@@alexlundwall5745they charged you for the picture? Lol the poat office charges their own processing fee for sending the app but n3ver heard of them charging for the pic..
Wow mine was free too at the local post office i was wondering why he’s talking about an app that requires you to pay to print it when you can just go to local post office to get the photo
Here in Canada, the photo has to be stamped and signed by a registered dealer who is attesting that the photo is actually who it is after checking your ID.
In Finland as well, its almost 50 USD and you have to go to a pre aproved photo studio that sends the photo to the police that process the application for passport or drivers license.
The US passport system is much more complex than the photo. Once you have an appropriate photo, you send it to the department of state with all sorts of documentation to prove who you are, before they send back the passport. They don't need a verified photo, because they can verify it themselves
@@spelldaddy5386 the video was on the photo part. In all EU countries, as the passport is basically a green card to 30 countries, they require fingerprints and previous passport presented at a passport interview, before they issue a new one. 200 USD every 5 years. It is a hassel in most countries.
@@TheMiklawHah, sucks to be finnish I suppose, here in Estonia I can take the photo at the police station photo booth for free. Jostain syystä suomen hallitus rakastaa pitää yllä paskoja järjestelmiä.
My wife renewed her US Passport last summer and they gave instructions on how to take and print your own photo. We just used her phone, took a shot of her head in front of a white wall and printed it out on standard printer paper.
Go to the post office...they do them for free. Literally no cost to you. If no post office, then try your local police, sheriff's office, or state police HQ. But of those the post office is likely closet to the vast majority.
I did the same thing. Walgreens realized what I was using the photos for so they asked if I wanted them cut out for passport photos. Didn’t charge me a cent more. 😄
As a former cvs employee, thats what cvs does prints 2 x 2 passport photo on a 4 x 6 and cuts it out with a stamping dye cutter. Finally pple know this hack 😅. RIP cvs
I think you aren't allowed to do that anywhere. That's why it's dumb of him to show such a goofy photo in the video, could be very misleading for people who don't know about that.
Ok as someone who works in an immigration firm and does Canadian passport applications on the regular (even tho it is rediculous to pay a lawyer for a passport) our clients pay us because their application would be rejected otherwise. The photos have to be very specific. The reason to charge 17$ for a photo is that ur paying for it to be done right. The issue is that they very often are not done right at cvs or Walgreens so the cost is rediculous. But, as an example, those photos would obviously be rejected and u wouldn’t know until you submit it. U can save a lot of money by just reading the specifications and doing it yourself. However, if u don’t match the specifications you will have wasted time and money and end up paying someone to do it
I took a selfie on my iPhone and uploaded it to my country (New Zealand)’s passport website for approval, and after 4 weeks it got approved, so yee, iPhone selfie works for us
Thank you! I need to get passports for my 4 kids and renewals for my husband and I. You just saved me close to $100. My post office wanted $15 each and Walmart/CVS was $17.
Where I live, the Passport photo is taken at the agency that issues passports. Similar to when you go for a Driver’s license. So the cost of the photo would be included with the passport, in some way, if not free. My US Visa, on the other hand, I took it in my room, and uploaded it. I do have photography equipment, so it is the same as if I took it at a studio. A couple bucks saved. 🤣
Funny enough, getting a passport is free of charge, but you have to wait about a month for it to be issued to you. Else, you can pay additionally anywhere between 5-50$, depending on how fast you want your passport. 50$ is for next day release.
I'm not exactly know for other countries, but in Chile you have to go to the same place where you get your ID. They will take the picture right there and at the end, the complete process of requesting the passport takes about 15 minutes, between signing, the picture and giving all the personal information for validation (which is mostly biometrical data).
I’m good to go we have a white paint wall, perfect for the white background passport photos. Thank you so much for helping others. I think people should be grateful for what you do rather than criticize. I needed 9 2x2 photos for the family & this adds up quickly if I’ll pay that $17.00 so thanks so much for sharing your video. You’re always a great help to me and please keep doing what you’re doing because people like me truly appreciates you.
When cvs inevitably Messes up your photo and the courthouse says they won't work (and retakes them), you can get a refund from CVS for not getting usable photos
Or, Get this, I can retake the photo on my phone and spend another 29 cents. Or, I'll get it right the first time because I'm not a fool who will spend 25 dollars to take a simple photograph with very easy guidelines.
In Norway you just take the photo at the police station when applying for a passport lol. But if you need an emergency passport you just bring it yourself. Doesn't have to be from a registered photographer, you can just do it yourself.
