A travel expert has revealed the real reason why people aren’t allowed to smile in their passport photo.
Karolina Turowska, a biometric photography and travel expert at Passport-Photo.Online, told HuffPost, that it’s all linked to facial recognition software.
She says: ‘Algorithms don’t work as we do. To compare a 3D face with a 2D passport photo, they need to pinpoint and measure the users’ facial features.
‘It includes the distance between the pupils, ears, nose and mouth, the mouth’s and the eyes’ width, and many others.
‘Smiling can make it harder [to recognise a person], as it alters facial proportions.’
That’s why people are asked to keep a ‘neutral expression’ when they get a passport photo taken.
But the rules can vary depending on the country.
Turowska explains that in France, photos can be rejected if the ‘corners of their mouth are turned up’, even if their overall expression is neutral.
A travel expert has revealed the real reason why people aren’t allowed to smile in their passport photo and it’s all linked to facial recognition software
People need to have their ‘mouth closed’, be ‘looking straight at the camera’, ‘not have hair in front of your eyes’ or ‘anything covering your face’
What are the rules for passport photos?
The UK Government states that a passport photo must be ‘a close up of your full head and upper shoulders’ and ‘contain no other objects or people’.
Photos must be ‘taken against a plain cream or light grey background’ and ‘not have red eye’.
People need to have their ‘mouth closed’, be ‘looking straight at the camera’, ‘not have hair in front of your eyes’ or ‘anything covering your face’.
Head coverings are only allowed for ‘medical or religious reasons’.
Glasses also aren’t allowed to be worn in passport photos unless a person needs to do so.
