Wol

Made an appointment and went along to the Post Office today to get our first Australian passports.

They wouldn't accept the photographs - because I was showing marginally - top teeth, and my eyes "were deep in my head".

Apparently the instruction not to smile, or frown, is interpreted as being totally unnatural! My "normal" face is just as the photo. And as for the eyes - I suppose an operation could correct that.

Oh, and the photo was digital - not acceptable. I printed it at 300DPI, on heavy photo paper. So we went along to the local photo shop and got replacements done - digital, with a hand-held compact Olympus at about a 2 foot range! Printed at around 80 DPI by my reckoning.

The photo shop told us that one family had to go back half a dozen times - the boy had a very long neck, so if the shoulders were in the picture as required the height of the head was outside the necessary 33 - 36mm, but if the head was the correct size the shoulders were not shown properly. Three inches chopped out of his neck would make things OK...

OK, another whingeing Pom post - but my God, what an unbelieveably dysfunctional bureacracy there is here!

JaneandJim

Wait until you try to renew your UK one, sweetie, that's even harder.

Jane

Wol

Did that last year sweetie, in Canberra - took two hours. Is this too long?

kiwi_child

Go to a post office that actually takes the passport photos. That's what I did.

You should be able to locate one on this website:

www.auspost.com.au

Wol

Yes, KC - we'll go to Moss Vale next try. They don't seem to do photos in NSW though.

JaneandJim

A hell of a lot shorter than the 2 months it took me to renew my sons. And there's no need to be so nasty. I'll bow out now.

Wol

I apologise if the word "sweetie" is offensive.

Hutch

Same thing happened to me at Australia House in London. Was sent round the corner to a photo-shop to get replacements done - it clearly happened so often they had a photo-copied map they gave me to show me where it was. Basically they wanted the face to fill the frame ...

Pollyana

Last time I was having a fight in the local (large) Aus Post Office over the illegality of my Uk passport, the woman at the next counter was holding a screaming baby. She needed his photo for a passport.
The staff member said "that photo is no good because your baby has a red face"
The (presumably) mother said "yes, and you took his photo and you are looking at him. We've been here for an hour and he is still screaming. OF COURSE HE HAS A RED FACE"
Staff member "No baby has a face that red. This is not a real photo and you will need to find somewhere else to have his photo taken because WE won't give you a passport with that."

So - they took the photo and they are looking at the baby, but they will not state that its a genuine photo.......

I won't repeat what the mother said as she left, cos I'd have to edit my own post for language!

After that I'll believe anything.

herrchook

Words fail me

232Bar

But they tell you when you apply that it will take a while. They quote 20 working days for a renewal to be processed. Yours took a bit longer, but it's hardly life or death is it?

Wol

And, of course, having got an acceptable photo, it will still be valid in five years' time!

cresta57

We had ours taken at the same post office we had our "interview" at. That way you pay once for acceptable photo's [$25 bucks for the two of us] The first two times Deb's came out unacceptable for the passport, the face has to fit exactly into the oval. I just grinned & asked if we had to pay for her lack of camera skills.

kez81

Do you think?? i would say the aussie one is defo for kids anyway, under 5,s get away with a smile in the uk one as they know how diffcult it is to get them to pose correctly, was on the aussie website they expect you to get a baby to have its eyes open and mouth closed or it wont be excepted!!

kezx

spalen

Its not australia - blame our Amerikun friends. Passport photos and the 'do not smile' thing are all because of facial recognition s/w for security and border control. A smile distorts the face more than a marx-brothers style false beard and glasses.