Just so you know, if you take a photo like the one you showed, your passport will get denied. They are very strict on how the photo looks. I know that because I print them
The drugstore who usually did mine charges 15 for digital and 20 for physical and then charged me 35 when i wanted both (the same photo) since then i just take my and the famalies pictures with my camera and just print it. Minus shipment less then 20 cents per 8 fotos. If you do it yourself just keep in mind some administrativs regulate the way your passphoto has to look just make sure beforehand on your local goverment website if there are guidlines on proportions/facial expressions etc
Passport photos are like $12 around here, but I've been using a similar hack since forever. I just take a picture with my phone, crop it, lay it out in Photoshop (or GIMP if you don't have access to Ps), then transfer the composite picture to my phone and head to the nearest Staples. Government has a very clear list of specs for the pictures and they're easy to follow.
You could get an app, find a white background, get the lighting set up right, snap the photo with your camera, and get a printer and photo paper to print it yourself. I tried doing that, and the cost to produce an acceptable photo went way over 17 bucks.
Yeah, I just took my own as well. The head size Hass to be a specific size for the passport photo so I just got a white blanket in the background and took about five different photos from different camera links. Cost me $1.50 to print everything and one of the photos worked.
In the UK they let you take your passport photo on your phone (given quality is good enough), you just have to send it off to be approved, you can also get them done in photo booths for a small fee.
As a CVS employee I will say that this is a good idea if you take the photo properly. All the time though, I have people come in trying to print that four by six photo and their passports look terrible and I know the government is not going to pass it. Wrong background, weird angle etc. Have someone ELSE take the photo of you in front of a white background or hang up a white sheet and take photo further away than you need at eye level. No smiling, no glasses, no professional uniforms.
Some people tried it when I worked at Walgreens, it usually messed up the pics because of how the printers cut the pics, but still, I'd say it works lol.
In the uk though the background has to be perfectly white, which you cannot guarantee with this unless you have a white background in your house. You will also need cool lightning as well otherwise the background will look yellowish instead of white
International students: Im Albanian going to the USA and things here coat less, 4 photoes are like 3 Euro, so a smarter tip for best resolution and best precision in cutting is to do it in your own hometown if it is cheaper, take like 10-12 2x2's and put them in your bags. They take 0 space and will save you time and money. Its better not to do it at home, as you will not always find a good background or perfect lighting.
Also make lots of copies of your documents (I20, DS-160, SEVIS fee) in case they get ruined or lost, the USA is big and you dont know how far the closest printer is to you.
Post office gets it done free in Wisconsin 🤷🏼 I’m sure it varies state by state for price but I’m pretty certain you can get your passport in any state
For the US, if you cant make it to the PO with your family, use this. Try not to smile, no heavy make up, use a white backdrop, pull hair away from face etc . Since we have to turn them in in-person by appointment to get new ones( not renewals ) they could be denied by whoever is going over is checking your info. But this app is good !
I used to take passport photos at Walgreens and that's literally what we're doing anyway! You're paying for them to take the picture and cut it for you (like 1 minute max). Just take your own! They don't do anything special, I promise
Some Asian countries "Physical Passport Photo" had gone into history, we taking photo by the officer during submission form at the counter, there's HD camera attached, then it will printed on our passport.
You can 100 percent take a picture on your phone and print it at home. It needs to be 2 inches by 2 inches. That’s what I did. I had no issue getting a passport.
If you think that is rediculess. In the Netherlands if you want your driver's license you have get a "health check". It costs €41 and you have to fill in a forum (witch you can easily lie on). And after saying no to everything you can now take your practice exam.
In Slovakia, you go to the passport/ID office where they take your passport photo/fingerprints, etc and you get your new password within 2 days / 10 days or 30 days (depending on which option you choose). Having to take/post/bring an actual photo sounds like a waste of time 🤷♂️ You don't need a physical photo when it is all printed right into your passport. They don't glue it in, lol it's part of that hard page of your passport. We stopped using these photos over 15 years ago
Outside of the US there are strict rules about how the photo should be set up. Background, positioning, facial expression and so on. Smiling - which is common on US passports - is a big no no. When submitting your passport application the systems will check if the picture is compliant. Not saying that you can’t use this app but it will be very tricky to get everything right.
As someone that used to work at CVS, the price for a passport photo is ridiculous. But it’s done biometrically where it checks every requirement for a passport photo (no smile, no jewelry, clear black ground….etc) and you hand cut the 2x2 into perfect squares. The reason why the prices is so high is because of the service, not the product itself. You can do this for free in some places. It doesn’t justify the prices but then again it’s CVS so everything is expensive
I used to work at a photo center and took passport photos. We had a special program we had to run the photos through to guarantee they met legal criteria. People were welcome to bring their own photo and print them… but there are standards the photo must meet
In Germany, you can basically photograph yourself in front of a white wall and get it printed out. Or go to the photographer. Or pay 1€ for a photograph machine.
