Costco Photo Centre Passport Photo — Cost, Quality, and the $4 Alternative
Costco Photo Centre charges n/a (closed at most locations since 2023) at the passport-photo counter. With our $3.99 tool plus Costco's regular $0.17 – $0.39 4×6 kiosk print, total cost drops to $4.16 for the same printed result on the same paper.
Last reviewed:
Cost breakdown — Costco Photo Centre counter vs. our $3.99 + kiosk
| Option | Total cost | Photos included | Wait time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costco Photo Centre passport-photo counter | n/a (closed at most locations since 2023) | 2 prints | ~15 min in-store |
| Our $3.99 tool + Costco 4×6 kiosk | $4.16 | 4 – 8 prints on the 4×6 sheet | ~3 min online, ~1 day pickup |
How to print a passport photo at Costco Photo Centre
- Pick your country on our site — US passport, UK passport, or browse all 100+ countries.
- Upload a portrait against a plain wall in even light.
- Preview free, pay $3.99 only when you decide to keep the file.
- Download the 4×6 print sheet from your order page.
- Open the Costco Photo Centre app (https://photocenter.costco.com) and start a new 4×6 print order.
- Upload the sheet. Choose "4×6 Glossy". Disable any "auto-enhance" or "photo-enhance" setting — these shift skin tone and can push photos off-spec.
- Pick a Costco location. Pickup ready in ~1 day.
- Pay $0.17 – $0.39 per sheet on pickup. Cut the sheet along the corner guides.
What makes Costco Photo Centre different
- Membership required for both the kiosk service and in-person pickup
- Costco closed its physical Photo Centre at most US locations in 2023, but online ordering with in-warehouse pickup remains
- Cheapest per-print of any major US retailer for members
Frequently asked questions
How much is a passport photo at Costco?
Costco Photo Centre charges n/a (closed at most locations since 2023) at the in-house passport-photo counter, which includes 2 printed photos. Their regular 4×6 photo-print kiosk is $0.17 – $0.39 per sheet — same paper, same printer, just without the operator capturing the photo.
Can I bring my own photo file to print at Costco?
Yes. Upload the 4×6 print sheet from our tool to the Costco Photo Centre app (https://photocenter.costco.com) and pick up at any Costco location in ~1 day. Pay $0.17 – $0.39 per sheet — typically a fraction of the in-house counter price.
Will Costco reject a passport photo I upload as a 4×6 print?
The kiosk operator doesn't compliance-check the photo against State Department rules — they just print whatever you upload. Our tool produces the file at the exact 51 × 51 mm State Department specs, so the printed kiosk result is compliant when used for US passport applications.
Does Costco offer international (non-US) passport photos?
Costco Photo Centre's passport-photo counter is US-passport only at most locations. Our tool supports 100+ countries; you can still print the resulting 4×6 sheet at any Costco kiosk regardless of the destination country.
Are the printed photos from Costco's kiosk the same quality as the counter service?
Yes. Costco Photo Centre's kiosk uses the same Fuji or Kodak silver-halide printer and the same glossy 4×6 paper as the in-house passport-photo counter. The price difference between the counter and the kiosk is operator labour, not print quality.
Compare other US print locations
- Walgreens — counter $14.99, kiosk $0.33 – $0.49
- CVS — counter $16.99, kiosk $0.33 – $0.49
- Walmart — counter $7.44, kiosk $0.13 – $0.39
- FedEx Office — counter $14.95, kiosk $0.49 – $0.99
- The UPS Store — counter $11.99 – $14.99, kiosk n/a — no self-service kiosk
- Target — counter discontinued (most stores), kiosk $0.49 per 4×6 (via the photo kiosk)
Make your passport photo now
Start at US passport photo for the State Department template, or browse all 100+ supported countries. For the cheapest print breakdown across every option, see the cheapest way to print a passport photo.