Get a Passport Photo at Costco Store for $0.19

Costco has closed all of its photo departments

Earlier this year, the Costco Photo Center website announced that it would be shutting down its in-person photo services, but would remain operating online. Well, they kept their promise: Costco customers can still satisfy their need for printing photos using the retailer’s website. 

However, four of its services are no longer available after closing down. Services such as transferring home videos from VHS tapes to DVD or USB devices, ink refills, taking passport photos, and photo restoration are no longer offered in stores.

Roughly 800 stores have discontinued their in-store photo services since February 14th, 2021.

In an email to its members, Costco explained that digital advancements in photo technology were responsible for this decision: Since the introduction of camera phones and social media, the need for printing photos has steeply declined, even though the number of pictures taken continues to grow. After careful consideration, we have determined the continued decline of prints no longer requires on-site photo printing.

If you’re looking for an alternative, convenient photo printing service, you may want to consider using Passport-Photo.online that offers a vast array of document photos from all over the world. 

Read on to learn more about our AI-based online photo tool!

Applying for a Canadian passport

Before we get to the actual Costco photo printing part, let’s get you ready to take your passport pic. So, what are the Canadian passport photo requirements? 

First of all, to apply for a Canada passport, you must be a Canadian citizen and over 16 years old. You need to complete a passport application form, then gather all the necessary documents (proof of citizenship, identity document, passport photos, and any supporting documentation you may need), pay your fees, and then send everything by mail or courier. 

Passport photo requirements 

• The photo must be clear, in focus, and sharp (no pixelation, no blur).
• 50 mm wide x 70 mm high, with a minimal face height of 31 mm and a maximum of 36 mm.
• The photo can’t be older than 6 months
• Your appearance in the photo must be your current appearance.
• Either black and white or colour is fine.
• Your facial expression should be neutral, which means your mouth must be closed, your eyes open, and you can’t smile.
• The photo should be taken with uniform lighting and no shadows are allowed.
• The background must be white or light-coloured.
• Your natural skin-tone must be showing.
• You should look straight into the camera. The shoulders should be visible and your face should be centred.
• You can wear your prescription glasses if you need to, as long as there is no glare and your eyes are visible.
• You can’t have sunglasses, headwear, or any other accessories in your photo that are worn for decoration only. 
• Your face can’t be obscured by your hair. If you have bangs, make sure they don’t cover your eyes and/or eyebrows.
• Head coverings are allowed only if worn for religious beliefs or medical reasons.
• No red-eye effect is allowed.

Baby/infant passport photos 

When it comes to taking baby passport photos, there’s pretty much only one difference - your child doesn’t have to maintain a neutral facial expression! This means that infants are forgiven for smiling or having their mouth open in their passport pics.

Your baby’s head and shoulders must be visible in her passport picture. If you’re supporting your baby’s head with your hand, then it can’t be visible in the photo.

If you’re taking a passport photo of a newborn baby, you can use a car seat with a white blanket placed over it to act as background. Make sure there are no shadows in the photo and that your baby’s face is evenly illuminated on both sides.

You, as the parent or guardian of the child, will need to write a statement on the back of the passport photo saying: “I certify the likeness of (baby’s name)”, and sign the back of the picture.

Printing your own passport photos at Costco as 4x6 inch photo cards

Since Costco stores are no longer offering passport printing services, you can still print your passport photo at Costco for 17¢. How is that possible? Just prepare a standard 4x6 inch passport photo template using our document photo editor. All you have to do is upload a photo you think is suitable for a passport, or take a new photo. Wait just a couple of seconds for your image to pass our verification process, and now you can get your print-ready template sent to your email address. 

You can now use your photo template to print 4x6 inch photos on photo-quality paper using the online Costco Photo Center.

Printing your photo with Passport Photo Online - step by step 

The process of taking your own passport photo with our app is super easy and intuitive. We’ve broken it down into three steps:

1. Pick the document you need a picture for, and upload your preferred photo or take a new one using our app. 
2. Give us 3 seconds to transform it into a professional passport photo and prepare a template with several pictures on it.
3. Download the digital passport photo template and print it via the Costco Photo Center website for the price of a simple 4x6’’ photo card - 17¢. Cut out the needed amount of passport photos and save the rest for future use!

Passport photo home delivery

You can choose between two ways of getting your photo taken with Passport Photo Online. 

For $5.95 you can order digital images of your passport photos sent straight to your email that are yours to keep and print at your convenience at any photo printing service of your choice, or you could go for the Premium Service for $9.95, which includes the digital format and your printed Canadian passport photos sent directly to your address by mail. 

Money back guarantee

Each and every photo goes through a careful and thorough verification process - first by our AI system and then a human photo expert. However, if for whatever reason, your photo doesn’t get accepted, our service includes a 200% money back guarantee. What does that mean? It means that if the authorities turn down your photo, we will pay you back double the amount you paid. Just provide a note from the appropriate office or government agency stating that your photo hasn’t been accepted and we’ll issue you a double refund, no questions asked. 

Last update: 2023-06-07