aliced

Trying to take care of all potential time-wasters here rather than upon arrival t CDG end of September. So the Navigo pass states that a "1 1/4" x 1"" picture is required. An extra passport photo might be ok if I were to trim away all the hair around my head, otherwise it's a bit too big, same for my husband. Ideally, am looking for those photo booths that were everywhere in my youth for crazy posing with pals, but seems they're no longer anywhere. How stringent are the photo reuirements? Thanks Fodorites!

Christina

All of those photo booths made passport sized photos, as far as I know. My passport photo is 1-1/4 wide by 1-7/8 tall but a lot of the length is not my face. Your face is supposed to be about 1 or 1-1/4 inches tall on your passport photo.

The point is they want to be able to recognize your face mainly, so trim it to the size to fit on the card and it will be fine, with your face centered. Perhaps you aren't aware, but you put it together yourself and the odds are, unless you are stopped for doing something wrong, no one will ever see it. My Navigo pass is the exact size required and is a bit smaller than my passport photo, I guess (my head). I can't remember where I got it, I think maybe in a photo booth in one of the RER stations but that was some years ago.

I always travel with a small pair of scissors, but if you don't, cut it to the correct size before you go. But the fact is the place to put the photo on the Navigo card is only the size they state, so it can't be too big.

aliced

Thanks! Asking my teen granddaughters if those photo booths are still anywhere around here.....

Christina

The official photo booths I'm thinking of were in malls in the US, but they weren't for fun. The ones you are thinking of were a different thing and those might be hard to get a good ID qualify photo of the right size. They have plenty in Paris still, ID photo booths. In case you forget, they are Photomaton and here is a place that tells you whwere they are. There is one in the RER St Michel/ND underground passageways

https://stores.photomaton.fr/fr/fran...stalCode=75005

this is what they look like (one in Montparnasse gare), you can see they say they make identify card official photos

https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/f...ces/photomaton

StuDudley

When we tried to get our Navigo cards recharged with a weekly pass about 5 years ago, we found out that our cards had expired and we needed a new ones. With a new picture. We went to one of those booths & tried & tried to get a proper sized photo - but couldn't. The pics were always about 4X5" (my wife reads/speaks French just fine). We finally just pealed the pics off our old Navigos & put them on the new ones.

I think Amelie must have been messin' with the photo booth!!

Stu Dudley

kerouac

The photo booths are just fine even though the photos are too big. The RATP employee will just trim away all the excess, the neck, the hair, the ears, the chin -- all they want to see on the pass is the center of your face. It is neither a photography contest nor a beauty contest.

MaineGG

Our first Navigo photos were done by us at home and printed on our cheap printer on regular paper. It took a few tries to get them just the right size, but we did and they were accepted. In 2019, we were told our passes had expired and we needed new ones. When I said we would have to go have photos done, the RATF agent looked us over, then peeled the old ones off and put them on the new passes. Based on our experience, and Stu's, I don't think they are very picky about the photos as long as they fit and look like you.

AJPeabody

CVS here will print photos uploaded from my home computer. The last time I needed ID photos for a trip, I took a head shot of Mrs. P who took one of me. The app had many formats to use for pix. I took the one that had 8 or 9 pix on a single glossy 6x8 print. I put me on half, Mrs. P on half, and edited the size of the faces to different sizes on different pix. They printed the sheet for about a dollar. I cut the pictures out and we were set for whatever we needed for a couple of trips.

aliced

Well, this is good, since we will take the RER B from CDG to our hotel arriving Sunday to start the Navigo on Monday. But I also like the CVS option above. We were there today getting our second booster (which is not the updated formula... mon dieu) but didnt think/see the option for several. But we do have good headshots that will fit from an old shot in Greece, so will bring all options with us, and if worse comes to worse will spring for the Photomaton in the RER B area. We didnt do this five years ago, think we didn't get the Pass, as we only spent few nights before heading down to Bordeaux or something. Thanks, guys.

Sarastro

To answer specifically aliced´s question about the Navigo photo, the RATP states:

To be valid, the Navigo découverte must have the bearer´s first and last name, photo attached (face only, no headware, netural background, photo may not be previously used, not scanned, not photocopied).

Inspectors have fined individuals 50€ for using photos not meeting these specifications.

Everyone will do what he is comfortable with, but decisions should be based upon the knowledge of RATP´s actual requirements.

All RER stations and virtually all métro stations have photo booths where official photos may be taken for 5€.

cafegoddess

We just buy 20 tickets at a time. Some Monoprix has a picture booth which was recommended to us when we inquired about the Navigo card.

I highly recommend the app Next Stop Paris.

kerouac

Monoprix and many other stores. It is often easier to just find a metro station with a booth.