Staples Passport Photo: $17.99-$24.99 Price & $1 Alternative

What Staples Passport Photo Gets You

A Staples associate takes your photo using in-store equipment with a white backdrop, prints two 2x2 inch photos, and hands them to you. Their “Perfect Passport Guarantee” means free retakes if your photo is rejected by the government.

What you’re not getting at the base price: a digital copy ($19.99 extra or $24.99 for the bundle). If you need a digital photo for online passport renewal through MyTravelGov, you’re looking at $24.99 — the most expensive retail option. For a family of four needing prints and digital, that’s $99.96.

How Staples Compares

What to Expect at Staples

Staples is a reliable option with one standout feature: the Perfect Passport Guarantee. If the government rejects your photo, Staples retakes it for free. That’s peace of mind most drugstores don’t offer.

The experience depends on your location. Worth knowing before you go:

• The guarantee has conditions — you must return to the same store with your official rejection notice. If you’ve moved or the store has closed, the guarantee doesn’t apply
• Fewer locations than drugstores — 1,000+ Staples stores vs 8,000+ CVS or 8,700+ Walgreens. You may need to drive further
• Digital costs extra — the $17.99 base price is prints only. A digital copy on USB is $19.99 alone or $24.99 bundled. Most online tools include digital by default
• Staff quality varies — like any retail store, the person taking your photo is a retail worker, not a photographer

The real cost of the Staples bundle isn’t just $24.99 — it’s the time. Add driving to a Staples, parking, waiting, and driving home. Most people spend 30-60 minutes for two small photos and a USB drive.

Get the Same Photo for $1.35 with 1 Dollar Passport Photo

You don’t need to pay $24.99 for prints and a digital copy. Use 1 Dollar Passport Photo for the photo — you get both digital and print-ready files for $1.

Total: $1.35 and 2 minutes for 6 photos + digital — vs $24.99 and 30-60 minutes for 2 photos + USB at Staples. For a family of four, that’s $94 and 2 hours saved.

When Staples Is the Better Choice

Staples makes sense when:

• You want a rejection guarantee — the Perfect Passport Guarantee is a genuine advantage if you’re worried about compliance
• You’re already at Staples — marginal time cost is low
• You’re not comfortable taking your own photo — want someone to handle it
• You need it right now — walk-in, same-day service

For everyone else — especially families or anyone who needs a digital copy — the savings are substantial. A family of four saves $94 and nearly 2 hours.

The Bottom Line

Staples offers a solid passport photo service with a standout guarantee: free retakes if your photo is rejected. But at $17.99-$24.99, it’s the most expensive retail option — especially if you need a digital copy. With a phone and 2 minutes, you can create the same compliant photos at home for $1 (digital included), print them at any nearby store for $0.35, and keep $16-$23 in your pocket. Compliance checking happens automatically before you pay, so the guarantee becomes less necessary. 94% cheaper, 90% faster.