Quick tip for those that don’t know, if you pay for a AAA membership (gold and above I believe) you get a certain amount of free passport photos per year.
I work at CVS as a shift manager. Rule number 1 of passport photos. No smiling. It also prints with a certificate of authenticity. I also have to be the one taking the photo usually, and it takes time, so yeah, 17$. Also, unless you have perfect measurements, you're not gonna be able to measure your 2x2 perfectly. We have a special 2x2 cutter that we use because if it's not perfectly 2x2, your photo will get rejected. This is a useful tip for other id photos that dont have to have those specific requirements like the passport photo. We do other id photos that are 17$ but they have less restrictions so ill actually tell people to do exactly this. Just take a picture at our stores white background and then print it off on a 4x6 and cut it up.
Yeah it’s insane. There’s not any special paper that it prints in either. It’s like they’re charging extra for the service, but the employees don’t see anything extra on their check.
from what i know in lithuania to get a passport thing u gotta wait like a month (50eur) and if u want it in a week or something its 100-200 eur so uh be grateful u americans (correct me if im wrong its only what ive read about on google as a person who was born in lithuania)
Um - I’m 🇨🇦 and we need to have the back stamped and signed with a license number by the photographer. Usually the locally pharmacy but they need to be formatted in such a way and stamped. The white border needs to be a certain size. Not that any of this stuff can’t be duplicated by you if you try, buts it’s not worth the cost really.
You need to be further from the background or light it separately. Your house will have too much directional light. At CVS they have flourescents everywhere so the lighting is flat with minimal shadows.
They took my photo at the office when I dropped off my application, and it was free. I know not every passport office does that but the US has a website where you can see all the offices near you, whether it's appointment only or not, and if they take photos on site
Here you have to take the photo at the passport office, with a special machine in front of an officer. This helps making the passports more secure. The machine also records your fingerprints and your retina into the passport. When i was a kid, my mom chose to take us to a photographer to take our passport photos, instead of the little photo boots at the police station. It maybe costed 5 times as much, but it would assure she got good photos on the first try. They had become stricter about expression, and getting toddlers to sit still with a blank expression is difficult.
In my country 6 passport photos are about $2 US (because printer ink is expensive here ) but that's for the embassies. getting your passport costs $1 US, and the passport office takes the photo for you. A passport is a Citizen's right, not a luxury. All we pay is to cover the paper cost.
I work at a place where we charge people 21.99$ for pass photos and visas. Yea 21.99 is alot but 1. You get 2 set. 2. It's done by someone who is tought how to take a proper pass photo, who has resolution in the cam high enough to satisfy the pass office, stamped with date stamp instead of hand written, stamped with a location stamp with full address proving this photo was not just taken by any photographer it was taken by a professional, and has a proper line and space for a gurantor signature. Idk about you but waiting 10 days for your passport is alot, and I would pay the extra to save sometime in the chance it gets rejected. what makes this extra is the fact that you don't need any of that really, you can do it by yourself but some people want the extra reassurance that this passport phot IS going to work out. it's like having a 50% chance or lower but having the option to spend 20 and increase it by 50%. If you have an old phone then the resolution ain't satisfactory I can promise that and instead of paying a photographer 10$ to quick take this photo, you pay the 10 extra get yours done and get insurance it will get accepted with refunds and retakes if it gets rejected which it shouldn't from a legitimate business.
In singapore you can just use the photo ID apps, and upload them to the portal for approval. If it’s rejected. Just do it again. No charge what so ever. Except for the passport renewal of course.
Well except you don’t get the stamp at the back which tells the passport office when it was taken, as they required photo to be taken within 6 months. At least for Canadian passport and it is required to have stamp for visas as well, at least for some countries.
I went to my local city Administration office and had it done and I didn't have to screw around with the internet. A lot of the other stuff you talk about is good but this one is plus trouble 4 old people😂
At CVS or Walgreens the employee actually takes your photo using a white background in the store, thats why its $17. Their software also validates the photo, if the employee does it right you should have a valid pic 99 out of 100 times.
Since they need a digital photo anyway, townhalls in Germany now have a photo booth. You can still bring your own, hoping it is good enough, but you can also take a photo there (and the machine will tell you if it isn't good enough). Costs €2,- _
OK its way easier in the UK if you're doing it online. You use your own phone camera. Upload it and they will check it to see if it passes. No cost no hassle.
They piloted an entirely online renewal process where I just uploaded a picture I took of myself which they accepted and got my passport within like a week. Hope they bring it back because it worked really well.
I think the reason why you have to have your passport photo taken by a professional is because it’s for a passport (which is your ID) and need to ensure it’s a pic of you (and not altered in any way). It’s like a notary for pics.
