I just paid £17 to have my passport photo taken and it is NOT MY FACE

[HarrietKettle]

I mean, I suppose it must be.

I look like I've just been arrested for drink driving offences, under the influence, and it's 4am in a downtown NY drunk-tank.

This is going on my ZSL pass for my charges and I to visit the zoo (I'm a nanny) so not ideal.

I applied make up. I brushed my hair. I wore a jaunty shade. I skipped along to Snappy-Fucking-Snaps on Charlotte Steet, London as I thought they'd take a nicer photo than my local one in Acton.

The lady asked me which one I wanted, they were all shite but one didn't make me want to cut my head off, I said that one please, she robbed me of my £17.99 and I said I'd pop back in half an hour.

I SWEAR TO GOD SHE SWITCHED THEM to the worst photo of my face I e ever seen. I look awful, I have never looked so awful, and if that is honestly my face I'm cancelling the extortionate wedding photographer we've selected and having my one year old nephew take the pics, at least he's likely to chop out my head.

I now have to present a picture of me looking like a criminal with addiction problems to my new boss for the ZSL card, and I'll have 7 monstrosities left that will never see the light of any day.

I looked fine in the mirror beforehand. Fine.

My fiancé says I'm like a slightly less Chanel-ed version of Natalie Portman (we've had his eyes tested and they're grand but I know he's slightly biased) so WHAT THE FUCK happened. The image is seared on to my brain forever. And the godforsaken ZSL card.

Anyone else look shite when they thought they looked ok?

DISCLAIMER LIGHTHEARTED I know I'm lucky to have a face etc etc

My driving licence photo makes me look like I've been drugged, kidnapped, and propped up in a photo booth to prove I was still alive when the ransom letter was sent.

DH's driving licence makes him look like the person who did the drugging, kidnapping, and ransoming.

So at least we look well suited as a couple.

We all look a bunch of miserable buggers in our passport pics.

As long as we get through-who cares?

And it might give those on passport control a laugh!

My passport photo and driving licence photo both make me look like I have just been dug up

Massive source of amusement to everyone

Someone at work saw my 9 year old driving licence and said how lovely I looked and different to now and that I should keep it

Electronic passport control is your friend - never have to show the fucker to anyone.

OP I’m THE least photogenic person ever.
I’m not a total minger in real life But I’m awful in photos. I get really anxious at events where I know people will be taking pictures.
My friends/family know I hate having my picture taken.
My wedding photos ended up not being too bad.... I mean there was some horrific ones but there were a few nice ones and I’m just really happy there was them few.
Passport wise.... I got a good one from a booth in Tesco and I kept starting again until I was happy.

Oh this is NEVER going on my actual passport. Lesson learned.

I dressed up for world book day in a costume involving a mask and a body-enveloping cloak.
When a group photo was taken I thought “this will be fine, I’m covered up from head to toe” (I hate photos of myself just now). Saw the picture, and realised I have a MASSIVE KNECK. This is the only part of me that is not covered up, and it looks as wide as my head (which is massive).

Neck

I look like an elderly anaemic frog in my passport picture. Fortunately it was taken at home and uploaded. I rarely travel so the number of people injuring themselves trying to not to laugh has been limited.
For many years my father's passport photograph screamed "KGB Operative". He had no end of trouble everywhere he went.

A few years ago I had to show photo ID in an administration and the man behind the counter looked at it, then looked at me, looked at it again, then laughed heartily and said “Blimey, you certainly look better in the flesh!”

Did they think it was for an actual passport? The rules are so convoluted now (photographer made me push my fringe to one side as it was too long & would be rejected for that & the result is it looks nothing like me.

But for my chaperone ID pass they just took a normal passport sized photo.

Criminal potato

I think I bought their first album!

These replies have me in stitches!!!!

Mine is fucking horrendous and I also have the no eyebrow problem. I look like Matt Lucas. Not just in my passport photo but IRL, all the time. So you can imagine what my passport photo is like. No offence meant to Matt Lucas, but he’s a man. Not a 32 yr old woman.

When I renewed my passport last year I was thrilled to discover they let you submit your own photo taken on your own camera provided it meets regs. I sent a nice one I liked which looked like me and met all the listed requirements. Did they approve it? Did they balls. Had to go and get one taken at a shop and I looked like my 60-year-old mother but 40 years older and with a skin condition and drunk.

That one was approved fine, natch.

I recently tried no fewer than three different London branches of Snappy Snaps before I got a photo I could bear to look at in my passport for the next 10 years. By the end of my vanity-tourism they probably had a group-wide internal memo going round about me.

In case anyone’s on a similar mission, it was the Fleet Street branch (with a properly lit downstairs studio, rather than just a chair at the back of the shop) which eventually managed to make me look vaguely human.

You will look back in ten years and think how lovely you looked, I did , compared to now

I'm so pale in my passport photo that I’m barely indistinguishable from the background.

I was at a 'do' last week - many pictures were taken.

I was all done up nicely, I'd even branched out into make up. Yet I look as though someone let a geriatric transvestite suffering from slight confusion out in public. And when you look at the pictures, my nose follows you round the room.

It could be worse.

The day they printed out my work ID there was a problem with the camera so my photo came out looking like I've been tangoed.

And now the sodding picture is on the system I can't even pretend I have lost my card as they just reprint the damn thing

Oooh can anyone tell me

my passport is expired so I need a new one.

I have 1 spare photo from my old one. tis flattering.

I got a lawyer to sign and date the back.

can i send it in, or do i need two?

OP sorry about Crappy Snaps (this is my fear and why i want to use the one I have!)

I even had my passport pictures taken in the Charlotte street branch and they are awful. I look like a murderer but I had to stick with them😂

My passport photo is pretty nice. My friend is a photographer so I had a proper studio shot taken until I had one I was happy with.

Key thing is to widen your eyes slightly, as though you've surprised yourself by farting unexpectedly in a public place and are hoping no one heard you. Obv you can't smile but turn your mouth upwards ever so slightly to avoid the Myra Hindley look. The booths are better than snappy snap type places as you can keep re-trying until you get a half decent one.

Totally get this.

I could just about deal with mine being in my passport, which I look at maybe twice a year max. Today I got caught up in that fucking ridiculous millennial railcard business. I got one after pressing refresh a gazillion times over more than 2 hours and it will save me a shit load of money. Problem is, I have to show that photo to someone every sodding day from now on. It was all I had to hand for the digital upload.

I’m not sure it’s worth it. Did not think this through.

I was grateful that my passport photo to remain in my passport (and on my driving license) where

Bassetting - you only need to send a new photo if your appearance has changed since your old passport.