Do Not Overpay for a Passport Photo
As travel spending hit a new pandemic peak , you’ve probably started dreaming about a vacation abroad yourself. But before you start booking tickets, you should make sure that your passport has not expired during the pandemic.
Renewing a passport is not only tedious, but also expensive. The application process alone will cost you $130 , and that’s not including the passport photo fee. The United States Postal Service charges $15 for passport photo services ; Walgreens charges $15.99 and CVS charges $16.99 . But did you know that you can get around that cost with a smartphone and scissors?
According to the US State Department , you must provide one photo with your passport application. The photo must be taken within the last six months, use a clear image of your face (no glasses), be on a plain white background, and cannot be a “selfie”. In addition, the photo must be printed at a size of 2 by 2 inches. If you think you can take a photo like this without the help of a professional photographer, you’d be right. Instead of making an appointment at any of the aforementioned locations and paying $15, just grab a friend (or a flexible tripod) and take the shot yourself.
Once you have a photo you like, test it with the Department of State’s photo tool to make sure it meets all of their criteria. The argument of those who use professional services like USPS instead of taking photos themselves is that they are less likely to take a photo that ends up being rejected in the application process, but this tool makes that moot. By running your photo through their tool, you’ll be sure your photo is ready to go even before you submit it.
Once you have a State Department-approved photo, simply use one of the many free passport photo websites ( 123passportphoto.com is my favorite ) to form it into a 2-by-3 collage and print that image onto 4-by-3 paper. -6 photos (this can be done at Walgreens for 37 cents , or CVS for 39 cents ). Once you have a photo, simply cut the collage into six 2″ x 2″ photos, choose your favorite and you’re done. You’ve bypassed the $15 price tag and purchased a photo for your passport application for less than a dollar – all that’s left to do is make sure you don’t end up in any overpriced tourist destinations.