Photomaton

Self-Service Photo Booth Servicesphotomaton.fr

Photomaton® operates the largest self-service photo and printing kiosk network in France, with 10,000+ booths across train stations, supermarkets, malls, and government offices in France and Belgium, offering ANTS-compliant ID photos, fun photos, mobile-to-print services, and document printing to individual consumers and small businesses.

Company typePrivate
Founded1936
HeadquartersLa Plaine-saint-denis, France
Headcount501–1,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Photomaton does

Photomaton® operates the largest self-service photo and printing kiosk network in France, with more than 10,000 booths, printing kiosks, and document copiers deployed across train stations, supermarkets (including E.Leclerc), shopping malls, and municipal/government offices, with additional operations in Belgium. Founded in 1936 and headquartered in La Plaine-saint-denis, Photomaton serves individual consumers and small businesses needing official identity photos, casual/leisure photo experiences, photo prints from mobile devices, and document printing/copying/scanning services.

The company's flagship technical capability is a direct integration with the French government's ANTS (Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés) system, which validates official ID photos at the kiosk and issues e-photo codes accepted for passports, national ID cards, driver's licenses, and residence permits. Hardware features include a specialized child-support apparatus enabling compliant photos of children as young as three. Recent development adds generative AI and virtual reality capabilities for non-official photo experiences — portrait enhancement, personalized fun effects, and themed decorations — alongside a new wellness service line. Photomaton® is a registered trademark owned by ME Group (me-group.com), the strategic operating parent that supplies technology and brand stewardship.

Photomaton earns revenue through per-transaction fees at the kiosk level across four core service lines: official ANTS-compliant ID photos, fun photos and portraits, photo printing from mobile devices, and document printing/copying/scanning, with an additional photobooth rental revenue stream through partner site vip-box.fr. The business is direct-to-consumer, with no sales force at the point of service; customer acquisition is driven by physical location density, brand recognition, online location-finder tools, and organic social channels (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube). The customer base is heavily weighted to individual consumers handling life-event document needs, supplemented by a smaller cohort of SMBs and professionals using emergency printing and copying services.

Photomaton firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Photomaton
Legal name: Photomaton
Website: https://photomaton.fr
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1936
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 501–1,000 employees
Short description: Photomaton® operates the largest self-service photo and printing kiosk network in France, with 10,000+ booths across train stations, supermarkets, malls, and government offices in France and Belgium, offering ANTS-compliant ID photos, fun photos, mobile-to-print services, and document printing to individual consumers and small businesses.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Photomaton industry classification

Industry

Product category: Self-Service Photo Booth Services
NAICS: One-Hour Photofinishing (812922), Photographic Services (54192)
SIC: Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Photofinishing Laboratories (7384)
akta.pro primary industry: Self-Checkout Kiosks & Interactive Retail Kiosks (HDACAKAH)
akta.pro secondary industry: Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs) (BPAMAHAK)

Keywords

Photo booth services
Identity photo printing
Self-service kiosks
Document printing services
Official ID photos

Where Photomaton is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: La Plaine-saint-denis
HQ country: France
HQ region: Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

Photomaton business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Photo Booth Sessions: Customers pay per use of photo booth services including official ID photos, fun photos, and portrait sessions. Revenue is generated through individual transactions at the kiosk level.
Photo Printing: Revenue from printing photographs from mobile devices at printing kiosks. Customers transfer photos from phones to the booth and pay for physical prints.
Document Services: Revenue from document printing, copying, and scanning services at Photomaton kiosks located in municipal buildings and retail locations.
Photobooth Rental: Event photobooth rental services offered through partner site vip-box.fr for private events and celebrations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Photomaton product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Photomaton operates a network of over 10,000 self-service photo booths and printing kiosks installed in high-traffic locations across France and Belgium. The kiosks deliver official identity photos compliant with the French ANTS (Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés) system for passports, ID cards, driver's licenses, and residence permits; fun and vintage-style portrait photos; mobile-to-print photo printing; and document printing, copying, and scanning services. Customers interact directly with the unattended kiosks on a per-transaction basis, with no staff involvement.

Product overview

Photomaton offers a network of over 10,000 photo booths, printing kiosks, and copiers across France and Belgium. The core portfolio consists of five main service categories: Photos Officielles (ANTS-compliant identity photos for official documents including driving licenses and passports), Photos Fun & Portraits (leisure photos with themed decorations), Impression Photos (phone-to-print photo printing), Bureautique (document printing/copying/scanning), and Nouveaux services (innovative offerings including wellness services). Additional offerings include photobooth rental through partner VIP-Box. The company has been operating since 1936 and is currently innovating with AI and virtual reality technologies for non-official photos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Photos Officielles (ANTS) Official identity photos compliant with the French ANTS (Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés) requirements for passports, national ID cards, driver's licenses, and residence permits. Includes the e-photo service that generates a validation code on the kiosk for online ANTS document applications, sold to individual consumers applying for government-issued identity documents.
Photos Fun & Portraits Fun, vintage-style, and personalized portrait photo sessions inside Photomaton booths with themed decorations. Targeted at groups of friends, couples, and families seeking leisure photo strips and keepsake portraits.
Impression Photos Photo printing service where customers transfer photographs from their mobile phones to a Photomaton kiosk and receive high-quality physical prints. Targets individual consumers without home photo printing capability.
Bureautique (Document Services) Integrated document printing, copying, and scanning services available at Photomaton kiosks, particularly those located in municipal buildings and retail locations. Targets individual consumers needing ad-hoc office document services.
Nouveaux services (Forme et Bien-être) Newly developed service offerings including Forme et Bien-être (health and wellness) kiosks, alongside AI-generated and virtual-reality-enhanced photo experiences. Targets individual consumers seeking novel wellness and creative photo services.
Photobooth Rental Rental of Photomaton photo booths for private events and celebrations such as weddings and parties, sold through the VIP-Box partner site. Targets event organizers and individuals hosting private celebrations.

Quantifiable outcome

E-photo validated on machine and accepted by ANTS for official document applications

Companies that use Photomaton

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Photomaton technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Photomaton partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

ANTS (Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés)coreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial integration partnership with the French government's ANTS system for identity document photos. Photomaton booths capture and validate official ID photos directly, generating codes for use on the ANTS website for passport, ID card, driver's license, and residence permit applications.
ME GroupcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPhotomaton is a brand owned by ME Group (me-group.com). ME Group operates Photomaton and develops new technologies including AI and VR for photo services. The partnership involves brand licensing and technology development under the parent company.
Retail and Municipal PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with retailers (including supermarket chains like E.Leclerc), shopping malls, train stations, and municipal governments to host Photomaton kiosks in their locations, providing physical distribution infrastructure.
VIP BoxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner site (vip-box.fr) for photobooth rental services at private events and celebrations, extending Photomaton services into the event rental market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Photomaton competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Photomaton financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Photomaton leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Photomaton funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Photomaton M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Photomaton

What does Photomaton do?

Is Photomaton a public or private company?

Photomaton is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Photomaton founded?

Photomaton was founded in 1936. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.

Where is Photomaton based?

Photomaton is headquartered in La Plaine-saint-denis, France, in the Europe region.

How does Photomaton make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Photo Booth Sessions are the primary driver. The others are photo Printing, document Services and photobooth Rental.

Does Photomaton have an API?

No public API is recorded for Photomaton.

What industry is Photomaton in?

Photomaton's product category is Self-Service Photo Booth Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAKAH, Self-Checkout Kiosks & Interactive Retail Kiosks, with a secondary code of BPAMAHAK, Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs). Its NAICS code is 812922 and its SIC code is 7330.