Your “attractive” passport photo could be a problem at the airport

Influencer Alisha Marie warns on TikTok about using glamorous makeup in passport photos. (Illustrative Image Infobae)

Passport photos are glamorous – some might say aspirational – and created with a multi-step, multi-product process. could be a warning.

“This is The reason why you should never take attractive photos for your passport“, warned the influencer Alisha Marie in a TikTok goes viral last year, dressed in a black hoodie and baseball cap, her face bare of heavy makeup. She said she was almost stopped from boarding a flight because she didn’t look like her sleek, fully made-up passport photo.

“I have never been SO HUMILIATED IN MY LIFE“, wrote.

In the social networksMakeup fans in several countries have lamented unrecognizable photos on their travel documents, after officials noticed they looked different in real life, failed facial scans or felt fatigued by false eyelashes.

“Why I regret putting on makeup for my passport”, says the caption on one video. Another TikTok It begins with a woman discussing her biggest regret: “My passport photo”.

In some cases, the photos were inspired by a trend makeup which went viral two years ago and involved concealer, contour, heavily lined lips, a “fox eye” look and brows shaped with styling glue. Kim Kardashian She also made headlines when she shared her doctored passport photo on Instagram 10 years ago.

Regardless of inspiration, the experts They say travelers should be cautious with makeup – or risk facing problems at the border or delays at the airport..

Travelers are complaining on social media about their doctored passport photos that made it difficult to identify them. (Illustrative Image Infobae)

The use of make-up is allowed for passport photos, he said. State Department In a statement to The Washington Post, “However, if you plan to wear makeup in your passport photo, we encourage you to stick to a makeup style that is consistent with your regular makeup style.”

Passport photos must be an “accurate likeness” of the traveler, according to federal regulations and the International Civil Aviation OrganizationThe rules for passports, which tend to be stricter than those for driver’s licenses, require a neutral expression, a clear, unfiltered image and a white or slightly off-white background.

He State Department said he had “seen reports of travelers experiencing delays due to the border control agents had difficulty confirming their identity” and encouraged people to avoid makeup styles that “significantly alter” the way their faces look. Entry into other countries can be delayed, he said, if officials are not sure the photo represents the traveler in front of them.

“It is important to facilitate travel and ensure safety measures “so that border control officers can easily recognize the person in the passport photo,” the State Department wrote. “If you do not typically wear makeup while traveling, you might consider not wearing makeup in your passport photo – or sticking to a very natural makeup look.”

Experts recommend avoiding makeup that significantly alters the appearance in passport photos. (Illustrative Image Infobae)

Denise Ambrusko-Maidawhich owns the Travel Brilliant travel agencyreacted to the trend in her own video TikTok with a “reminder of DON’T do attractive makeup for your passport photos”.

“I take my passport photo to look like a swamp rodent on purpose,” she said. In an interview, Ambrusko-Maida said she was surprised that the glamour type photos are approved. His advice is to think about how you would look “after being on a 15 hour flight overnight in a middle seat” and take a photo that looks like that situation.

“If you’re the type of person who’s going to put on full makeup for that flight, fine – I love that for you. I’m not trying to tell you not to do it,” she said. Ambrusco-Maidawho is based in Buffalo“Having flown around the world enough times, I know that won’t be most people’s choice.”

Several people commented on her video to share their own personal passport aesthetics, including “sick,” “like a fugitive on the run,” “ghost,” and “seriously the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

Passport photos must be an “accurate likeness” of the traveler, according to federal regulations. (Illustrative Image Infobae)

The online travel agency based in the UK, Travel Republicwarned about the makeup trend earlier this month, noting that a “photo enhancement” could cause mishaps at the airport.

“Most people are embarrassed by their ID images, however, they are a security measure to help prevent fraud, keep borders secure and ensure easy recognition of travelers’ identities,” he said. Gemma Brownthe company’s product manager, in a press release. “So if you enhance your appearance too much when taking the photo, you can actually slow down the process of checking in at the airport because you look very different in person than the photo you have.”

Erik Learned-Millerprofessor at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences in the University of Massachusetts at Amhersthe wrote in an email to The Post that the impact of makeup on the security line depends on the type of system facial recognition in question.

But she said there are two “equally problematic” scenarios for facial recognition technology: a person who doesn’t wear makeup and has a passport photo with a lot of makeup on, or someone wearing makeup at the airport with a photo without makeup.

“So the problem isn’t exactly having makeup in your passport photo,” Learned-Miller wrote. “It’s really having a different appearance in two different photos. It can go both ways.”

State Department suggests natural makeup for passport photos. (Illustrative Image Infobae).

The interior designer and illustrator Phoebe Kutbased in Vancouvershe wasn’t even following a trend when she took her passport photo this summer – she was simply following her regular makeup routine.

Still, he said in a video on TikTokher photo was rejected because her lips were too shiny.

“I really liked that photo of myself“, said Kut in an interview. She had taken the photo a month in advance, she said, and was not wearing makeup when she went to the passport office. She had to rush to get a new photo after the gloss-related rejection.

“I didn’t get the same photo, but that’s okay, whatever,” Kut said.

Bruce Hallstromowner of the international passport photo service Passport Photo Nowsaid that makeup has been “a problem forever,” not just in the age of social media influencers. TikTokHe tells clients when a photo they send him is likely to be rejected for too much makeup, use of a skin-enhancing filter or other reasons.

“I know there’s a blemish on your face somewhere“I know there are wrinkles somewhere,” he said.

Her company, which verifies that photos comply with country rules and prints them, lists tips and warnings about makeup and says “this is not the time to be creative or try out that new electric green eyeshadow.”

“The more you look like your photo,” says the final tip, “the less problems you will have.”

(c) 2024 , The Washington Post