The O.C. Clerk-Recorder announces lower fees for passport photos

Today, Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen is pleased to announce that he will be reducing the cost of passport photos from $10 to $7 effective Wednesday, March 9, 2022. This will provide a cost savings to the public obtaining passport services from the department without affecting the department’s ability to recover costs for providing these services. This fee reduction is possible due to Clerk-Recorder Nguyen’s continued efforts to reduce expenses by adopting technology that helps increase efficiency throughout the department. The department currently offers passport services at its North County branch office in Anaheim and at the County Service Center located inside the County Administration South building in Santa Ana.

“With the cost of everything on the rise, I am pleased to be able to offer the public our services at a lower price”, said Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen. “I would like to thank the Orange County Board of Supervisors for their support in my efforts to reduce costs to the public,” he added.

The reduced fee means that the Clerk-Recorder Department offers the cheapest passport photos in Orange County compared to many major, local retailers. This is the second time Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen has been able to reduce passport photo fees since taking office. He was successful, in 2017, with getting the Board of Supervisors to adopt a resolution that reduced the cost of passport photos from $15 to $10. In 2019, he began updating the department’s passport photo printers and related equipment making it possible for the department to produce the photos faster and cheaper than ever before.

In 2021, the department processed 3,406 passport photos and accepted 5,160 passport applications. Before the pandemic in 2019, the department processed 6,736 passport photos and accepted 10,740 passport applications. During a normal year, the department processes an average of 6,000 passport photos and accepts an average of 10,000 passport applications.

To learn more about passport services available at the Clerk-Recorder Department, please visit OCRecorder.com or contact the information line at (714) 834-2500. The information line is available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, except holidays.