Where to Get a Passport Photo: 3
It only takes about 5 minutes to pick where to get your photo taken. Once they take it, your face turns into a digital file. Some shops delete that file, and some shops keep it. Most shops don't tell you which one they do. You can ask three questions to find out who keeps it. Then you'll know how to leave fewer copies of your face out there. Does that shop still have a copy of your face?
Almost nobody spends even 5 seconds thinking about that file. Your photo leaves the counter, and nobody asks where it goes.
Pharmacies that have a photo counter will take them. FedEx Office and UPS stores take them too. So do photo studios and a lot of post offices.
You can also use your phone and stand against a white wall. The State Department wants it 2 by 2 inches.
A shop is mostly selling you convenience. The shop crops your photo on a computer before it prints it. And now your face exists as a file.
Someone has to keep that file somewhere.
A lot of shops email you a code to pick up your photo. Until then, your picture waits on a server. The shop can keep your file there for days.
When you apply, you send your photo to the government. The ACLU says the FBI can search it.
The FBI could get into people's passport and visa photos. The Defense Department's photos of people's faces were included too. And so were driver's licenses from at least 16 states.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported 411.9 million photos in 2016. Most belong to people who never committed a crime.
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Even if you skip the shop, the government still gets your photo. The State Department's papers say it face-matches passport photos.
British police searched Britain's passport photo database. That's Britain's database, not the American one. In 2020, police searched it 2 times. By 2023, police searched it 417 times.
Two privacy groups reported this in August 2025. Police searches could reach more than 150 million passport and immigration photos. The police had no clear legal basis to do it.
British police didn't tell the British public about it. And they didn't tell parliament either.
The two groups sent the Home Office legal letters. Both groups said they'd take it to court.
You use your passport photo to prove who you are. British police quietly searched people's passport photos anyway. Privacy International put the numbers online.
When you're standing at the counter, you get a say. You can't stop the government from keeping its copy of your photo. But you can stop the shop from keeping its copy. But almost nobody asks the shop about its copy.
Before you pay, ask the clerk three questions. If the clerk just shrugs, that's an answer too.
Do you keep a file of my photo? For how many days do you keep it? Can you delete it while I watch?
A careful shop will delete your file. A careless shop never tells you when it's deleted.
Read the shop's privacy policy before you pay. Ask the clerk your three questions. Take your prints and leave. Your paper prints don't end up on anyone's computer.
CaraComp wrote a longer piece that goes deeper on this. CaraComp's checklist gives you 7 steps.
People who build face recognition tools say this. You can't control how other people use your photos. But you can cut down how many copies of your photos get stored.
Skip any shop that makes you sign up for an account. When you're finished, close the tab and log out. Delete the download when you're done.
A decent shop will answer you in about 10 seconds. Look for reviews where people mention clear answers, not just speed. Did your last shop answer that fast?
Picking where to go was the easy part. What matters is who keeps your file.
Tonight, find the receipt from your last passport photo. Check the bottom of your receipt for a note about storage. Delete any old pickup links in your email.
That shop might still have a copy of your face tonight. Ask that shop to delete your file.
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