With the “gradual” implementation of the passport requirements called for as part of the WHTI you have either already discovered or will soon discover how expensive passport photos are considering what you actually get for your money. For anywhere from $8 to $17 you get the tiny little head shot that may be less than flattering if it’s even in focus at all. Heck, we’re a little ashamed to admit that we paid $16 for a passport sized ID photo last year and we’ve seen places that charge even more.
Now, if you read through the travel.state.gov site you’ll discover that you can supply a photo you’ve taken as long as it meets the following requirements (remember you need to supply two photos)-
- 2×2 inches in size
- Identical
- Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
- Color
- Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
- Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
- Taken in normal street attire
- Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily.
- Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline.
- If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture.
- Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.
For the most part all of the requirements are easy to meet, although there are a few bits that may be a little daunting like getting the head in the picture to be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches. However the good folks at The Consumerist (which I might add is a place that we hope never has a reason to write badly about us 
) have pointed us to this post on Money, Matter and More Musings which tells you just how you can take your own passport photos that meet all of the above requirements.
First, get yourself a white cloth to use as a backdrop and select a well lit area and take your pictures. Now YOU can select the best photos. Head over to ePassportPhoto and upload your pictures, this free service lets you crop your photos and will automatically resize them to the correct size. If you have a good photo printer and photo paper you can print out the pictures yourself. Don’t have a photo printer, then take (or send) your photos to Target, Costco or a similar store that will print digital pictures and get your passport photos printed out. Even if you have to buy the backdrop and pay to get the pictures printed out taking your own passport pictures could cost you as little as 25% of what many places charge for passport and ID photos…
Filed under: Travel Advisories
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