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Passport Digital Photos

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QCG1
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Passport Digital Photos

#132229

Postby QCG1 » April 14th, 2018, 8:23 pm

Apparently you can now use a digital photo to apply for a new passport on-line.
I would like to get a digital passport photo done professionally rather than by a friend.
Has anyone used Timpsons or any other high street chain for a digital photo? How much did they charge?
Many thanks
QCG

Lanark
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132265

Postby Lanark » April 15th, 2018, 1:27 am

Pictures taken in a shop will be terrible and typically cost around £15, unless you are prepared to pay £200 + for an actual pro I would just take plenty of shots and then use https://www.paspic.com/

supremetwo
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132266

Postby supremetwo » April 15th, 2018, 1:32 am

QCG1 wrote:Apparently you can now use a digital photo to apply for a new passport on-line.
I would like to get a digital passport photo done professionally rather than by a friend.
Has anyone used Timpsons or any other high street chain for a digital photo? How much did they charge?
Many thanks QCG

The new web site does all the formatting for you - just upload your picture and it automatically selects the head at the correct size for the passport.

You can take lots using a timer if you are on your own and select the best one. Daylight with a white card as a background works well.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport
https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/help/photo-rules
https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/photo/photo-guide

Slarti
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132331

Postby Slarti » April 15th, 2018, 12:51 pm

QCG1 wrote:Apparently you can now use a digital photo to apply for a new passport on-line.
I would like to get a digital passport photo done professionally rather than by a friend.
Has anyone used Timpsons or any other high street chain for a digital photo? How much did they charge?
Many thanks
QCG


Mrs S needed a new passport a couple of months back and we went to the photographer in the back of our Tesco.

Given the now very strict rules on what you can and can't do, all passport photos will be terrible.

Yes, I think that they cost £15 but they were quicker and easier than using a photo booth and we left with a strip of 4 snaps, plus the digital reference number to be entered into the passport application. It was quick and simple.

I would recommend it.

Slarti

supremetwo
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132349

Postby supremetwo » April 15th, 2018, 4:50 pm

Slarti wrote:Given the now very strict rules on what you can and can't do, all passport photos will be terrible. Slarti

I disagree with the rules aspect.

The new passport site does all the sizing for you.

Your correctly-sized picture is presented on your screen and you are then asked questions re. shadows, hair over the face and eyes open or shut.
If all OK, you are there, if not, you can reject and try another upload.

So much easier than sending a print.

Agree with the terrible as my 'good' picture still looks awful on my passport, but I presume the passport control system will have access to the digital copy.

Slarti
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132351

Postby Slarti » April 15th, 2018, 4:57 pm

supremetwo wrote:
Slarti wrote:Given the now very strict rules on what you can and can't do, all passport photos will be terrible. Slarti

I disagree with the rules aspect.

The new passport site does all the sizing for you.

Your correctly-sized picture is presented on your screen and you are then asked questions re. shadows, hair over the face and eyes open or shut.
If all OK, you are there, if not, you can reject and try another upload.

So much easier than sending a print.

Agree with the terrible as my 'good' picture still looks awful on my passport, but I presume the passport control system will have access to the digital copy.


When they did it in the shop, we got to look at it and rejected the 1st one she took out of hand, then with the 2nd their machine did the sizing and we adjusted the contrast, slightly.

There was no uploading. Just enter the code from the shop and there the photo was.

Slarti

Clitheroekid
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132389

Postby Clitheroekid » April 15th, 2018, 9:41 pm

I can't understand why anyone still uses the old system of having a physical photo printed, particularly if you have to pay for it.

When I renewed my passport recently I just used the front-facing camera on my phone to take a few photos, then uploaded one of them with the application.

If the photo isn't satisfactory for any reason the system tells you, and you just select another one instead.

It was exceptionally easy to use, took about 10 minutes at most, and was entirely free.

dragnips
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132459

Postby dragnips » April 16th, 2018, 9:30 am

Clitheroekid wrote:I can't understand why anyone still uses the old system of having a physical photo printed, particularly if you have to pay for it.

When I renewed my passport recently I just used the front-facing camera on my phone to take a few photos, then uploaded one of them with the application.

If the photo isn't satisfactory for any reason the system tells you, and you just select another one instead.

