DS is 14 and has a regular UK child passport. This is 2 and a half years old and he has understandably changed appearance in this time- his hair is darker and longer for a start and he looks like a teenage boy rather than a twelve year old IYSWIM?
The big problem is that when his photo was taken he had a very pronounced squint. This has since been corrected by surgery and his eyes are straight now.
He has just returned from a school trip to Europe where he was pulled over at border control, the only one of his party that was. When he mentioned this I recalled that he was also pulled over by the automatic border gates the last time we flew as a family. On both occasions he was allowed through and the experience was not overly awful. I suspect that it is his eye which is causing the issues.
The issue is that he's flying to Africa over the summer as part of an expedition group - we will not be with him. Given past experience I feel that we should probably apply for a new one with a new photo (I don't believe you can just update the photo) Or perhaps a medical note explaining the procedure and the subsequent change in his appearance?
I'd rather not pay for a new passport when he has over two years left on it, but on the other hand I don't really fancy him being denied entry when he arrives at the African border control! We will also have an issue with a new passport being back in time for the group visa application.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.