walgreens handle a baby passport photo?

Walgreens says it offers passport photos for babies and children. Parents should allow time for retakes because eyes, head position, shadows, and background problems are harder with infants.

Does Walgreens file the passport application?

No. Walgreens sells the photo service. Passport filing, acceptance fees, federal application fees, and renewal eligibility are handled through the State Department, USPS, or another acceptance facility.