First Passport - Anyone Had Photos Rejected?

Yes I think so. They are so fussy these days, I almost feel they reject pics if they are not ugly enough!

Lol. Maw you might be right.
Is there no-one else who could sign the back for you. I asked our optician neighbours to do ours once and an accountant another time.

Google: who can countersign a passport photo.
There is a list of qualified people.
I was a licensee and was asked to do this regularly but there are lots of other professions who are allowed.

I had my photos at Timpsons and they were sent through and approved directly from the shop. No signature required.
I was renewing my passport, not getting a one for the first time.

I had my last photos rejected as they said I was smiling Well I couldn’t see no smile
I think you will need to find someone to sign it or they ll send it back again

I had my last passport photos rejected twice ! My DH got his straight back . I felt like writing to them asking “ what the hell do you want ?” . I can’t see a single difference in the last rejected ones to the finally accepted ones . Same ugly mug, same straight face

I know how you feel Gillybob my pic makes me look like someone from Prisoner Cell Block H.

No – but I really wish they had.

We’ve just renewed our passports on line. (Haven’t had the new ones back yet). We went to our DS’s house to take the photos as he has nice plain magnolia walls and good lighting with windows front and back. We thought. We both had our photos, taken on an iPad, rejected several times before we got them accepted by which time it was getting dark and our expressions becoming more like police mug shots. Shadow was the problem, and getting the lighting even.

Apart from that the on-line application was really easy. Obviously a new passport will need more information but it was certainly more reassuring to do on line and know the photo was ok straight away.

We tried to do it online last year, and failed miserably. We went to the Post Office, and they took them, I had to remove my spectacles. We didn't need them countersigned, the Post Office did it all there and then as we'd already filled in the firm's and taken them with us.

It did take considerable persistence to get the photos right - by the time we got them accepted we’d both got so fed up we looked like old lags having mug shots. I’m just thankful they’re quite small in the passport.

It would have been better to have gone to a photo booth and apparently obtained a number which you fill in on the form. Otherwise it was a painless way to do it.

I had lots of photos rejected when I used the online system that had just (then) been introduced. Even though they all looked more or less the same, the reasons were many and various. I particularly liked your head appears to be too small. By this time DH had taken about 50 photos and wouldn’t play any more, so I snapped a selfie against our off-white bathroom wall, and it was accepted, hurrah! When the passport arrived the background was quite a bright blue and more than one official has wondered why it was approved.

I do know someone who’s had a professional photo rejected even after paying for the checking service. With so many people being allowed to countersign these days, I’d just find another signatory to avoid any delays later.

It always makes me smile, this list of who could countersign - as if education, or ordination automatically turn you into an honest person - I wish!

My late husband took my photo ,we thought it was perfect .The exact size and full face etc etc.......
It was rejected . He took about 15 photos in total and it was always the same causes for rejection , the main one being my hair line .. We just couldn't understand it. We spent hours doing this.
In the end we pressed the button. Saying we disagreed that the photo was unsuitable and listed all their
faults which you could see were wrong ........ Photo accepted..... Don't give up.

I renewed mine in 2016 after not having one for 30 years. I had professional photos taken but the guy who signed did it wrong. I then got some cheap photos from a booth


they were rejected. The next lot were again signed wrongly the next lot were accepted. Mt friend is 90 and was not reading the guidelines.

It took 9 months to get my passport. Not my fault tho. I was glad i booked 10 months early for my holiday

Yes that happened to me because I had too much fringe apparently, so I had another one done with most of my hair pushed back off my face. The accepted one doesn't actually look like me, but at least I look quite young in it.

Happened to DH - he had an ear partly cut off! Fault of the booth they said but luckily we had gone in person to do a four hour turn around renewal. They had a booth in the office and the quality of that photo was far superior ( and he had two full ears!)

I would say to anyone, have any ID photographs done professionally. I needed one for my Driving License and visited a local shop, the sort that process your photos and also print them on mugs etc.
I did not know about my fringe getting in the way, but the young Lady who took the photographs did, and I had to adjust my fringe accordingly. Also, she made measurements to make sure that my photo was within the specifications demanded. I had no problem when I sent it to the DVLA.

My passport photo was accepted, although the clerk in the office was uncertain whether it would be, because IF YOU BLEW IT UP TO SIX TIMES THE SIZE OF A PASSPORT PHOTO you could see that my lips were not tightly pressed together in the unsmiling, unattractive pose required these days.

Can you beat it?

Mine was rejected because they said I was smiling. I wasn't. Maybe you have to look miserable?

I've always smiled, but not the big toothy grin smile. Accepted.

>I had lots of photos rejected when I used the online system that had just (then) been introduced. Even though they all looked more or less the same, the reasons were many and various. I particularly liked your head appears to be too small. grin
That made me laugh out loud :D

Is it really that hard to apply online? I submitted 2 applications online ( for DH and myself) and they were accepted at once. Although, I did use Passport Photo Maker program to crop and edit photos a little.

I accidentally destroyed my paper driving licence. Applied for a new one online and they retrieved my photo from my passport, along with my signature. Isn't modern technology wonderful??