USGirl

Hi, all. My (British) husband and I are taking our kids to England this summer. Everyone but my husband has a U.S. passport. My husband has this concern: Our youngest child will be 3 years old when we go to England, but her passport picture was taken in 2014, so she looks different.

U.S. State Department says that's OK. She doesn't need a new photo.

UK government, if she was going with a UK passport, would require a new photo to be included with her current passport.

My husband is concerned that, even though she has a valid U.S. passport, the UK government won't let her in because she no longer looks like a baby, which she was in her passport photo.

Anyone ever been in that situation? Did you have problems? I'm not concerned about it, but I'm researching for my husband, who would like some resassurance that we're not going to get turned away at the UK border. Thanks!

Weeze

Kids UK passports last 5 years. Ours frequently travel with UK passports that bare no relation to their faces. Where did you find that they needed a current photo too?

USGirl

That's just what my husband told me. He could be wrong. I'll tell him what you said and, hopefully, that'll make him feel better. I really don't think it'll be an issue. I think he's just trying to plan ahead. Because if it WERE to be a problem, finding out after we've flown across the ocean, with three small children in tow, would seriously suck.

Pulaski

You might have more trouble if one parent was travelling alone, but (i) the passport is valid, and (ii) as one of several members of a family group, where all the other passports have an obviously matching photo, you're not going to have a problem.

FWIW I have never heard of a new photo being added to a previously-issued passport.

Pollyana

You certainly can't add a photo to a passport, that would mean defacing it, after all which would then make it invalid.

I've never heard of the photo being questioned, its accepted that kids grow up. I was talking to a friend last week who has flown with small children between Aus and the UK. One child was 2 years old on the last trip, with a passport photo taken at 2 months old. No questions asked, either in Australia or in the UK.

Pulaski

"You" certainly can't, but it sounds like the OP thinks that a British child's passport can be returned to the Passport Office, with a new picture submitted for the child's passport to somehow be "amended". If that is the case, it's news to me.

kimilseung

News to me too. The OP will have no problem.

sir_eccles

OP will be fine.

I do recall you used to be able to "renew" a UK child passport by sending it in and they would add a second photo page. The holder had to be within a certain age range, along the lines of getting the original child passport when 14 so basically getting a cheap upgrade to an adult passport. I'm pretty sure I had a passport just like this with two pictures.

I don't believe it is an option anymore.

Pulaski

My mother used to have a passport with three pictures - her picture, plus ones of my sister and me, but that isn't an option these days either.

Wintersong

My kids travelled to the UK on their US passports with baby photos for 5 years, until the passports expired. Never any issues, not even a second glance. The vast majority of the journeys were undertaken with just a single parent (me) who has a different surname to them. Before we got citizenship, I even had a different nationality. No problem at all. Don't fret!

Pulaski

So exactly how many children did you traffick into the UK?

USGirl

Thanks, everyone! You've successfully convinced my husband that all will be OK. By the way, the last time HE went through the UK passport process was in 2004, so it's likely a few things have changed. He is sending in his own passport for renewal today. Ahh, the joyful details of international travel!

Wintersong

That coal isn't going to get mined by itself, you know!

BritInParis

Providing the passport is still valid then you won't have a problem. I take it you are only visiting? I would bring proof of your family's return flight to the US in your carry-on.

USGirl

Yes, we're just visiting. And that's a good idea. Thanks.