TMCnet News
Britons urged to follow new rules(Gulf News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Dubai: British officials have said many people are ignoring strict new rules on passport photographs and are having their pictures rejected as a result. The UK Passport Service has told applicants not to tinker with photographs before submitting them and to have them printed professionally rather than at home. The calls come three months after the UK introduced new rules that, among other things, banned smiling on passport photos. New facial recognition technology one of several types of biometric data that can be used in passports led to the introduction of the stricter photograph regulations. When the rules were brought in in September, the UKPS whose procedures are followed by the British Embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai warned that applicants whose photos did not meet the standards would have to supply a suitable alternative. "Since implementation of these rules, a number of customers have had their photographs rejected and their application delayed," the UKPS said in a statement. To help cut the number of unsuitable pictures, the UKPS has asked people not to use home printers to make their photographs because the photographic quality and the paper may not be acceptable. Also, applicants have been told not to digitally enhance pictures as this can reduce quality and make an image that is unsuitable for biometric technology leading to problems when crossing borders. Officials added: "If people wear glasses, we strongly advise removing them when having the photo taken to eliminate the risk of them causing reflection or otherwise reducing the quality of the photo." Photos, as well as showing an unsmiling face, must have been taken in the past month and the face should cover 65 to 75 per cent of the picture. An off-white, cream or light grey background should be used to ensure the applicant's features are "clearly distinguishable against the background". Rules on photographs for children aged five and under are less strict, with the UKPS saying it is not essential for the youngsters to have their mouths closed or to be looking at the camera. Beware of these picture problems - British officials have published a list of common problems which includes: - Eyes not clearly visible - Unsuitable pose such as not looking directly at the camera or having mouth open - Using school photographs which are not acceptable for copyright reasons - Printing the pictures on unsuitable paper |