travelgirl2_99

Apres Londee, the requirements you cite might have been the requirements your photographer imposed, but they are not the official photo specification requirements for Passport Canada. The official Passport Canada photo specifications are listed on their official website here:

http://www.pptc.gc.ca/can/photos.aspx?lang=e

I just renewed my (Canadian) passport in February; in my photo I am wearing lipstick, my hair (which is long) is down (not tied back), and I am wearing large silver hoop earrings which are distinctly visible in the photo ... so maybe some photographers have decided not to allow these things (in fact, 5 years ago when I renewed my passport I do recall the photographer telling me to take off my earrings), but the photographer I went to this time did not and Passport Canada obviously had no problem with my lipsticked hair down earring wearing photo ... I just picked up the passport at the passport office last week.

Apres_Londee

Well, the whole thing's got me flummoxed.

For Americans, the US Dept of State is giving contradictory instructions. On the "Travel Abroad" page, they say to smile. But on the FAQs page, they want a neutral expression with mouth closed. The majority of American posters have had no problems with smiling photos, but carmel's family in California had had photos rejected because they were smiling.

travelgirl2_99: would you mind my asking if you live in Toronto? Or even Ontario? I'm just curious if one's address location has anything to do with it. It wasn't only my photographer who had these rules; I had popped into a Blacks to ask about getting a photo done, and they listed all the same restrictions (hair back, no lipstick, no earrings, dark solid top). And the *reason* I had popped in to ask in the first place, was that a co-worker said her young daughter was told by their photographer to wipe off her *clear* lipgloss. There's been this general buzz here about all the rules for the passport photos. I thought I was prepared when I went to get my done, but I was very surprised when he told me to wipe off my eye make-up. I wear very simple make-up, no Barbara Cartland crows flying over the cliffs of Dover, I swear. A friend who lives in Southeastern Ontario just got her passport photo done at a Sears store, and they had similar instructions about hair, make-up and jewlery.

Now I'm jealous. You probably look great in your picture. I look like a corpse in mine.

Forestland1

I'm from Ontario, Canada and had my passport renewed pre-911, as did my husband and all three of our children. We were all instructed at two separate photo places NOT to smile, no jewelry, eye glasses etc. No big deal...but we all look a little frightening in our pictures.

Luisah

<<The passport picture samples provided by the US government (also the State Department) as examples (in the links I provided above) as part of the photo composition checklist do not have smiling people.>>

The link provided does have photo examples of smiling women, but not under "Composition" -- There is one on the page under Guide for Professional Photographers -- "Photo Quality" and another under "Photo Quality" then "Head Position and Background". There are three examples at the bottom of the page.
The site is dated "March 5, 2007."

WillTravel

You can't tell by that date, because the date in the Properties is automatically generated to be today's date - that's the same for every page.

Jed

Just came across this. From the Philadelphia Inquirer of Apr 1, 2007.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front...rt_agency.html

"You can smile in your passport picture. There's never been a rule against it."

I hope that settles it.

Luisah

Amen!

ShelliDawn

My apologies if this has already been said, but I only skimmed many of the posts on this thread...

"Canadian restrictions: no lipstick, no eye make-up, hair tied back? I thought they would want you to look in the photo like the person in front of them?
This makes no sense at all."

It's supposed to help with facial recognition software. Hence the no smiling, hair back stuff. My friend works for the government (Canadian) and apparently they've found that it really doesn't make a difference to the success/failure rate of the software properly identifying people. But do you think they're going to publicly admit that and remove the restrictions? I don't.

tomassocroccante

I submitted a sketch of myself done with a Sharpie on a cocktail napkin. Made sure not to be smiling, and it went right through.

tomassocroccante

But seriously, is it the photo places that are telling you not to smile? A guy at the Post Office?

My current passport shot is pretty sober. It expires in the fall, so I'm adjusting now to the fact that I was actually ten years younger in the last photo, though I don't see it. As for the next one, I figure that when my body is dredged up from the Seine after I fall off the baton mouche in a thick fog and my calls for help are obscured by striking taxi drivers blaring their horns, a smile will be no help in identifying my waterlogged face. But an evil grin, that might work.

nmsky2007

I've checked the State Department website and it doesn't seem that there is such a rule. Neither I nor anyone I know has ever been told that by a photographer or post office employee, and it is not in the instructions on the renewal application. I'm just curious--was your wife's smiling photo actually submitted and rejected by the passport agency or did some bored bureaucrat with attitude just tell her that it was the rule?

But I agree with Christina. With the change in passport requirements, if I were at all concerned, I wouldn't mess around. There have been delays in getting passports--8 weeks times two if it's rejected brings you to August.

tomassocroccante

Bateau. Now I'm smiling.

carmelbythesea

Too wrap up this thread and hopefully make it useful to any fodorite searching the archives - I'm back to report - I received my passport yesterday (after having to call our congressman to expedite, ugh), and I'm happy to report...

SMILING IS OKAY!! I now have a toothy smile staring back at me for the next 10 years. Hopefully that puts our healthy debate to rest.

Thanks to everyone who responded and offered insight.

We leave in 12 days for Rome, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Paris for the summer. Now if I can just get my smiling son's passport in time. Where did I leave that congressman's number?

LoveItaly

Yes, smiling for your US Passport photo is allowed. My daughter and I went to our local PO this week. The Passport official took my daughters photo for her renewal passport and said "why don't you smile?". The photo actually turned out wonderful.

mikemo

I smiled for my 4th US PP renewal and my 4th Mexican FM-3.
No problema.
M

go2paris

Here's a new wrinkle: a friend just renewed with a vacation picture she had in her files (slight smile, no teeth). I didn't know a non-professional picture could be used but it went through without a hitch.

carla1183

Just thought I'd put in another American experience:

We just got passports (husband's first, mine a renewal/name change)

I'm looking at our passports right now:
We are both smiling, I'm showing teeth (in both my current and 2005 version), I have on jewelry. The only comment I remember the photographer making was that my ears had to show so I had to tuck my hair behind them.

Christina

I think someone above mentioned the ears thing for Canadian passports. There is no such rule for American passports, but it seems a lot of photographers like to make up their own rules. I can see how that might be important for some of those biometric things, to get a better outline of the head.

My ears were not showing on my last one from a couple years ago, and in fact, have never shown on any passport photo I've ever had because I don't wear my hair that way. You won't find any rule like that on the state dept. criteria, either. YOu aren't supposd to wear a hat or something like that.

ShelliDawn

My Canadian passport is a few years old, but the picture was taken after the no-smile rule. As for ears, no Canadian rule about that. Mine are hidden by my (long) hair.