Passport Photos: Where to Get Them - Expedited Passports

No matter how camera-shy you are, if you want a US passport, you’ll need to smile and say cheese first. There are several different places you can go to get passport photos made, or you can do it yourself.  Here are some of the different options available, as well as the pros and cons of each:

Drug Stores

Walgreen’s, CVS, Rite-Aid and most other drug store chains offer passport photo services.  The cost is usually around $7-8 for either one or two photos. Retakes are extra.

The Pro’s: Ideally, the photographer has been trained and is aware of all the special requirements for passport photos.  Plus, drug stores provide instant gratification, since your photos are ready in just a few minutes.

The Cons: This option is more expensive than doing it yourself, retakes cost extra and the quality of the pictures can vary.  Babies and toddlers can require multiple retakes to get pictures that comply with US Passport Agency regulations, and the charges can add up.

Post Office

Many post offices across the country are also US Passport Acceptance facilities and some of them offer passport photo services.  You can look up the location nearest you here.

Pros: Post office employees should be familiar with acceptance requirements for passport photos. Also, you can get your photo taken and turn in your application at the same time, so you’ll save a trip.

Cons: At $15.00, the fee is more expensive than going to a drugstore. Also, you may be required to make an appointment.

Professional Photographers

Some professional photography studios offer passport photo services.

Pros: You’ll probably get better, more attractive passport photos, since the person on the other end of the camera is a professional, full-time photographer. For infants and small children, professional photographers might get better results because they have extensive practice coaxing good pictures out of little kids. Some photographers offer “Executive passport photo services,” which means they’ll come to you for a hefty fee.

Cons: Fees vary by studio, but expect it to cost a good deal more than the post office. (more…)

US citizens planning a trip to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean need to be aware of new travel requirements that will become effective June 1st, 2009. After June 1st,  the days of being able to cross the border by flashing your driver’s license and your birth certificate are over.  US citizens traveling to these regions will need to show US passports or passport cards to re-enter the country…or else!

Right about now, your inner three-year-old is probably asking “Oh yeah…or else what?” What happens if you try to get back in to the US without a passport after June 1st? Will you be trapped at the border forever? Arrested?

Fortunately, the consequences for American citizens trying to re-enter the country without US passports after the deadline are not quite that grim. According to the US government’s fact sheet on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, travelers will “likely experience a delay as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers attempt to verify your identity and citizenship.” In other words, expect to be massively inconvenienced.

Being held up by Customs and Border Protection is no small matter…delays in getting home can result in having to pay extra for lodging, missing work and many other inconveniences. It’s also worth noting that if you are planning on traveling on a cruise or with a professional tour group, they probably won’t let you leave the US with them in the first place if you don’t have the right documents for re-entry.

So, please, don’t forget your US passports!

If you have a trip planned for Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean, the fastest way to get US passports is to use a private passport expediting service.  When you use an expediting service, you get the benefit of faster processing and more personal customer service.

RushMyPassport.com offers a variety of processing times for applications for US passports to make sure your trip stays on schedule. For the fastest service, order your US passports from us today!