CVS Passport Photo: $17.99 Price and What You Get

A CVS passport photo costs $17.99 for two 2 x 2 inch prints, and that is the number on CVS's own page, not a third-party estimate. One caveat on sourcing: cvs.com blocks readers outside the United States, so we read the September 15, 2026 archived copy of CVS's passport photo page on September 20, 2026. Everything below comes from that page, and where the page is silent we say so.

What you get for $17.99

CVS's page lists exactly what the money buys:

• Two 2 x 2 inch ID prints, taken in store on the Kodak Moments Passport & ID Photo System
• A verification certificate that CVS says ensures the photos meet government standards
• Prints within minutes of the photo being taken, with no appointment needed

Two paid extras matter if your application is digital. A digital photo delivered by email costs $3.99 and is offered "in select locations" only, and a Kodak Moments Memory Saver 8GB USB with the files costs $10.99. For an online US passport renewal, which needs a digital file and not a print, the CVS route with the email copy totals $21.98 before tax.

If the photo "fails government compliance," CVS says you can return it with your receipt to any CVS Pharmacy store. That is a return policy for the prints, not a promise about the government's decision.

How the CVS visit works

There is no booking. You walk into a CVS Pharmacy with a Photo Center, ask a colleague at the counter, and they take the photo on the Kodak system, which CVS says "automatically verifies that your photos meet all requirements for passport photos." The page's own advice is to remove glasses and hats first and keep a neutral expression.

CVS takes passport photos for all ages, including babies and infants, and its FAQ correctly notes that an infant's eyes are allowed to be not entirely open. It is also upfront that it "is not an acceptance facility for Passport applications and does not issue Passports" — you get the photo only, and the application goes elsewhere.

One catch: the service runs at select locations, not every CVS. The page links to a store locator, so check before you drive.

CVS vs doing it at home

Here is the honest comparison on the listed prices:

The State Department explicitly allows a photo taken by "a friend or family member," so a home photo is a legitimate route, not a loophole. The rules it has to meet are the same either way: 2 x 2 inches, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches, plain white or off-white background, no glasses, no filters or AI edits. Our US passport photo requirements guide lists them all, and how to take a passport photo at home covers the setup.

Where CVS is genuinely better: someone sees you. Glasses resting on your head, a collar hiding your chin, a shadow falling behind you — a colleague and the Kodak system catch things that a short list of automated checks cannot. Our tool measures head size, tilt, background brightness and evenness, sharpness and exposure, and it detects a second face. It does not detect glasses, and its background check measures evenness, not that the wall is truly plain. If you have no clean wall or poor light, a store photo removes the most common causes of rejection.

Where home wins: price, and control. $17.99 buys one person's photo at CVS; $6.99 buys the checked file plus a print sheet at home, and the sheet costs only a photo-counter print. For a family, that gap multiplies — see the arithmetic in passport photo cost and our app vs pharmacy comparison. We have done the same page-by-page read for the other chains: Walgreens, FedEx Office, The UPS Store and AAA.

Who should still go to CVS

• You want it done in ten minutes. Walk in, prints in hand, done. No setup, no print sheet to take elsewhere.
• You have no plain wall or decent light. The store's backdrop and lighting are the point.
• You want a person looking at the photo. The Kodak verification plus a colleague's eyes is a real second opinion.
• You need a physical print today for a paper application and the pharmacy is closer than a photo counter you'd print at anyway. If you print at a counter regardless, print passport photo options explains what the print has to be.

One more honest case: Canada. If you need a Canadian passport photo, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires it to be taken in person by a commercial photographer or studio, with the studio's name, address and the date stamped on the back — and it does not accept photos printed at home. No app, ours included, can supply that stamp. A store that takes ID photos is the right tool for that job; details are in our Canada passport photo requirements guide.

And a boundary worth repeating: neither CVS nor we decide whether a photo passes. The State Department does, and it calls unacceptable photos "the number one reason why we put passport applications on hold." We are an independent service, not affiliated with the Department of State or CVS. We check photos against the published requirements — the authority makes the final decision on every photo. If the office handling your application rejects a photo you bought from us, send us the notice and we refund you in full.

To try the home route on a photo you already have, upload it here — checking is free.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a passport photo at CVS?

CVS lists $17.99 for two 2 x 2 inch ID prints on its passport photo page, a price we read on an archived September 15, 2026 copy of cvs.com. A digital copy by email costs $3.99 extra in select locations, and a Kodak USB drive with the files is $10.99. Prices are before tax.

Do I need an appointment for a CVS passport photo?

No. CVS says you do not need an appointment and that the printed photo is ready within minutes of being taken. The service runs in select CVS Pharmacy locations with a Photo Center, so it is worth checking that your nearest store offers it before you drive over.

Does CVS give you a digital passport photo for online renewal?

In select locations, yes, for $3.99 delivered by email, or $10.99 on a Kodak Moments Memory Saver USB. That brings the print-plus-digital total to $21.98 before tax. You need a digital file, not a print, to renew a US passport online, so ask your store whether it offers the email option first.

Is the CVS passport photo guaranteed to be accepted?

CVS says its Kodak Moments Passport & ID Photo System automatically verifies that photos meet requirements, and that you can return a photo that fails government compliance with your receipt. That is a promise about the photo and a reprint or return, not a promise that the State Department will accept it. The government decides.

Is it cheaper to take the passport photo at home?

On price alone, yes. Our check is free, a digital file is $4.99, and a file plus a 4 x 6 print sheet is $6.99. What you trade is the Kodak system's in-store verification and the walk-out-with-prints convenience. If you have a plain white wall and decent light, home wins on price.

Can CVS take a baby or child passport photo?

Yes. CVS says it takes passport photos for all ages including babies, infants and children, and notes that an infant's eyes are allowed to be not fully open. The State Department's own rule is the same: a baby's eyes do not need to be entirely open, though all older children must have theirs open.

Sources

• CVS Photo - Passport Photos (archived September 15, 2026; read September 20, 2026)
• U.S. Department of State - Passport Photos (adoption.state.gov mirror)
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Passport photo requirements