General Chat

JEAN...What's a passport??? I'm 86 next week and nobody's given me one...I must be the odd one in the reading room...Never had a passport,,never flown,,only time at sea was to the Isle of Wight,,JUST THE ONCE MARK YOU...Furthest I've been "abroad" is the North Coast of Scotland,,now that is beautiful... :-( :-( Ain't I sad??? LES....

OH had trouble getting the online passport service to accept a photo.

We recently had to get photos done for an application for a Russian visa. As you have to take the application in person to the visa centre in London or Manchester and that costs time and money I couldn't risk it being turned down. So we drove to a camera shop in our nearest big town and they had a computer program that told them whether the photo they had taken would be acceptable. They took three photos before the computer said it was OK. Cost £8 and more than worth it.

Sleeshkom ;-)

I assume that is not a rude word Rollo :-D

I renew my driving licence every three years on line, no need to send a new photo if you are recognisable from the old one.

Anne, I do mine every 3 years as well. For age 73 and 76 the renewal notice had "No photo required" stamped across the top, but for the most recent one, age 79, it said I had to send a new photo.

The old photo was better, because in the new ones you have to take your glasses off. It was accepted, but I didn't like it at all - it didn't look like me!!

If your avatar is you, then I guess you'll have the same reaction. :-0 :-0

Rollo said "Too much"

No glasses or expression, poker faced, you look like a zombie. But, as Rollo has pointed out, that is the way they want it for automatic facial data recognition.

I remember years back my wife used to keep a copy of my passport photo in her purse or card wallet.

Not any more - the last one she suggested I burned.....!

Hubby had left re-newing his passport a little late so we had to go to Peterborough to get it done in time for our holiday.

Quite a performance really, three members of staff at Peterborough had passed his photo as being acceptable. As we didn't want to wait for four hours his new passport was being sent out in the post later that day. On the way home they rang him to say that the machine had rejected his photo, to say he was fuming is an understatement. He had to get another photo taken and send it direct to a certain member of staff who would deal with it as soon as he had the new photo.

We cannot use any photo except one taken by a commercial photographer ....... one of the 2 photos submitted has to have a stamp on the back verifying where and when it was taken.

It is also easy to find places that take passport photos ................ all camera dealers, pharmacies and stores that have camera sections, etc, as well as photographers.

Taking passport photos is really a bread-and-butter thing for many of them.

If the photos are rejected, places will re-take them for free.

Our passport photos have to be taken full face straight on to the camera, with glasses as long as the eyes are clearly visible (no coloured lenses) and no glare on the lenses, no smile, eyes open and looking above the photographer's head, and there must be no shadows anywhere.

Head coverings can be worn for religious or medical reasons as long as there is no shadow and the full face can be seen

There are exact requirements for several aspects ......... measurements for the photo + a frame, colour of background, professionally printed on plain high quality paper, etc

If you are applying for your first passport, a guarantor must also sign the stamped photo (on the back) as being a true likeness. We don't have to get a guarantor when renewing.


My passport photos last year cost about $10 (or ca £4) at a camera dealer's

Oh dear, I hope they don't come back and say they need my photo without specs. I might phone on Monday if my licence isn't delivered to check because if everything's not sorted by that night I won't be allowed to drive.

Lizx

I don't think they worry about driving licence photos - just need to be recognisable as you. It's the new rules for passport photos that are the problem. Professionals will tell you to remove your glasses, and the instructions in the booths have been updated - at least, ours has.

Oh good, fingers crossed my post man delivers my licence soon

Good luck with those passports, folks

Lizx