Please do this, this ain’t even cvs but Kodak and we are forced to take extra time doing the whole process which can be as fast as 5 mins to 20 mins depending on the exact situation, we unfortunately can’t cut them for you as we can get in trouble for damaging a customers belonging, but you can cut them at home or use the cutter yourself, we can’t stop you, specially if you have kids that don’t understand not to move around while we are taking the picture, please just do this or bring your own picture most times we have 1 or 2 peeps on shift and we already got a full schedule and list to comply, and still try to be nice taking an extra 20 mins to help even tho we gotta rush to get other stuff done, sure part of the job, but corporate still expect stuff to be done like there are 4 employees on shift when they give enough hours for 1 or 2 if lucky
Weird, in my country, the people at the Foreign affairs office are the ones who takes the photo. Picture is printed on the passport together with your details. You only pay for the passport.
Problem is that you can’t print your picture on a regular sheet of copy paper. CVS is convenient to get what I need in 10 min. Unless you are able to have a printer that prints on photo paper.
Not that I agree with having to pay $17 but that money is honestly for editing and redos. I used to get orders like this all the time and majority of the time these apps were a waste of time and potentially money. Because of all the rules for a passport photos ie. White background, no shadows, no glasses, clear and in focus, no big smiles, heads off center, the sizing would be wrong, etc. It also doesn't take into account different countries sizing requirements. People would still have to get their passports photos taken with us almost everytime or come back when it was inevitably rejected.
Try getting decals just because the year change. Decals more than what’s your car worth. Inspection stickers every single month. $20 per month. That’s $240 more. 😅
Yeah just don't forget there shouldn't be a shadow on the back, no glasses, hair behind ears, no hat, no reflection on the glasses... printing them etc. Btw all should be sharp! Which most default phone settings fail to do so.
I went to my local post office and paid exactly $0.00 including tax. LMAO
I had mine done at the post office and they charged me $40 so CVS selling them for $17 seemed like a good deal.
@@alexlundwall5745they charged you for the picture? Lol the poat office charges their own processing fee for sending the app but n3ver heard of them charging for the pic..
Wow mine was free too at the local post office i was wondering why he’s talking about an app that requires you to pay to print it when you can just go to local post office to get the photo
@@joshuatsai9668 Maybe it's big city Post Offices that charge? Mine was a smallish rural PO. 🤷♂🤷♂
My postoffice also charges
Here in Canada, the photo has to be stamped and signed by a registered dealer who is attesting that the photo is actually who it is after checking your ID.
In Finland as well, its almost 50 USD and you have to go to a pre aproved photo studio that sends the photo to the police that process the application for passport or drivers license.
The US passport system is much more complex than the photo. Once you have an appropriate photo, you send it to the department of state with all sorts of documentation to prove who you are, before they send back the passport. They don't need a verified photo, because they can verify it themselves
@@spelldaddy5386 the video was on the photo part. In all EU countries, as the passport is basically a green card to 30 countries, they require fingerprints and previous passport presented at a passport interview, before they issue a new one. 200 USD every 5 years. It is a hassel in most countries.
@@TheMiklawHah, sucks to be finnish I suppose, here in Estonia I can take the photo at the police station photo booth for free. Jostain syystä suomen hallitus rakastaa pitää yllä paskoja järjestelmiä.
I guess he is talking about passport size photo and not photos for passport. If it's photos for passport, it's not that expensive.
They take your photo for free at the post office, at least when I went.
Only for adults 18 or older, kids will still have to take the photo at cvs or somewhere else
@@realistboiI got my photo taken at the post office when I was 15
@@realistboinah when I was 16 I did it at the post office
Same at libraries where I live
He's lying anyway. Passports last 10 years. He said he's used it multiple times since 2015. But that means dude has only used it once lmao
Last time I needed a passport renewal, Costco still had the photo center and it was $5... I'll probably have to use that app next time in a few years.
My wife renewed her US Passport last summer and they gave instructions on how to take and print your own photo. We just used her phone, took a shot of her head in front of a white wall and printed it out on standard printer paper.
I took the photo myself.
The photo center is dead😢
Go to the post office...they do them for free. Literally no cost to you. If no post office, then try your local police, sheriff's office, or state police HQ. But of those the post office is likely closet to the vast majority.
I cant agree that it is the biggest rip off when there are paintings which look horrible being sold for millions
Except art is subjective. Cost is not.
The rich use that as a tax write off.
Yeah like the mona lisa looks horriiiiiiible
Thay use it for tax evasion
@@PsychGirlRaven No no no he's right, there are arts that is literally garbage and still sold for millions
I did the same thing. Walgreens realized what I was using the photos for so they asked if I wanted them cut out for passport photos. Didn’t charge me a cent more. 😄
Can't do that here in Canada, it must be produced by a professional photographer, have to have the photographer sign/stamp it.
