Alternative to Costco Passport Photos
Get your biometric photograph within 3 minutes, with your smartphone, comfortably from home.
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How do our mobile and web apps work?
Snap the perfect biometric passport photo in under 3 minutes!
Find out just how simple it can be!
Take or upload a photo
Use a photo you already have or take a new one. We'll double-check it and make sure it passes all compliance tests.
Get your photo tuned-up by AI
Our AI system will crop, resize, and adjust the background of your image.
Get expert verification
One of our experts will carefully review your passport photo, providing you with feedback in under a minute!
Key benefits of using our passport photo tool
Get comfy at home, grab your phone, and snap a few pictures. End up with a result you’re 100% satisfied with!
Independence
No need to drive or wait in line. Take a photo wherever you are with only your smartphone.
Trusted service
Over a million users worldwide, 18 million photos processed, and thousands of 5-star reviews on TrustPilot.
Professional support
Questions or doubts about your photos? Our photography experts and support agents will be happy to help you out.
Acceptance guarantee
Once you place your order, our AI and human expert will verify your photo to ensure it's 100% compliant.
Passport photo-taking tips
Follow these guidelines to create the perfect passport picture.
Consider the distance
Keep your front-facing camera 16–20 inch (40–50 cm) away from the face. For rear cameras, keep a 4–6 foot (1–2 meter) distance.
Keep your head and body straight
Look directly into the camera and avoid tilting your body. Remember, portrait mode is unacceptable for passport photos.
Prepare good lighting
Take your passport photos in a daylight setting, like near a window on a sunny day. Shadows on your face or in the background are not permitted.
US passport photo services at Costco
Size
2x2 in
Resolution
301 dpi
Is it suitable for online submission?
Yes
Is it printable?
Yes
Background Color
White
Image definition parameters
Head height: 1.29 in
Bottom of the Photo to the Eye Line: 1.18 in
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Karolina is a seasoned legal expert with a Master of Law and legal advisor credentials, specializing in passport photo compliance. She ensures adherence to international standards set by entities like the US Department of State and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Equipped with her advocate license and extensive legal background, she brings a unique blend of legal acumen and technical knowledge. Her expertise is pivotal in navigating the intricate and rigorous standards set by key global authorities. Her approach, marked by meticulous attention to detail and a deep understanding of international law, ensures stringent adherence to the evolving passport and visa photo regulations worldwide.
Your Ultimate Guide to Passport Photos From Costco
Ever since the closure of all in-store Costco photo centers, customers have been in a dilemma about where to get their passport photos taken.
Adding to the challenge, even the online photo center that Costco members could use has now been replaced by Shutterfly, an independent photo service.
However, there's a bright side—there still exists a method for Costco members to print 2 compliant US passport photos on a single 4x6” template.
Costco compared to Walmart & PhotoAiD®
Now that Costco has moved its passport photo services to an online platform (managed by Shutterfly.com), Walmart stands as the only physical big-box store providing passport photo services.
Here's a comparison table of passport photo services that compete with Costco:
| Costco | Walmart | PhotoAiD® | |
| Appointment required | No | No | No |
| Working hours | Shutterfly.com is accessible 24/7 | avg. 7:00 am–8:30 pm | 24/7 |
| Availability by today | No | Yes | Digital only |
| Digital passport photo available | No | No | Yes |
| Home delivery | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Acceptance guarantee | No | No | Yes + a money-back guarantee |
| Price | Printing & shipping from $2.69–$20.19 + the cost of the digital photo | $7.44 | $13.95 (digital) $16.95 (printed photos + delivery included) |
Passport photos at Costco—service details
Despite the fact that Costco and Shutterfly no longer offer passport photo services to Costco members, you can still print passport photos through Shutterfly with this nifty workaround.
To do so, follow these steps:
- Use PhotoAiD® to take your passport photos and place them on a 4x6” passport photo template (saved as a JPEG file).
- Upload the digital template to Shutterfly’s website (account creation required).
- Print the template as a regular 4x6” photo and opt for delivery to your chosen address (in-store pick-up at Costco is not possible).
Note: Free delivery from Shutterfly requires a minimum order of $49.00.
How much does it cost to get passport photos at Costco?
Since Costco has stopped providing passport photos in-house or digitally, you will need to use a third-party service like Shutterfly to print your passport photos and a 4x6” template with a passport photo superimposed on it.
PhotoAiD® offers such a template for $13.95.
However, you will still be responsible for the printing and delivery fees charged by Shutterfly.
The cost to print one 4x6 photo is 20 cents through Shutterfly.
Here are the shipping options:
- $2.49 for economy shipping (usually around 7–9 business days)
- $4.99 for standard shipping
- $11.99 for expedited shipping
- $19.99 for rush shipping
Note: Delivery times for each shipping option are estimated during checkout.
Adding everything up, even with the cheapest option, you’re paying almost $17.00 for 2 passport photos—with double the delivery time of PhotoAiD® biometric photos.
Where can you get passport photos at Costco?
Even though Costco no longer offers passport photo services in-store or online, you can still get Costco-quality passport pictures with PhotoAiD® and your electronic device’s camera.
Nevertheless, you may want to visit a warehouse for the retailer’s legendary savings on thousands of items. To find your nearest location, simply type “Costco near me” into your preferred search engine or visit their store locator page.
Sources:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html
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