Which Option Fits Your Situation
| Your situation | Recommended option |
|---|---|
| Need it today, town centre | Timpson at Festival Place (£12.99). Walk in, no appointment. |
| Cheapest with digital code | Max Spielmann booth at Basingstoke Tesco or Asda (£6-8). |
| Paper application, need it checked | Post Office Check and Send (£15.95). Call branch first to confirm. |
| Baby or infant photo | Timpson at Festival Place (staffed). Not a booth. |
| Need prints from existing digital file | Boots CEWE kiosk at Festival Place (from 27p per 4x6 sheet). |
| Online, no travel needed | PassportApp (£9.99). IDPC code instantly. Prints to your door. |
Timpson: Festival Place
- Timpson – Festival Place::
- Festival Place Shopping Centre, Basingstoke, RG21 7BA. Use the store finder at timpson.co.uk/stores/basingstoke-festival-place-1 to confirm the current unit location within the centre.
- Opening hours: broadly follows Festival Place mall hours, Monday to Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. Confirm specific hours at the Timpson store finder before visiting.
- Price: £12.99 for prints and IDPC digital code. Driving licence photos £12.99. Visa photos £14.99.
Staff take your photo using a Fuji camera against a compliant background, print the photos, and issue a printed IDPC code slip. Unlimited free retakes until satisfied. Baby and infant photos available. Call ahead for very young babies.
Parking: Festival Place is in Basingstoke town centre, accessible directly from the ring road (Churchill Way West / A30). The main car parks serving Festival Place are the Alencon Link multi-storey (RG21 1JB, off Alencon Link road) and Festival Place's own surface and multi-storey parking with direct access to the shopping centre. Standard charges apply; first hour is typically free or at a reduced rate on weekdays.
Best for: anyone in Basingstoke town centre wanting a staffed service with a guarantee. Good for babies and children where booth cameras are not suitable.
Max Spielmann: Staffed Shop, Basingstoke
- Max Spielmann – staffed shop, Basingstoke::
- Address: operates within or near a supermarket location. Use the Max Spielmann store locator at maxphoto.co.uk and enter Basingstoke to find the current address and confirm it is a staffed shop, not just a self-service booth.
- Opening hours: 9am to 6pm (confirmed from Passport Photo Online research, November 2024). Confirm current hours via the Max Spielmann store locator before visiting.
- Price: £12.99 for prints and IDPC digital code. No appointment required.
Staffed Max Spielmann shop service. Staff take the photo and check compliance. Up to ten free retakes. Prints and IDPC digital code included. An Apply and Go service may be available, where staff complete the online passport application for you — confirm when calling.
Best for: a staffed service at the same price as Timpson, potentially with Apply and Go availability. A good alternative to Festival Place if the location is more convenient.
Max Spielmann Self-Service Booth: Basingstoke Tesco
- Max Spielmann booth – Basingstoke Tesco::
- Confirmed via maxphoto.co.uk/photo-store-locator/passport-photobooth-basingstoke. Use the store locator to confirm the specific Tesco location (typically a large-format Extra or Superstore, not a Tesco Express or Metro).
- Opening hours: the booth operates during Tesco store hours. Large Tesco Superstores typically open 6am-midnight Monday to Saturday and 10am-4pm Sunday (subject to local licensing).
- Price: £6-£8 for the self-service booth (prints and IDPC code). No staff involvement.
Self-service. Select document type on screen, follow instructions, receive printed photos and IDPC code. Two or four printed photos.
Parking: large free customer car park, no time limit for customers during shopping hours. Accessible parking bays near the main entrance.
Best for: the cheapest option in Basingstoke with a digital code. Standard adult applications only. Not suitable for infants or children under 4.
Max Spielmann Self-Service Booth: Basingstoke Asda
- Max Spielmann booth – Basingstoke Asda::
- Basingstoke Asda, Brighton Hill Retail Park, Basingstoke, RG22 4EL. Confirmed via maxphoto.co.uk/photo-store-locator/passport-photobooth-basingstoke-asda.
- Opening hours: operates during Asda store hours, typically Monday to Saturday 7am-11pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.
- Price: £6-£8 for the self-service booth (prints and IDPC code).
Self-service. Same process as the Tesco booth. Prints and IDPC code. No staff.
Parking: Brighton Hill Retail Park has a large free customer car park with no time limit for shoppers. Accessible bays near the Asda entrance. Brighton Hill is approximately 2 miles south of Basingstoke town centre via the A30 Brighton Hill / New Road. By bus: Stagecoach routes serve Brighton Hill from Basingstoke town centre and the railway station.
Best for: the cheapest option, particularly convenient if already shopping at Asda or in the Brighton Hill Retail Park area.
Post Office Check and Send: Basingstoke
- Post Office – Check and Send, Basingstoke::
- Price: £15.95 for the Check and Send service, in addition to the passport application fee.
Staff check your passport application documents and photographs against HMPO requirements and post the application by secure mail. This is for paper applications only, not for online renewals.
Finding your nearest branch: use the Post Office branch finder at postoffice.co.uk and select "Passport Applications" to find Basingstoke branches offering Check and Send. Not all Post Office branches in Basingstoke offer this service — call ahead to confirm availability and current hours before visiting.
Best for: paper passport applications where you want staff to check all documents before posting. Particularly useful for first adult passport applications, child passport applications, and applications with countersignatory requirements.
Boots: Festival Place
- Boots – Festival Place::
- Boots, Festival Place, Basingstoke, RG21 7BA.
