SurePassportPhoto vs a store or photo booth
A store takes the photo for you, prints it, and some stores retake it free if it is refused. That costs more than our file plus a print, but for some documents an in-person photo is the only route the authority accepts, and the UK government says booth and shop photos are more likely to be approved than home photos.
Facts about a store or photo booth come only from the pages listed under Sources, each with the date we saved it. Checked 2026-10-11.
Where no online photo works
Side by side
| A store or photo booth | SurePassportPhoto | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Where the store's own page publishes it: Walgreens $16.99, CVS $17.99, USPS Post Office $15.00, Australia Post $23.50 (AUD), Ted's Cameras $24.95 (AUD). What each price buys, and the date we checked it, is on the stores and prices pages. [1] | $6.99, one payment per document, charged in USD. No subscription and no add-ons at checkout. The price is on every page before you upload anything. |
| Where the photo is processed | Staff or a booth take the photo on site. [2] | We crop your photo to the official size, check it against the published requirements, and show you the result before you pay. |
| Result shown before you pay | You see the photo at the counter before you leave. Whether staff check it against the rules is not stated on most pages we saved. | Yes. You see the crop and the full checklist with each rule's measured value first; the pay button says how many checks pass and stays disabled while a blocking check fails. |
| Who checks the photo | A store associate takes the photo; Walgreens says its photos are taken by a trained store associate. [2] | Automated checks only. No person reviews your photo, and we say so. |
| If the photo is rejected | Varies by store. Timpson: if you have problems with your passport photo, it takes it again for free. [3] | If the authority rejects the photo, request a refund within 60 days of purchase: the full $6.99 goes back to the card you paid with within 2 business days of approval. A written self-declaration is accepted when the counter gave you nothing in writing. |
| Delivery | Prints in your hand at the counter; Walgreens includes a digital copy. [2] | The files download on screen right after payment, including a print sheet for printed documents, which you print yourself. An email link is optional. We do not mail prints or send orders to stores. |
What the saved pages say
- Ted's Cameras: free reshoot if the photo is rejected. [4]
- London Drugs: a $50 gift card for passport photos declined for quality reasons. [5]
- gov.uk: photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than a photo taken using your own device, and a booth or shop can give you a photo code. [6]
When a store or photo booth is the better choice
- Your document requires an in-person photo: Canadian passport photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio. Canadian passport photo rules.
- The Australian Passport Office advises against online photo services for passports. Australian passport photo rules.
- You are applying for a UK passport online and want a photo code, or want the route gov.uk says is more likely to be approved. [6]
- Nobody can take the photo for you at home: at the counter a store associate takes it, and you leave with prints. [2]
- You want a free retake if the photo is refused, from a store that offers one. [3]
Where we differ
- Our file plus one 4 x 6 in print can cost less than a counter photo; the stores and prices pages show both numbers with the dates we checked them.
- You can retake at home until every check passes, and see the measured values before you pay.
- Some stores refuse to print a file they did not take, so we tell you to ask the branch first and order a plain 4 x 6 in print.
What reviewers say
Single public reviews from our research into 720 real customer complaints about online passport photo services, and the praise around them. They show what can happen, not how often it does.
“planned on having it printed at Walgreens. Your app stated that I could… they refused to print it… required to take their own passport photos”
Complaint, Trustpilot review, 2026-07-01
“My 2 year old son had cranio surgery so he has been so scared of strangers. We went to Walgreens… he lost it!”
Praise, App Store review of the PhotoAiD app, 2021-06-22
Sources
- Our stores and prices pages: each price links the store page it was read from, /near-me/, page saved 2026-10-11.
- Walgreens passport photos, photo.walgreens.com, page saved 2026-10-11.
- Timpson passport photos, timpson.co.uk, page saved 2026-10-11.
- Ted's Cameras passport photos, teds.com.au, page saved 2026-10-11.
- London Drugs passport photos, londondrugs.com, page saved 2026-10-11.
- gov.uk, get a passport photo, gov.uk, page saved 2026-10-11.
Related guides: Photo studio vs online service: an honest comparison, Countries where online photo services are not accepted, Printing a passport photo at Walgreens, CVS or Walmart.
All comparisons · Check a photo free
We are an independent service, not a government website. Applying for a passport or visa is done with your government; we only prepare the photo.