Similar thing in Australia too I think
Who asked?
@@luvethan9931 Ohhhh we have a comedian here, just shut up
@@luvethan9931 clearly you if you have to say “who asked?”
@tacticooltroopers6567 nope you can do it yourself and print at officrworks or something.
As a former cvs employee, thats what cvs does prints 2 x 2 passport photo on a 4 x 6 and cuts it out with a stamping dye cutter. Finally pple know this hack 😅. RIP cvs
You aren't allowed to smile on passport photos here in Germany. No joke!
Can't here in the states either
You aren't allowed anywhere I don't think
I think you aren't allowed to do that anywhere.
That's why it's dumb of him to show such a goofy photo in the video, could be very misleading for people who don't know about that.
@@Minecraftrok999”I think” yeah I’m sure you do, but you’re wrong.
Ok as someone who works in an immigration firm and does Canadian passport applications on the regular (even tho it is rediculous to pay a lawyer for a passport) our clients pay us because their application would be rejected otherwise. The photos have to be very specific. The reason to charge 17$ for a photo is that ur paying for it to be done right. The issue is that they very often are not done right at cvs or Walgreens so the cost is rediculous. But, as an example, those photos would obviously be rejected and u wouldn’t know until you submit it. U can save a lot of money by just reading the specifications and doing it yourself. However, if u don’t match the specifications you will have wasted time and money and end up paying someone to do it
For the UK I just upload them - no physical image required.
In the US, I just print them at home on my photo printer
upvote for UK passport office accepting uploads.
Dude, where were you last month when I needed this?! 😂
I took a selfie on my iPhone and uploaded it to my country (New Zealand)’s passport website for approval, and after 4 weeks it got approved, so yee, iPhone selfie works for us
I applied for my NZ passport online on Monday and it was Delivered on the Wednesday...
Thats really bad. I work for DIA, we shouldnt be accepting selfies lol
@@jacobfagan646as long as the person is recognisable from their other IDs why does it even matter??? Its a fucking photo.
Thank you! I need to get passports for my 4 kids and renewals for my husband and I. You just saved me close to $100. My post office wanted $15 each and Walmart/CVS was $17.
In Taiwan they have an automated photo booth that costs like a dollar, you can get any official photo you need there.
Where I live, the Passport photo is taken at the agency that issues passports. Similar to when you go for a Driver’s license. So the cost of the photo would be included with the passport, in some way, if not free.
My US Visa, on the other hand, I took it in my room, and uploaded it. I do have photography equipment, so it is the same as if I took it at a studio. A couple bucks saved. 🤣
Funny enough, getting a passport is free of charge, but you have to wait about a month for it to be issued to you. Else, you can pay additionally anywhere between 5-50$, depending on how fast you want your passport. 50$ is for next day release.
I'm not exactly know for other countries, but in Chile you have to go to the same place where you get your ID. They will take the picture right there and at the end, the complete process of requesting the passport takes about 15 minutes, between signing, the picture and giving all the personal information for validation (which is mostly biometrical data).
But you're not allowed to show teeth in a passport photo 👀
ur not even supposed to smile
And it should be a uniform white background and they should limit shadows, but hey, that’s not as catchy for the video
@@dovecat I got mine done in a federal building so I didn't have to worry about all that
@@harshittripathi11a58 What about having a federal document done in a federal building didn't you understand?
what if your religion requires all photos of you to show your teeth?
I’m good to go we have a white paint wall, perfect for the white background passport photos. Thank you so much for helping others. I think people should be grateful for what you do rather than criticize. I needed 9 2x2 photos for the family & this adds up quickly if I’ll pay that $17.00 so thanks so much for sharing your video. You’re always a great help to me and please keep doing what you’re doing because people like me truly appreciates you.
When cvs inevitably Messes up your photo and the courthouse says they won't work (and retakes them), you can get a refund from CVS for not getting usable photos
Or, Get this, I can retake the photo on my phone and spend another 29 cents. Or, I'll get it right the first time because I'm not a fool who will spend 25 dollars to take a simple photograph with very easy guidelines.
It costs like $1to get 6 photos here 💀
In Norway you just take the photo at the police station when applying for a passport lol. But if you need an emergency passport you just bring it yourself. Doesn't have to be from a registered photographer, you can just do it yourself.
I got some passport photos taken in Malaysia last year, guy charged me $1.50
I got mine at the post office for about 170 and it took me 6 months to get it
You could probably get a single sheet of 4x6 photo paper free from a printing shop then print it yourself
You can't smile, you can't wear glasses, photo has to be specific not a random selfie.
Just so you know, if you take a photo like the one you showed, your passport will get denied. They are very strict on how the photo looks. I know that because I print them
The state department should have had us uploading digital photos of ourselves for years by now.
