[Misc] Passport Photo Rejections...101 reasons:

[Badger]

I have 3 passports; 2 UK ones, so that I can still travel when one is away to get a visa inserted, and an Irish one so that I can continue to be an EU citizen.

I never realised you could hold 2 UK passports. I guess it makes sense if you travel a lot.

My friend takes great pleasure reminding me she has an EU passport and I don't. She's never lived in the EU, but her grandparents were Italian immigrants and she still qualifies for a passport.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I have 3 passports; 2 UK ones, so that I can still travel when one is away to get a visa inserted, and an Irish one so that I can continue to be an EU citizen.

Do you work for MI6?

 

[Sorrel]

Passports being considered expensive is just a way letting you know you shouldn't be thinking of spending money on holidays. I do think one of the reasons the UK allows dual (or loads of) citizenship is to make money from people applying for it and passports.

Not sure they are needed for ID, though. I didn't have a valid passport for six years (from 2001 to 2007) and it never caused me any problems - I moved house in that time and just explained I didn't have a passport.

 

[Seagull58]

I never realised you could hold 2 UK passports. I guess it makes sense if you travel a lot.

My friend takes great pleasure reminding me she has an EU passport and I don't. She's never lived in the EU, but her grandparents were Italian immigrants and she still qualifies for a passport.

I got a letter from my employer stating that I travelled often to countries where a visa has to be obtained in advance and they quickly issued a second passport. I've been to Ireland once, a few years ago. If you have an Irish grandparent you can become an Irish citizen and get the passport. I expect it's similar in some other EU countries.

 

[Seagull58]

Do you work for MI6?

I don't qualify for MI6 because all the passports are in the same name.
Interestingly, or maybe not, i was interviewed by an MI6 handler once without me realising I was being interviewed/assessed for possible recruitment. I failed and I didn't even know until several years later.

 

[Badger]

I got a letter from my employer stating that I travelled often to countries where a visa has to be obtained in advance and they quickly issued a second passport. I've been to Ireland once, a few years ago. If you have an Irish grandparent you can become an Irish citizen and get the passport. I expect it's similar in some other EU countries.

Yes, there's different rules for different countries. I think the UK has changed it recently, so having a British grandparent doesn't always mean you qualify for a passport. Unfortunately Wales is the only country I have family ties to, which obviously doesn't help me too much.

 

[PTC Gull]

 

[Bodian]

What exactly is their problem with smiling I wonder?

Strange when, from children, we've been conditioned to say 'cheese' every time a camara is pointed in our direction.

I get why no hat, false beard or glasses, but what's with the smiling issue?

Usually so tired and stressed out at airports by the time you get to passport control that there is very little smiling going on - so you need to be recognisable with your 'normal' face on!

 

[Seagull58]

Usually so tired and stressed out at airports by the time you get to passport control that there is very little smiling going on - so you need to be recognisable with your 'normal' face on!

It has got so much more stressful since 911. In the 90's I flew a lot to the US, Australia and around Europe and it was very easy. I then flew into Washington Dulles 2 weeks after 911. OMG, that was horrible. Massive queues at passport control and a huge number of untrained, highly aggressive, hostile, immigration and security personnel assuming everyone with a foreign passport was a terrorist. Air travel has never got back to what it was in the 90's and never will.

 

[swindonseagull]

I got a letter from my employer stating that I travelled often to countries where a visa has to be obtained in advance and they quickly issued a second passport. I've been to Ireland once, a few years ago. If you have an Irish grandparent you can become an Irish citizen and get the passport. I expect it's similar in some other EU countries.

I had 2 passports when I was flying in the RAF mainly for visas but also some countries do not allow you access if you have stamps from other countries ie Israel and Arab countries, we had an admin clerk to deal with those things and tell us what passport to use. nine times out of ten the passports were never stamped or even looked at as we were customs/immigration cleared on the aircraft using a crew declaration (Gen Dec).

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I've done all the most recent family passport photos on my phone. Simple enough and all approved first time. Decent process and a lot less hassle than sitting in a box hoping you hadn't been caught blinking(or gurning)

I did a passport application about three weeks ago. After about three days of trying to get an acceptable photo on two different phones, two different iPads and a laptop in three different locations with different lighting, I eventually ended go8ng to the photo booth in our local ASDA, which annoyed me but worked well.

And I have been a capable amateur photographer for about 50 years.