Boots removed all its own-branded passport photo booths in July 2024. The Festival Place Boots does not operate a Boots photography service. However, the store has a CEWE Photostation kiosk where you can print a compliant digital file you bring yourself, from approximately 27p per 4x6 sheet (two 35x45mm passport photos). Format your digital file as a 4x6 template with two passport photos, print at the kiosk, and cut to size. Set the print to "actual size", not "fit to page".
Parking: Festival Place car parks as described under Timpson above.
Best for: anyone with a compliant digital passport photo who needs the cheapest possible printed copies without taking a new photo.
The Online Option: Passport Photo Without Leaving Home
For online passport renewals (the most common route for adult renewals), you do not need to visit any Basingstoke provider. PassportApp provides a compliant digital photo and IDPC code from home.
Get your photo: UK passport photo.
Nearest Passport Office to Basingstoke
There is no HM Passport Office in Basingstoke. The nearest HMPO regional offices are:
- London Victoria Passport Office::
- Globe House, 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN
- Approximately 50 miles northeast of Basingstoke. By train: Basingstoke to London Waterloo is approximately 45-55 minutes on South Western Railway; Waterloo to Victoria is approximately 10 minutes.
- Newport (Isle of Wight) Passport Office::
- Cavendish House, Britannia Way, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5XG
- Approximately 40 miles south of Basingstoke. Requires a ferry crossing. The London Victoria office is generally more convenient for Basingstoke residents.
Basingstoke-Specific Notes
Commuters and London connections
Basingstoke has a large commuter population travelling to London. Many residents renewing passports prefer the online route (upload from home, collect digitally) to avoid combining a passport photo trip with the commute. PassportApp's online service and IDPC code is well-suited to this pattern. For urgent renewals, the London Victoria HMPO office is accessible within the morning commute window.
Getting around Basingstoke for passport photos
Basingstoke is primarily a car-based town, though the town centre and Festival Place are walkable from the railway station and bus station. Basingstoke Railway Station (RG21 7NN) is on the South Western Railway London Waterloo line and the CrossCountry route. Festival Place is approximately 10 minutes' walk via the pedestrianised Wote Street. Brighton Hill (Asda) is approximately 15-20 minutes by Stagecoach bus from the station.
By car to Festival Place: accessed from Churchill Way West (A30 ring road). The Alencon Link multi-storey car park (RG21 1JB) is the most convenient for Festival Place and Timpson; first hour at a reduced rate or free on weekdays.
By car to Brighton Hill Asda: from the town centre, follow New Road south (A30) to Brighton Hill Retail Park. Free car park on site, approximately 2 miles and 5-10 minutes' drive from the town centre.
Multiple Stagecoach bus routes serve Basingstoke town centre and outer areas, including route X4 and others serving Brighton Hill. Check stagecoachbus.com/routes/south for current route maps.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Basingstoke has several passport photo options. Timpson at Festival Place shopping centre (£12.99, staffed, IDPC code included). Max Spielmann staffed shop in Basingstoke (£12.99, opens 9am-6pm, no appointment needed). Max Spielmann self-service booths at Basingstoke Tesco and Basingstoke Asda (£6-8, includes IDPC code). Post Office Check and Send at selected branches for paper applications (£15.95). Online: PassportApp (£9.99, IDPC code instantly, no travel needed).
Timpson is located at Festival Place shopping centre in Basingstoke town centre. Festival Place is the main covered shopping centre in Basingstoke, located off the ring road (A30 / Churchill Way). Parking at Festival Place is available in the multi-storey car parks at Alencon Link and Winchester Road. Festival Place is approximately 10 minutes' walk from Basingstoke Railway Station.
The cheapest in-person option with a digital code is the Max Spielmann self-service booth at Basingstoke Tesco or Asda at £6-8. Online, PassportApp costs £9.99 and includes a human expert compliance check and IDPC code. If you already have a compliant digital file, you can print at the CEWE kiosk at Boots in Festival Place for approximately 27p per 4x6 sheet (two photos).
There is no HM Passport Office in Basingstoke. The nearest HMPO regional office is the London Victoria office at Globe House, 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN, approximately 50 miles northeast. Basingstoke is well-served by train to London Waterloo (45-55 minutes on South Western Railway), with Victoria a short journey from Waterloo. For urgent passport appointments, call HMPO on 0300 222 0000.
Selected Post Office branches in Basingstoke offer the Check and Send service (£15.95) for paper passport applications. Use the Post Office branch finder at postoffice.co.uk and filter for "Passport Applications" to find which Basingstoke branches offer this service. Call ahead to confirm availability and current hours before visiting.
Boots removed its own-branded passport photo booths in July 2024. The Festival Place Boots does not offer a Boots photography service. It does have a CEWE Photostation kiosk where you can print a compliant digital file for approximately 27p per 4x6 sheet.
The Alencon Link multi-storey car park (RG21 1JB) is the most convenient for Festival Place, accessed via Alencon Link road off the ring road. Festival Place also has its own car parks. Standard charges apply; the first hour is often free or discounted on weekdays.
Yes. Timpson at Festival Place (£12.99) is the best in-person option for infant passport photos. Staff handle baby positioning and compliance — call ahead for newborns. Max Spielmann self-service booths at Tesco and Asda are not suitable for babies. The home flat-lay method (baby on a plain cream or light grey sheet, photographed from above) is also effective using PassportApp online.
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