Passport photo cost by country: shop vs online

What a passport photo costs

Prices for passport photos vary a lot. A shop in one town may charge more than the one around the corner, and online services range from free with a watermark to paid tiers with a check. Shop prices change and differ per branch, so we do not quote them here: check the price list of the shop you have in mind. Below are our own prices per country, the same amounts the checkout charges for one person.

For Switzerland this is the ID card photo; the Swiss passport photo is taken at the passport office. Sweden is not in the table because the police take the photo there.

Why shop prices differ

• Staff time. In a shop, part of the price pays for the minutes someone spends taking and printing your photo.
• Competition. Where photo booths and chains are everywhere, prices tend to be lower than at a studio.
• Whether the digital file is included. Some shops charge extra for the digital file, while many online applications need one. Ask before you pay.

Costs people forget

• Travel and parking. A trip into town takes time and sometimes money. If the shop is down the street, that cost is close to zero.
• A rejection. If the authority rejects the photo, ask what the shop or service does: a new photo, your money back, or nothing. With us you get your money back when the authority rejects the photo we delivered.
• Print extras. Some services quote only the digital file and add shipping for prints later. Read what is in the price.

Cheap vs trustworthy

At the low end, a free or very cheap app often only crops the photo, without checking the official rules. At the high end, a photographer's studio gives you supervision and good light, which is worth it if you find it hard to take a good photo yourself. In between, compare what is checked before you pay and what happens after a rejection.

Quickest path: start your passport photo. Prices in your own currency, shipping shown before you pay, money back if the authority rejects the photo.