Australian passport photo rules: Glasses to be banned from July 1, 2018

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This was published 5 years ago

Australian passport photo rules: Glasses to be banned from July 1, 2018

By Craig Platt
Updated
Glasses will be banned from Australian passport photos.

Glasses will be banned from Australian passport photos.Credit: Australian Passport Office

Those high fashion glasses you spent a fortune on won't be making it into your passport photo, thanks to new regulations starting on July 1.

The Australian Passport Office has issued new guidelines, banning glasses from passport photos.

The office said in a statement the move was made to "further strengthen the integrity of the Australian passport".

"Research has shown that glasses adversely affect passport facial matching. Matching is more accurate without glasses."

The office said a limited exemption for medical reasons may apply where supported by a medical certificate. This could include people recovering from eye surgery or those with a severe sensitivity to light.

Australia's SmartGate automatic immigration entry terminals currently allow arriving passengers to leave their prescription glasses on while their photo is taken at the gate, but only if they have glasses on in their current passport photo and only if the rims are thin.

"Thick rimmed glasses can affect arrivals SmartGate's ability to compare your image with your ePassport photograph, so it is better to remove them, if possible," the Department of Home Affairs website states.

Australia first introduced its SmartGate technology for arrivals to airports in 2007. Green Outgoing Passenger Cards were ditched for passengers leaving the country in July last year in another move to further automate the process of passing through immigration.

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According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the information previously gathered via the paper-based cards is now be collated from existing government data.

The rules for passport photos

  • Good quality, colour gloss prints, less than six months old
  • Clear, focused image with no marks or 'red eye'
  • Plain white or light grey background that contrasts with your face
  • Uniform lighting (no shadows or reflections) with appropriate brightness and contrast to show natural skin tone
  • Face looking directly at the camera and not tilted in any direction
  • Hair off the face so that the edges of the face are visible
  • Eyes open, mouth closed
  • Neutral expression (not smiling, laughing or frowning), which is the easiest way for border systems to match you to your image.

See https://www.passports.gov.au for more information.

See also: Most powerful and expensive passports in the world

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