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Digital Passport Photo

(17 Posts)
sprite66 Thu 31-May-18 09:41:35

Now husband is no Adonis but should be OK to take simple not too scary photo for online passport application. Rejected for having eyes closed, repeat with ever wider open eyes. Should be OK - he looks just like Popeye on steroids. Computer says no eyes are still closed. . More photos, ruddy skin tones and bright checked shirt- what could be wrong? Oh of course, computer says photo is black and white. Give up... maybe go abroad solo..there's a hought!

hildajenniJ Thu 31-May-18 10:17:43

DH and I tried to take photos of each other for our passports. Each one was rejected for all sorts of reasons. Background too bright, or dark confused, eyes closed etc. In the end we went to the post office and the gentleman their took them for us. The thing is though, that we had to remove our spectacles. Will we have to take them off if our passports are inspected?

Wheniwasyourage Thu 31-May-18 12:49:58

You know what they say - if you look like your passport photo you're too ill to travel...

sprite66 Thu 31-May-18 13:02:28

Husband just back from local photographers with digital pics stored somewhere in the ether. Local photographer says that lots of people have all sorts of problems getting their photos accepted. At least husband can stop his Popeye impression. Have put feedback on HM Passport website. No doubt it will be ignored.
I can stop looking at travel sites for singles!

blossom14 Thu 31-May-18 14:25:14

We had trouble with my DH's online photo being rejected last month. As he had a stroke and only has one eye he looked a mess. I used the facility to explain his medical condition and mentioned that it was clearly the same person from his old passport. We got the new passport within a week.

M0nica Thu 31-May-18 15:20:29

I had my digital passport photo taken at Timpsons this morning. The operative ran it through a checking programme that said it was OK.

It is a much better photo than the one taken 10 years ago by a 'proper' photographer. I do not look a day older! Not sure how I managed that.

DanniRae Thu 31-May-18 15:56:35

We had our photos taken at the local chemist for our new passports. Took them to a large post office to have them processed and the counter clerk rejected my husband's as 'he had his teeth showing'. Neither of us could see any teeth but she said well I'll send it but it may be rejected. So he went back to the chemist, they took more photos and he went to a different post office and success!

Willow500 Thu 31-May-18 16:04:19

Passport photos have got ridiculous - no glasses, no fringe, no smiling, no colour etc etc. Little wonder you get to passport control and they do a double take trying to match the photo to the actual person standing in front of them! They now have thumbprint recognition too and eye matching!

Juggernaut Thu 31-May-18 16:19:41

I took my last passport application to the Post Office to have it checked and sent on.
Got just a tad upset when the woman behind the counter, who, incidentally was no beauty, said “They won't accept this photo, your face is too chubby”!
What did she expect me to do, not travel until I had plastic surgery to slim my face down?
I took the application back, hopped on a train, walked into the Passport Office where they said the photo was fine!
I put it down to her being in a bitchy mood! Stupid woman!

Welshwife Thu 31-May-18 16:36:49

DH had a photo rejected (we were actually at the passport office) because the machine had cut part of one of his ears off. He was able to do another one in the machine inside the office and that was a much better one and passed.

Jalima1108 Thu 31-May-18 17:23:15

I gave up on trying to send one digitally and posted it off - the passport came back fairly promptly.

harrigran Thu 31-May-18 17:23:47

I had the same problems a month or so ago, DH took about 50 photos of me and we went through most of them before I had one accepted. I took one quick photo of him and it was accepted first time., I was beginning to panic his passport was back two weeks before the computer said yes to mine.

1974cookie Thu 31-May-18 17:47:33

When I needed a photograph for my driving license, I went to a high street photographer, the sort that also do T shirts, mugs etc, so we are not talking fancy. They knew exactly what was required for official documents etc. Ie, the photographer asked me to move my fringe as the photo would be rejected if my eyes were even partly obscured. If they were not happy with the photo after checking and measuring, then they would retake it at no extra cost. I got 4 photo's in a wallet for about £7. I had no problem with acceptance. Money well spent, and no hassle.

M0nica Fri 01-Jun-18 21:45:35

Easiest passport renewal ever yesterday. Dropped into Timpsons while doing the weekly shop. Photo taken, developed and I was given a copy of the photos with the online code for the digital version and another digital copy on a USB stick in less than 10 minutes.

Went home spent another 10 minutes in the afternoon, inputting details, digital code for photo etc onto new Passport office system and sending it to them. This afternoon I popped into the Post Office, there was no queue, and I sent my about to expire passport off to Peterborough.

Easy-peasy. Mind you it cost nearly £100 with cost of photo, passport and sending old passport recorded delivery as recommended.

Besstwishes Fri 01-Jun-18 22:12:10

Went into Post Office with pics, not good enough as fringe is covering eyebrow, retook pics, fringe is still too close to eyebrow, scraped hair back pic accepted.
I look as though I’ve escaped from somewhere and I always wear a fringe, no one at passport control has ever asked me to move my hair and the automatic machines recognise me with a fringe.

MamaCaz Fri 01-Jun-18 22:58:40

Must have got lucky 6 months ago when I helped my mum to renew her passport on line. I got DS2 to take a photo, and it was accepted straight away when I uploaded it. The whole application was completed in record time (far quicket and easier than filling in paper forms) without a single problem, and Mum received her new passport in well under a week.
Having read all these posts, I am dreading the time when DH and I have to renew our own passports, as it sounds like Mum's application was the exception rather than the rule!

Nata Tue 11-Dec-18 12:34:02

Ladies, if you want to make passport photos at home, you'll need a passport photo editor. It will help fix most, if not all, problems. You just take a photo in a well lit area, then add your image to a computer program, crop it, edit it and save it to your PC - now it's ready for an online application. For example, Passport Photo Maker. It was easy enough to use and my passport photos were not rejected. For a start, check out the latest passport photo requirements.