Target does not offer passport photos. The service was discontinued in 2023, and there are no signs it will return. If you drove to Target expecting to walk out with passport prints, you'll need a new plan.
Target isn't alone in dropping the service. Costco followed in 2024. The trend reflects a simple business reality: passport photos are a low-margin service that most customers need once every five to ten years. Retailers are choosing to use that counter space for products that sell every day.
Good news: you have better options now than Target ever provided. Here's what to do instead.
Why Target Stopped Offering Passport Photos
Target operated photo centers in many of its stores through partnerships with photo service providers. As those partnerships ended and in-store photo processing declined industry-wide, Target phased out the service rather than investing in standalone passport photo equipment.
This is a common pattern in retail. Photo processing services that made sense in the film era — one-hour photo labs, on-site photo printing, passport photo stations — have been losing floor space for years. The economics simply don't work when most people take photos on their phones and rarely print anything.
What about the CVS counter inside Target? Many Target stores house a CVS pharmacy. But these in-store CVS counters typically don't offer passport photos. CVS runs its passport photo service at standalone CVS locations that have dedicated camera equipment and trained staff. The pharmacy counter inside Target usually lacks both. Don't assume you can walk up to the CVS at Target and get passport photos — call the specific store to confirm, but expect a no.
Get a compliant passport photo online
What Target Passport Photos Used to Offer
For reference, here's what the service looked like before it ended:
| Feature | Target (Before 2023) |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$12.99 |
| Format | Two 2×2 inch prints |
| Digital copy | No |
| Compliance guarantee | No |
The pricing was mid-range — cheaper than CVS and Walgreens at the time, pricier than Walmart and Costco. The quality depended on the same factors as any retail photo service: store lighting, employee experience, and whether the backdrop was clean and evenly lit. No digital copy was provided, and like all retail options, there was no compliance guarantee if your photo was rejected by the State Department.
US Passport Photo Requirements Any Alternative Must Meet
Whichever alternative you choose, the State Department requires the same standard:
- Size: 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm)
- Digital resolution: 600 × 600 pixels at 300 DPI
- Background: plain white
- Head height: 50–69% of the frame
- Glasses: not allowed since 2016
- Expression: neutral or natural
- File format: JPEG, maximum 240 KB for digital submissions
Every option below produces photos that should meet these specs. The difference is how reliably each one achieves compliance.
Best Target Passport Photo Alternatives in 2026
1. Passport Size Photo (Online) — $4.99
The most affordable option available today, and the only one that includes a digital copy and compliance verification. Take your photo at home with any smartphone, upload it, and receive AI-checked results in 30 seconds.
You get a digital file that meets all US State Department specifications — head size between 50–69% of frame height, eyes positioned at 56% from the bottom, white background, proper lighting, neutral expression. If something fails the check, retake it on the spot. No extra charge.
Print the file at home on photo paper, or print at any pharmacy or grocery store photo kiosk for $0.25–$0.50. Total cost: under $6.
2. Walmart Passport Photos — $7.44
The cheapest brick-and-mortar option still available. Walmart's passport photo service is hit-or-miss depending on whether your local store still has an active photo center. Call ahead. If they have it, $7.44 gets you two 2×2 prints with no digital copy.
3. Rite Aid Passport Photos — $12.99
Similar to what Target used to charge. Available at Rite Aid locations with photo departments. The process is standard retail: employee takes your photo, prints two copies, no digital file provided.
4. USPS Passport Photos — $15.00
Available at select US Post Office locations that serve as passport acceptance facilities. The main advantage: you can get your photo and submit your application in the same visit. The downside: limited hours, long queues, and not all locations have camera equipment.
5. CVS and Walgreens Passport Photos — $16.99 Each
The most widely available retail option. Nearly every standalone CVS and Walgreens offers passport photos during regular business hours. No appointment needed. The price is steep — $16.99 for two prints — but availability and convenience are hard to beat if you need physical prints within the hour.
Target Alternative Full Comparison Table
| Option | Price | Digital Copy | AI Compliance | Guarantee | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passport Size Photo | $4.99 | Yes | Yes (9 checks) | 100% acceptance | Always (online) |
| Walmart | $7.44 | No | No | No | Declining |
| Rite Aid | $12.99 | No | No | No | Limited locations |
| USPS | $15.00 | No | No | No | Select post offices |
| CVS | $16.99 | No | No | No | Widely available |
| Walgreens | $16.99 | No | No | No | Widely available |
When You Need Passport Photo Prints Right Now
If you're on your way to submit a passport application and need physical prints immediately, your fastest options are CVS or Walgreens. They're everywhere, they accept walk-ins, and you'll have prints in your hand within 15 minutes.
But if your timeline allows even 30 minutes of flexibility, a smarter approach saves money. Get your digital photo verified online ($4.99), drive to the nearest pharmacy, and print it at their self-serve kiosk ($0.25–$0.50). Same result, a third of the price, and you'll know the photo is compliant before you print it.
The compliance check is the part that matters most. Retail employees do a visual check — they look at the photo and decide if it seems right. AI verification measures head dimensions, eye placement, background uniformity, and lighting balance against exact government specifications. One method catches problems you can see. The other catches problems you can't.
This distinction matters because the most common passport photo rejections aren't caused by obvious mistakes. They're caused by subtle issues: head slightly too large in the frame, eyes a few percentage points below the required position, background not quite uniform enough. An employee's quick glance misses these. Software doesn't.
If you do get a photo from a retail location and want to double-check it, you can upload the printed version to an online checker before submitting your application. A scan or clean phone photo of the print is usually enough for the software to flag dimension or positioning problems. It takes 30 seconds and could save you weeks of reprocessing.
Get Your Passport Photo Done in Minutes Online
passportsize-photo.online checks your photo against all US passport requirements — head size, eye position, background, expression, lighting, and resolution — in about 30 seconds. If you're not sure what the rules are, review the US passport photo specifications first.
Coming from Costco too? See our guide on Costco passport photo alternatives — the situation and options are nearly identical.
