OT: Passport photographs

[Roger Mills]

It's DIY really, 'cos it involves taking your own photograph!

My wife and I need to renew our passports, and we're trying to do it online.

We're following all the advice when we take photos of each other, but every time we try to upload them it rejects them saying that they are too dark or unevenly lit. but, in my opinion, they're a lot better than some to the examples they show of "what good looks like".

Has anyone else found this? Are they going to reject DIY photos regardless? Has anyone been successful by saying, in effect "This photo is ok - cope with it!"?

[Jeff Gaines]

I had a similar problem when renewing my driving licence. I had to do it by post so sent in my DIY picture. It took them 3.5 months to send it back saying it was unacceptable. I had a professional one done for about £8 and it took them another 3 months to issue the licence.

[S Viemeister]

When my daughter renewed her passport in 2021, she took her own photo and it was accepted, but she took a number of shots before she got it right.

[Jeff Layman]

Ten years ago when I wanted to renew my passport I gave up trying to do it at home with a digital camera and tripod in front of a plain wall. In the end I used a photo booth at a local supermarket and posted the photo in with the renewal request. I got my new passport in a few weeks.

The photo has been used for driving licence renewal, and another photo for a bus pass, making the £5 (IIRC) for the booth good value.

[Colin Bignell]

When I uploaded my photo, taken in a photo booth, that was rejected by the robot on the basis that there were reflections in my glasses and that my eyes were closed. I told it to submit the photo and added a text message that pointed out that, due to the strength of my correction, the white background showed in the sides of my glasses, giving the false appearance of reflections, and that my eyes were open, but, again, the strength of the correction made them look smaller. The photo was accepted when it was reviewed by a human.

[Davey]

Exactly my experience. I still have the mark on the wall showing me where to place my, or anybody else's, head for the same purpose.

[charles]

my present photo was taken in a studio with me wearing glasses, Photoshop (or equivalent) was used to remove problems.

[Tricky Dicky]

We recently renewed our passports and went to a local Max Spielmans. The wife's was OK just had to submit the digital code and all was well. Mine was accepted at the shop but when I completed the application form and submitted the digital number it was unacceptable. The problem turned out my grey/white hair did not stand out against the white background I was being photographed against. Unfortunetly the shop did not have an alternative colour such as the light blue on my previous passport photo so it involved a lot of playing with the camera settings before the photo was acceptable, managed it in the end but it required a second visit to the shop.

Richard

[Scott]

Is this a scanned image or a jpeg file? I need to renew mine soon but I am tempted to go to the passport office.

[Colin Bignell]

The photo booth issues a digital code, which is submitted instead of an actual photograph, so no chance to amend it.

[Peter Johnson]

I did mine in 2016, camera on a tripod using time exposure, took several photos that looked ok to me but were rejected online. Then I resubmitted the first one and it was accepted.

[Andy Burns]

"Rules for digital photos The quality of your digital photo

Your photo must be:

clear and in focus in colour unaltered by computer software"

[whisky-dave]

The background must be uncluttered too or plain , so wallpaper isn't liked unless well out of focus and there's no shadows or patterns.

[Roger Mills]

A jpeg file straight out of the camera. They tell you not to change it digitally.

[Pamela]

I renewed my passport recently and successfully submitted a photo taken at home. However the first photo was rejected for some technical fault, so we retook it making sure there was a plain pale background and good lighting.

It needed quite a few shots and a tripod made it much easier.

I suppose you've seen this:

[Mark]

I have done mine for passport and driving license without a problem but size matters more then quality

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[wrights...]

I've always taken my own and they've been accepted, but I have followed the rules carefully. Bill

[Robin]

No. Done several with prints and 2 with digital.

I'd look to the lighting. I've always used either /diffuse/ daylight alone or that plus a top-up of /bounce/ flash.

[Bob Eager]

I renewed my passport about three years ago, a bit early so that I could get one of the burgundy ones!

I went to the photo place attached to the local Tesco. Cost me about a tenner. An actual photographer, who then test uploaded it to the government site. Took about three goes because it complained about my left eye being slightly more closed (that's the fake one, and it does that some days). But he persisted and it cost no extra. I got prints, was emailed an electronic version, and they gave me a reference number to use on the passport form so that I didn't even have to upload it.

[Brian]

We had problems when we renewed ours. I think we must have taken a dozen photos each. Lighting, backgrounds, …. Eventually we succeeded but the ones which worked looked no different to any of the others.

We were using an iPhone.

Once the system accepted the photos etc, the new passports came through quite quickly. From memory, this was still during Covid.