It was exceptionally easy to use, took about 10 minutes at most, and was entirely free.


I second that, just be careful about any form of shadow. Had one rejected (for a friend) even though it passed the initial check.

Breelander
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132525

Postby Breelander » April 16th, 2018, 1:34 pm

Clitheroekid wrote:I can't understand why anyone still uses the old system of having a physical photo...


Because we have to, there's no upload option offered...

When I renewed my passport recently I just used the front-facing camera on my phone to take a few photos, then uploaded one of them with the application.


Did you start your application here? https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport I have tried to renew a passport and at no stage got an option to upload a digital photo.

I suspect the reason was that the passport I was renewing was issued too long ago. I understand that a digital copy of your passport photo is kept these days. Presumably facial recognition software is used to compare your upload to the previous photo. Without a previous photo stored digitally the option to upload doesn't seem to be available.

supremetwo
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132552

Postby supremetwo » April 16th, 2018, 2:51 pm

Breelander wrote: I suspect the reason was that the passport I was renewing was issued too long ago. I understand that a digital copy of your passport photo is kept these days. Presumably facial recognition software is used to compare your upload to the previous photo. Without a previous photo stored digitally the option to upload doesn't seem to be available.

Your passport expires after 10 years and it probably reverts to a new application rather than a renewal.

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132569

Postby Breelander » April 16th, 2018, 3:26 pm

supremetwo wrote: Your passport expires after 10 years and it probably reverts to a new application rather than a renewal.


No, that's not it. My passport expired some years ago but still seems to be accepted for renewal. Answering 'Yes' to a 'can you still be recognised from the photo?' question seemed to be sufficient to allow it to be used to validate the new photo. I still suspect that the reason I'm not allowed to provide a digital photo is that there's no digital copy of the old one to compare it with.

Clitheroekid
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132694

Postby Clitheroekid » April 16th, 2018, 11:56 pm

Breelander wrote:Did you start your application here? https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport I have tried to renew a passport and at no stage got an option to upload a digital photo.

Yes. In fact, I've just done another dummy run. I put in an issue date of 2007, and was taken to a page headed "Get your digital photo", which invited me to upload it - https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/pho ... oto-method

I suspect the reason was that the passport I was renewing was issued too long ago. I understand that a digital copy of your passport photo is kept these days. Presumably facial recognition software is used to compare your upload to the previous photo. Without a previous photo stored digitally the option to upload doesn't seem to be available.

I suspect you're right. I tried with some different issue dates, and it was OK back to 2002, but at 2001 it directed me to a different page - https://passportapplication.service.gov.uk/ips-olc/ - which I suspect is the one you're getting.

Oh well, at least it'll be a lot easier for you next time! :D

Breelander
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132697

Postby Breelander » April 17th, 2018, 1:05 am

Clitheroekid wrote: I suspect you're right. I tried with some different issue dates, and it was OK back to 2002, but at 2001 it directed me to a different page - https://passportapplication.service.gov.uk/ips-olc/ - which I suspect is the one you're getting...


Thanks for testing. Yes, my issue date was earlier than that, so I did get that page. At least I wasn't asked for counter-signatures for the photos, so at least the old passport had some value left.

Oh well, at least it'll be a lot easier for you next time! :D


Whether I'll feel up to traveling at that age and need a new passport is another question ;)
I've found by experience that an expired passport is accepted as proof of ID, even by government departments.

Gaggsy
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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132821

Postby Gaggsy » April 17th, 2018, 2:29 pm

Breelander wrote:I've found by experience that an expired passport is accepted as proof of ID, even by government departments.


But don't try and use it for travel!
We took my Mum on a trip to Spain last year. She'd just renewed her passport since her previous trip abroad. When we got to the boarding gate, she was refused entry. It turned out she'd brought the expired passport with the corner clipped off. The new one was still at home in the envelope used to send it to her. They would have considered letting her fly if it had been expired fewer than 6 months but unfortunately hers was beyond this - so no dice.
Ah well - we won't forget that trip in a hurry!
(We did get there very late the same day eventually but it involved leaving the airport, a rendezvous half way down the M4 and frantic new bookings of flights - never again!)