The drugstore who usually did mine charges 15 for digital and 20 for physical and then charged me 35 when i wanted both (the same photo) since then i just take my and the famalies pictures with my camera and just print it. Minus shipment less then 20 cents per 8 fotos.
If you do it yourself just keep in mind some administrativs regulate the way your passphoto has to look just make sure beforehand on your local goverment website if there are guidlines on proportions/facial expressions etc
In England we can just upload a photo from our phone 😂
Passport photos are like $12 around here, but I've been using a similar hack since forever. I just take a picture with my phone, crop it, lay it out in Photoshop (or GIMP if you don't have access to Ps), then transfer the composite picture to my phone and head to the nearest Staples. Government has a very clear list of specs for the pictures and they're easy to follow.
You could get an app, find a white background, get the lighting set up right, snap the photo with your camera, and get a printer and photo paper to print it yourself.
I tried doing that, and the cost to produce an acceptable photo went way over 17 bucks.
Yeah, I just took my own as well. The head size Hass to be a specific size for the passport photo so I just got a white blanket in the background and took about five different photos from different camera links. Cost me $1.50 to print everything and one of the photos worked.
In the UK they let you take your passport photo on your phone (given quality is good enough), you just have to send it off to be approved, you can also get them done in photo booths for a small fee.
As a CVS employee I will say that this is a good idea if you take the photo properly. All the time though, I have people come in trying to print that four by six photo and their passports look terrible and I know the government is not going to pass it. Wrong background, weird angle etc. Have someone ELSE take the photo of you in front of a white background or hang up a white sheet and take photo further away than you need at eye level. No smiling, no glasses, no professional uniforms.
No glasses? Admittedly, I haven't had an actual passport since I was a child, but if you need glasses, wouldn't you need to be wearing them?
@@Goodwomanbadlady Exactly. The only restriction is sunglasses. Regular glasses are fine.
Some people tried it when I worked at Walgreens, it usually messed up the pics because of how the printers cut the pics, but still, I'd say it works lol.
Been doing this for all photos on official documents long ago and yes it works.
Its even more easy if you have a good printer in home.
In the uk though the background has to be perfectly white, which you cannot guarantee with this unless you have a white background in your house. You will also need cool lightning as well otherwise the background will look yellowish instead of white
I know at Walgreens it’s a major pain in the ass with the system they use to do these photos, just do it yourself or go to a local post office!
I paid $4.99 for an app 6 years ago, no ads, works great. Saved me at least $150 so far
International students:
Im Albanian going to the USA and things here coat less, 4 photoes are like 3 Euro, so a smarter tip for best resolution and best precision in cutting is to do it in your own hometown if it is cheaper, take like 10-12 2x2's and put them in your bags. They take 0 space and will save you time and money. Its better not to do it at home, as you will not always find a good background or perfect lighting.
Also make lots of copies of your documents (I20, DS-160, SEVIS fee) in case they get ruined or lost, the USA is big and you dont know how far the closest printer is to you.
Post office gets it done free in Wisconsin 🤷🏼
I’m sure it varies state by state for price but I’m pretty certain you can get your passport in any state
For the US, if you cant make it to the PO with your family, use this. Try not to smile, no heavy make up, use a white backdrop, pull hair away from face etc . Since we have to turn them in in-person by appointment to get new ones( not renewals ) they could be denied by whoever is going over is checking your info. But this app is good !
I used to take passport photos at Walgreens and that's literally what we're doing anyway! You're paying for them to take the picture and cut it for you (like 1 minute max). Just take your own! They don't do anything special, I promise
Some Asian countries "Physical Passport Photo" had gone into history, we taking photo by the officer during submission form at the counter, there's HD camera attached, then it will printed on our passport.
Here in Austria I paid 46 euros (50 dollars) for a passport photo…
You can 100 percent take a picture on your phone and print it at home. It needs to be 2 inches by 2 inches. That’s what I did. I had no issue getting a passport.
If you think that is rediculess. In the Netherlands if you want your driver's license you have get a "health check". It costs €41 and you have to fill in a forum (witch you can easily lie on). And after saying no to everything you can now take your practice exam.
In Slovakia, you go to the passport/ID office where they take your passport photo/fingerprints, etc and you get your new password within 2 days / 10 days or 30 days (depending on which option you choose). Having to take/post/bring an actual photo sounds like a waste of time 🤷♂️ You don't need a physical photo when it is all printed right into your passport. They don't glue it in, lol it's part of that hard page of your passport.
We stopped using these photos over 15 years ago
Outside of the US there are strict rules about how the photo should be set up. Background, positioning, facial expression and so on. Smiling - which is common on US passports - is a big no no. When submitting your passport application the systems will check if the picture is compliant. Not saying that you can’t use this app but it will be very tricky to get everything right.
