How long does a passport photo take? Time by option
A passport photo takes between 5 minutes (online tool) and 90 minutes (DIY with retakes). Same-day options exist at pharmacies, post offices and online services. Premium photo studios can take 45 minutes including booking time.
Quick answer
Pharmacy 10 min · online tool 5 min · DIY 30-90 min
Need a photo in under 15 minutes: Walgreens, CVS, Boots walk-in, or Anfas.Pro online (no appointment). Need it in under an hour: post office, photo studio. DIY at home: realistically 30-90 minutes counting setup, retakes and printing.
Time by option
| Option | Setup | Photo + processing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walgreens / CVS walk-in | 0 | 10 minutes | 10 minutes |
| Post office (with appointment) | Booking 1-7 days | 15-30 minutes on the day | 15-30 minutes |
| Photo studio walk-in | 0 | 20-45 minutes | 20-45 minutes |
| Photo studio appointment | 1-3 days booking | 15-30 minutes on the day | 15-30 minutes |
| Anfas.Pro online | 0 | 5 minutes upload + process | 5 minutes |
| DIY at home (first attempt) | 5-10 minutes | 15-30 minutes | 20-40 minutes |
| DIY at home (with 2 retakes) | 5-10 minutes | 45-75 minutes | 60-85 minutes |
| DIY + home printing | Printer setup | 20-30 minutes | 30-60 minutes |
Same-day options
Pharmacy chains (Walgreens, CVS, Boots, Asda) accept walk-ins during opening hours. Most return printed photos in 10-15 minutes. Photo studios usually accept walk-ins but quality and time depend on the studio. Online tools deliver in minutes regardless of time of day, but you need to print yourself if a physical copy is required.
When time matters most
Visa appointments often have a 24-48 hour window to upload the digital photo. Last-minute passport applications need same-day photos. Travel delays sometimes require an emergency passport photo at the airport. For all three scenarios, an online tool that exports a portal-ready file in 5 minutes is the fastest option.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to get a passport photo?
For digital file only: an online tool in 5 minutes. For a printed photo: a pharmacy walk-in in 10-15 minutes. For both: an online tool + send the file to a local print service for 30 minutes total.
How long do passport-photo printers take at a pharmacy?
About 5-10 minutes for the print itself. Total time includes the photo-taking (2-3 minutes), checking and reprinting if needed (5-10 minutes), and queueing (varies). Plan 15 minutes for a walk-in.
Why does DIY take so long compared to a pharmacy?
A pharmacy has a calibrated capture station and a trained operator. DIY requires setting up lighting, finding a plain wall, taking multiple frames, cropping to country specification, exporting at the right file size and printing. The first attempt rarely passes all five steps.
Is a 5-minute online tool reliable?
For digital file delivery: yes. The processing is automated and applies the same country-specific check every time. The 5 minutes covers upload, automated crop, background normalisation and export — not waiting in a queue or for a human operator.
Related guides
Try Anfas.Pro — 5 minutes, free preview
Upload a portrait — Anfas.Pro applies the country-specific crop, background and biometric framing in 5 minutes.