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#132892

Postby csearle » April 17th, 2018, 6:30 pm

Gaggsy wrote:...but don't try and use it for travel
I used to live in Germany and flew privately from near Munich to Cambridge. As I checked my documents before take off I discovered my passport was somewhat out of date! There were three of us on board and I didn't want to cause a scene so I just went with the out of date one. We landed in Cambridge and I just waffled on to the only individual concerned with us (two Germans and me). He checked their passports but not mine! On the way back we flew during the night via Maastricht, where we refuelled but didn't leave the apron. Upon our return to our home airfield no-one was bothered as we were all familiar faces. Such were pre 9/11 days. C.

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#133328

Postby Bouleversee » April 19th, 2018, 6:01 pm

Breelander wrote:
supremetwo wrote: Your passport expires after 10 years and it probably reverts to a new application rather than a renewal.


No, that's not it. My passport expired some years ago but still seems to be accepted for renewal. Answering 'Yes' to a 'can you still be recognised from the photo?' question seemed to be sufficient to allow it to be used to validate the new photo. I still suspect that the reason I'm not allowed to provide a digital photo is that there's no digital copy of the old one to compare it with.


When my passport was about to expire in August 2010, despite the fact that the deterioration of my husband's health meant overseas travel was unlikely, I would have renewed it and got as far as having some photos taken in a Photo-Me booth. They were perfectly hideous and I certainly would not have been able to answer "yes" to the above question. I intended to have some photos taken in a shop, as I had done for the old passport, but never got round to doing anything about it and now it is over 7 years later.

I seem to remember one is not allowed to smile (can't see why not as I would be smiling at the passport control official when I handed it over) or wear one's specs. which I certainly would be doing and can't see why not. I suppose I shall now have to find the time to plod through all the other rules. It may never happen.

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#133336

Postby Breelander » April 19th, 2018, 6:48 pm

Bouleversee wrote:... my passport was about to expire in August 2010... I intended to have some photos taken in a shop, as I had done for the old passport, but never got round to doing anything about it..
... I suppose I shall now have to find the time to plod through all the other rules. It may never happen.


Applying online is easy, and your old passport should be recent enough for you to be allowed to upload a digital photo as Clitherokid said earlier in this thread.

supremetwo gave the links to get you started in the 2nd post of this thread...

supremetwo wrote:The new web site does all the formatting for you - just upload your picture and it automatically selects the head at the correct size for the passport...

https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport
https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/help/photo-rules
https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/photo/photo-guide


That's what got my renewal application started, by my passport expired before they started keeping digital records of your photo. I had to send prints. Your previous photo should be in their digital records, so a new digital copy is acceptable because they can automatically match it against the old one.

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#133339

Postby Bouleversee » April 19th, 2018, 7:15 pm

Thanks, Bree, but CK was talking about issue dates; mine was issued in Aug. 2000 and he said it didn't work that far back:

Clitheroekid wrote:
I suspect you're right. I tried with some different issue dates, and it was OK back to 2002, but at 2001 it directed me to a different page - https://passportapplication.service.gov.uk/ips-olc/ - which I suspect is the one you're getting...

Also, I don't have a smart phone and I think I need a photographer who can use photoshop or whatever it's called that enables you to touch up a bit but perhaps that's not allowed. What I see in the mirror is not what I saw on the Photo-Me snaps and I can't believe I had aged so much in 10 yrs from the rather pretty young thing on my passport (says she, modestly). Maybe it's all in the mind, or maybe the one on my passport had been touched up; can't remember where it came from. :(

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#133343

Postby Breelander » April 19th, 2018, 8:12 pm

Bouleversee wrote:... I don't have a smart phone and I think I need a photographer who can use photoshop or whatever it's called that enables you to touch up a bit but perhaps that's not allowed...


No, it's against the rules...

Your photos must be:
...
•unaltered by computer software...
https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports

...but if you get family/friends to use their digital camera you can take as many as you want in various lighting until you get one you like the look of - something you wouldn't be able to ask a professional to do (well, not without paying for the extra time it took).

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Re: Passport Digital Photos

#133361

Postby Bouleversee » April 19th, 2018, 9:40 pm

Thanks, Bree, but I thought I wouldn't be able to use digital anyway (see previous quote). :?


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