In most of Europe you just go to a photo vendor/photo studio and get ur photos there for a few euros.
The last one we did at Walgreens cottage groove Chicago was almost 400$ for 4 of us at the rate of 25 for one.
As someone that used to work at CVS, the price for a passport photo is ridiculous. But it’s done biometrically where it checks every requirement for a passport photo (no smile, no jewelry, clear black ground….etc) and you hand cut the 2x2 into perfect squares. The reason why the prices is so high is because of the service, not the product itself. You can do this for free in some places. It doesn’t justify the prices but then again it’s CVS so everything is expensive
I used to work at a photo center and took passport photos. We had a special program we had to run the photos through to guarantee they met legal criteria. People were welcome to bring their own photo and print them… but there are standards the photo must meet
It's not legal in Canada - needs to be at a credited passport photo booth so if you lied. They need to know any accomplices
Thank you! You saved me $20 for the last 35 years where I have needed a passport renewal 2x
In Germany, you can basically photograph yourself in front of a white wall and get it printed out. Or go to the photographer. Or pay 1€ for a photograph machine.
"Just ignore the ads" Yeah, I didn't really need that particular tip.
What? Why do you even need to print them at all. Just email them or upload them to the place that needs them.
Quick tip for those that don’t know, if you pay for a AAA membership (gold and above I believe) you get a certain amount of free passport photos per year.
I work at CVS as a shift manager. Rule number 1 of passport photos. No smiling. It also prints with a certificate of authenticity. I also have to be the one taking the photo usually, and it takes time, so yeah, 17$. Also, unless you have perfect measurements, you're not gonna be able to measure your 2x2 perfectly. We have a special 2x2 cutter that we use because if it's not perfectly 2x2, your photo will get rejected.
This is a useful tip for other id photos that dont have to have those specific requirements like the passport photo. We do other id photos that are 17$ but they have less restrictions so ill actually tell people to do exactly this. Just take a picture at our stores white background and then print it off on a 4x6 and cut it up.
In NZ I literally can take a photo of myself against a white wall in the right ratio, and upload it to the passport website directly for free lmao
Yeah it’s insane. There’s not any special paper that it prints in either. It’s like they’re charging extra for the service, but the employees don’t see anything extra on their check.
Here in Australia the photos are free.
The passport is $330
The passport photo does actually cost $20
Thankfully I was able to renew online this year and take the photo myself
from what i know in lithuania to get a passport thing u gotta wait like a month (50eur) and if u want it in a week or something its 100-200 eur so uh be grateful u americans (correct me if im wrong its only what ive read about on google as a person who was born in lithuania)
Um - I’m 🇨🇦 and we need to have the back stamped and signed with a license number by the photographer. Usually the locally pharmacy but they need to be formatted in such a way and stamped. The white border needs to be a certain size.
Not that any of this stuff can’t be duplicated by you if you try, buts it’s not worth the cost really.
I’ve been doing this for the last 10 years lol it’s just hard to get a white background to not show your shadow
You need to be further from the background or light it separately. Your house will have too much directional light. At CVS they have flourescents everywhere so the lighting is flat with minimal shadows.
My post office told me to get my own photo. The CVS guy did something to the machine to give the photo for 4x6 price
Basic economics: if a service is free, you are the product (advertising). The 16.99 is to avoid the ads and to keep Walgreens in business.
They took my photo at the office when I dropped off my application, and it was free. I know not every passport office does that but the US has a website where you can see all the offices near you, whether it's appointment only or not, and if they take photos on site
A dollar here in India with pictures taken and printed on quality paper and ink all in the studio.
Here you have to take the photo at the passport office, with a special machine in front of an officer. This helps making the passports more secure. The machine also records your fingerprints and your retina into the passport.
When i was a kid, my mom chose to take us to a photographer to take our passport photos, instead of the little photo boots at the police station. It maybe costed 5 times as much, but it would assure she got good photos on the first try. They had become stricter about expression, and getting toddlers to sit still with a blank expression is difficult.
In my country 6 passport photos are about $2 US (because printer ink is expensive here ) but that's for the embassies. getting your passport costs $1 US, and the passport office takes the photo for you. A passport is a Citizen's right, not a luxury. All we pay is to cover the paper cost.
