I needed to get a new passport as my old one had expired. So off I went, to the photo-shop to get a new photo. I sat down and smiled at the camera as usual and then the photographer said, “Excuse me, sir, but you are not allowed to smile anymore for your passport photo”. I could not believe this. I was really LOL. Took three takes to get a picture of me with NO smile - a neutral face, as the photographer said. For my last passport, I did have a big smile - that’s me.
Got the pictures back and showed them to a few people and just about everyone said that I looked like a criminal - all that was missing was the number!! I guess that’s what the customs officials want - they want us all to look like criminals! Crazy.
This intrigued me (and I am bored) so I did a quick Google search on “passport pictures smile”.
I only scanned the first couple of hits but there are lots of articles explaining why various countries had instituted similar rules. Even Canada won’t let you smile anymore. One of the articles explained “Smiles are forbidden–along with sunglasses and hair slanting across the eyes–because they may confuse security cameras used to scan faces and to verify the passport is authentic.”
We got our daughter a passport when she was 2 months old. I was holding her and was just getting ready to lose it against the photographer after 30 minutes when he finally got a usable picture! I have never sweat so much sitting on a chair…
For a decent picture for identification, they need a shot with you looking to the side a little, and you have to see the ear. An ear is as good as a finger print.
I’m guessing sooner or later, we will have to do this for passports and licenses, if we want to accomplish anything security wise.
The no sunglasses I can understand, but what about the “slanting hair across the eyes” - are you supposed to do a little extra shaving before you get your passport taken! And then of course there is the no smiling rule( forbiddan as you say) - is this so that even the good and happy people look sad, miserable and lonely . . . . like a ciminal or an international terroist. We have to lower ourselves to their level to some how root them out!
My wife and I got passports a few years ago for our trip to Scotland. Everyone who looks at our pictures thinks we look like international arms dealers.
Now our cover is totally blown.
Seriously, though, the TSA folks can’t tell if you’re a terrorists unless you scowl.
I got my pictrure taken for my Brown US Gov’t Offical passport a few monthsago.
A couple of buddies told me as a I left “use the hawaiian shirt”. I didn’t understand until I got there. Gov’t regulation states You can’t have a military uniform on in the photo,so the photographer has a few shirts availalble. one of them is the most god-awful ugliest hawaiian shirt you have ever seen.
Naturally that’s the one I got my picture taken with. Photographer said 90% of the guys getting a passport photo taken there choose that shirt.