Phone photos accepted for online passport renewals - don't send selfies

Former_MSE_Lucinda · 25 January 2017 at 12:31PM

Millions of UK travellers will no longer have to pay to print out passport pictures in photobooths, as photos taken on your phone can now be used for online renewals - but 'selfies' are not allowed....

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Photos taken on your phone accepted for online passport renewals - but don't send 'selfies'

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DigForVictory · 25 January 2017 at 1:09PM

Why stress over the selfie - find the suitably coloured wall & hand your beloved phone to a trusted pal & go through the rules and take a bundle of shots - then weed them & see if any of them make the grade.

Asda machines will print 6 passport sized shots from a smartphone on one sheet for less than a pound (& I think Boots do too) so if the passport systems refuse the digital image, then a paper copy is not that far away.

footyguy · 25 January 2017 at 1:32PM

I successfully did this 2-3 months ago when I renewed my passport.

Note: it seems the online application is a bit too pessimistic over whether an uploaded photo is acceptable. It will probably be initially rejected with an indication of the reason why (seems a very common occurrence going by numerous other posts across the internet), but if you don't agree with the rejection, carry on regardless (giving the reason that you don't believe the rejection is valid).
Mine was later accepted without further question, presumably after it was manually re-assessed.
(Iirc, I think the initial automatic rejection was because of shadows on the photo, which I refuted)

Got my renewed passport within 7 days of application (and part of that delay seemed to be slow delivery of my old passport to the passport office by RM). Got my initial acceptance of renewal the same working day, and by the second working day they were reminding me to send off my old passport (which I already had) as they cannot issue the new one without receipt of the old one.

Note: One downside of online application is that you now have to sign the passport yourself when it arrives (as opposed to the signature already being part of the printed details)
You should do this with a BLACK, BALL POINT pen.
It took me quite a while to find these details. Do not confuse with US passport requirements where it needs to be black, but not a ball point pen.

fabsaver · 25 January 2017 at 1:52PM

I did this when I renewed my passport last September. It took a while though, as numerous photos kept getting rejected for various reasons. The final accepted one looks like it was taken in a morgue :eek:

When I renewed my driving licence online recently I didn't even need to submit a new photo. They automatically used the one from my passport. Great - now I'm stuck with that morgue photo for 10 years on both documents :rotfl:

richardw · 25 January 2017 at 2:02PM

Be careful of the thick rimmed spectacles objection.

fabsaver · 25 January 2017 at 2:14PM

footyguy wrote: »

Note: One downside of online application is that you now have to sign the passport yourself when it arrives (as opposed to the signature already being part of the printed details)
You should do this with a BLACK, BALL POINT pen.
It took me quite a while to find these details. Do not confuse with US passport requirements where it needs to be black, but not a ball point pen.

My passport has my signature pre-printed on the photo page. I don't recall have to sign anything at the time, so they must have had my signature stored already. Likewise my new driving licence has my signature printed on it, but my application was completed wholly online.

agrinnall · 25 January 2017 at 3:04PM

This thread seems to suggest it's rather hit and miss and not to be relied on.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5480584

forgotmyname · 25 January 2017 at 3:08PM

Ive done several driving licences using my phone.

I have then edited the pictures, changed the background wall colour and even edited someones acne out.

Never had one returned.

Norman_Castle · 25 January 2017 at 4:32PM

I've used this for a passport photo. http://www.idphoto4you.com/

It worked well. Printed in Tescos for about 30p. I expect it will give a single photo as a file.

Pincher · 25 January 2017 at 6:15PM

We should be making it more difficult for ID thieves.

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/passport-check-send

I would prefer a HD webcam in a bigger Post office, so they check your IDs as well.

jon81uk · 26 January 2017 at 12:14PM

Pincher wrote: »

We should be making it more difficult for ID thieves.

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/passport-check-send

I would prefer a HD webcam in a bigger Post office, so they check your IDs as well.

The new system only applies to renewal, so you still have to send the old passport off and they can compare the old photo to the new photo and confirm you are still the same person. I don't see why uploading a photo online instead of posting one in makes a passport renewal less secure.

Phone photos accepted for online passport renewals - don't send selfies

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