I work at a place where we charge people 21.99$ for pass photos and visas. Yea 21.99 is alot but 1. You get 2 set. 2. It's done by someone who is tought how to take a proper pass photo, who has resolution in the cam high enough to satisfy the pass office, stamped with date stamp instead of hand written, stamped with a location stamp with full address proving this photo was not just taken by any photographer it was taken by a professional, and has a proper line and space for a gurantor signature. Idk about you but waiting 10 days for your passport is alot, and I would pay the extra to save sometime in the chance it gets rejected. what makes this extra is the fact that you don't need any of that really, you can do it by yourself but some people want the extra reassurance that this passport phot IS going to work out. it's like having a 50% chance or lower but having the option to spend 20 and increase it by 50%. If you have an old phone then the resolution ain't satisfactory I can promise that and instead of paying a photographer 10$ to quick take this photo, you pay the 10 extra get yours done and get insurance it will get accepted with refunds and retakes if it gets rejected which it shouldn't from a legitimate business.
In singapore you can just use the photo ID apps, and upload them to the portal for approval. If it’s rejected. Just do it again.
No charge what so ever. Except for the passport renewal of course.
Well except you don’t get the stamp at the back which tells the passport office when it was taken, as they required photo to be taken within 6 months. At least for Canadian passport and it is required to have stamp for visas as well, at least for some countries.
I went to my local city Administration office and had it done and I didn't have to screw around with the internet. A lot of the other stuff you talk about is good but this one is plus trouble 4 old people😂
In Sweden they take your photo when you apply for the passport it’s included in the price.
At CVS or Walgreens the employee actually takes your photo using a white background in the store, thats why its $17. Their software also validates the photo, if the employee does it right you should have a valid pic 99 out of 100 times.
In México , the governent agency that issues the passports trajes the picture with digital cameras and prints it directly on the passport...
Thanks, you’re a hero
In canada it needs to be stamped and signed by the person who took it. Unless you can find that stamp you're sol.
Since they need a digital photo anyway, townhalls in Germany now have a photo booth. You can still bring your own, hoping it is good enough, but you can also take a photo there (and the machine will tell you if it isn't good enough). Costs €2,-
_
OK its way easier in the UK if you're doing it online.
You use your own phone camera.
Upload it and they will check it to see if it passes.
No cost no hassle.
They piloted an entirely online renewal process where I just uploaded a picture I took of myself which they accepted and got my passport within like a week. Hope they bring it back because it worked really well.
They i read that they didn't want you to smile for some strange reason lol
I think the reason why you have to have your passport photo taken by a professional is because it’s for a passport (which is your ID) and need to ensure it’s a pic of you (and not altered in any way). It’s like a notary for pics.
Why would I pay $17+ a paper book just to be able to travel overseas. Make no sense😂
@@gladiatorgamer9502 Then just stay in your country …..
Please do this, this ain’t even cvs but Kodak and we are forced to take extra time doing the whole process which can be as fast as 5 mins to 20 mins depending on the exact situation, we unfortunately can’t cut them for you as we can get in trouble for damaging a customers belonging, but you can cut them at home or use the cutter yourself, we can’t stop you, specially if you have kids that don’t understand not to move around while we are taking the picture, please just do this or bring your own picture most times we have 1 or 2 peeps on shift and we already got a full schedule and list to comply, and still try to be nice taking an extra 20 mins to help even tho we gotta rush to get other stuff done, sure part of the job, but corporate still expect stuff to be done like there are 4 employees on shift when they give enough hours for 1 or 2 if lucky
Considering how often you need em, I really don't give a toss how much they cost.
And these would never be approved here.
Weird, in my country, the people at the Foreign affairs office are the ones who takes the photo. Picture is printed on the passport together with your details.
You only pay for the passport.
In sweden a new passport which you need to renew once every 5 years and it costs 80-90$
Problem is that you can’t print your picture on a regular sheet of copy paper. CVS is convenient to get what I need in 10 min. Unless you are able to have a printer that prints on photo paper.
I just got my passport photo done last week. This recommended short is too late haha
Here in Italy I've never seen a document photo booth that costs more than 5 €
I am going to apply for my U.S. passport soon. ‼️
This. Is. Perfect. Timing.
Thanks :D
Not that I agree with having to pay $17 but that money is honestly for editing and redos. I used to get orders like this all the time and majority of the time these apps were a waste of time and potentially money. Because of all the rules for a passport photos ie. White background, no shadows, no glasses, clear and in focus, no big smiles, heads off center, the sizing would be wrong, etc. It also doesn't take into account different countries sizing requirements. People would still have to get their passports photos taken with us almost everytime or come back when it was inevitably rejected.
Try getting decals just because the year change. Decals more than what’s your car worth. Inspection stickers every single month. $20 per month. That’s $240 more. 😅
Yeah just don't forget there shouldn't be a shadow on the back, no glasses, hair behind ears, no hat, no reflection on the glasses... printing them etc. Btw all should be sharp! Which most default phone settings fail to do so.
Me and my dad who just take each other photo to submit passport and visa application still feel ripped off 😂