Target Passport Photo vs. Doing It Free Online

Does Target actually take passport photos?

Target used to run an in-store one-hour photo counter, but that service has been discontinued at most locations. Today, Target's only official passport photo offering is an online print order: you upload a photo on target.com, a print partner processes it, and prints ship to your home or a nearby store.

What confuses a lot of shoppers is that many Target stores also contain a CVS Pharmacy — a separate business that leases space inside the store. That CVS counter does offer walk-in passport photo requirements-compliant photos taken and printed on the spot, using the same system and pricing as any standalone CVS.

How the Target mail-order print works

You upload an existing photo — one you've already taken and cropped to the correct size yourself — through Target's photo printing site. The print partner ships four 2×2 in prints on a 5×7 in sheet to your address, typically in about a week to two weeks depending on shipping speed. Target does not check or edit your photo for compliance; it only prints what you send.

How the in-store CVS-at-Target option works

At the CVS Pharmacy counter, a staff member photographs you with a kiosk system that automatically checks size, background, and head position, then prints two copies while you wait. CVS advertises a compliance guarantee: if your application is rejected because of the photo, bring your receipt and rejection notice back for a free reshoot. A digital file or USB copy costs extra on top of the print price.

Printing your free photo

Once idpic.app gives you a compliant, print-ready file, you have two low-cost printing routes instead of paying a retail counter. Our guide to printing passport photos walks through printing at home on photo paper or ordering a cheap 4×6 in print at any pharmacy for a fraction of a retail counter's price. If your application is submitted online instead of by mail, see our guide to digital passport photos for exact file size and format requirements.

Why most people are better off skipping the counter

For most applicants, the maths doesn't favour Target's mail-order print or the in-store CVS counter. Target's mail order takes over a week to arrive — too slow if you're on a deadline — and doesn't check your photo for compliance at all, so a poorly cropped photo still gets printed and mailed to you. The in-store CVS option is faster, but at roughly $17 for two prints with no included digital file, it costs far more than the few cents a home print requires.

idpic.app closes both gaps: it checks your photo against official US passport specs before you download anything, gives you a digital file by default, and never uploads your image to a server — it all runs locally in your browser, so there's no privacy trade-off for the convenience.

Common pitfalls with mail-order and in-store printing

• Mailing an uncropped or badly lit photo to Target's print service, since it isn't checked for compliance before printing

• Ordering mail-order prints too close to a travel deadline — 6 to 14 days is not fast enough for last-minute applications

• Assuming every Target has an in-store CVS — many do not, so call ahead before making a special trip

• Forgetting to ask for the digital copy at the CVS counter and being charged an extra fee later to retrieve it