The whole world smiles with you?

[RICHARD]

not really!

-----------------------

Smile costs family £3,000 holiday

A family had to scrap a £3,000 holiday after their youngest daughter's passport photograph was rejected - because she was smiling.

Gareth and Lesley Edwards saved for months to go to Cyprus with children Megan, ten, and Alys, nine, reports the Sun.

But the night before they were due to fly out, Lesley, 46, realised she was the only one with a valid passport.

Travel agents booked them on to a flight a few days later and the family quickly filled out passport application forms and had photos taken.

But when he reached the Passport Office, in Peterborough, officials said their machine would not accept Alys's photograph.

Lesley said: "They told Gareth that because Alys's teeth were clearly visible the photograph was not acceptable."

Gareth, 47, got another picture of Alys taken and rushed it to Peterborough from their home in Grays, Essex, but got there too late.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The new biometric passports carry a scan of the holder's face. In this instance the machine which takes the biometric image would have rejected the girl's photo because her mouth was open."

[moosmom]

How ridiculous!

[Edwina's Secretary]

What is ridiculous is this...

But the night before they were due to fly out, Lesley, 46, realised she was the only one with a valid passport.

Okay...maybe not ridiculous...but VERY stupid...

[CathyBogart]

What is ridiculous is this...



Okay...maybe not ridiculous...but VERY stupid...

I agree....If they were saving for months this could have been taken care of....months ago!

Sucks to have to scrap the whole trip over something so trivial though.

[jackie]

It was their own fault, IMO.

Who leaves that sort of thing until the last minute?

[Muddy4paws]

It was their own fault, IMO.

Who leaves that sort of thing until the last minute?

Thats what im thinking, Im getting my passport soon and you cannot have ANY expression on your face, it shows you with photos what you can and cant do

[BC_MoM]

Their fault. Everyone knows you're not allowed to smile in passport photos.

[cmayer31]

I might be a bit naive, but I had no clue you couldn't smile in passport photos. I agree that it is their fault for waiting until the last minute. However, we're so reliant on machines and policies that a smile is not acceptable; just sad. I'm all for security and protective measures, but for some reason I'm still bothered that this is what the world has come to. Evil people have exploited our systems so much that we need a full facial scan that can not have a smiling person in the picture.

[CathyBogart]

I didn't know you couldn't smile in passport photos. Neither did my BF and he has a passport. I would sure as heck hope they would TELL me that if I went to get my photo taken for a passport though.

[Lady's Human]

There is a difference between the old passports and the new biometric passports. Because of the biometric readers, they are being more selective in what they will allow. (They have to be, software isn't perfect)

[Laura's Babies]

You would think the person taking the photo would know the rules and get a correct, acceptable photo!

[Cataholic]

Their fault. Everyone knows you're not allowed to smile in passport photos.

Not everyone. I didn't know this, and have had my passport for over 20 years now. Two separate photos. Never remember anyone telling me this....

[Miss Z]

I had my new biometric passport made before I went to Greece last summer. My first passport photo was sent back as my fringe just put my right eye in shadow, so it had to be re-taken, which was no problem as we simply dealt with it, not leaving it to this last available minute like this family. I thought everyone knew you weren't supposed to smile on passports aswell.

I think it's great that passport laws are getting stricter, this way we can keep out more immigrants and catch more criminals trying to escape/ get into the country. People moan that they look horrible due to the new photograph rules, but, um, it's there to get you from A to B, unless you feel the need to show it to everyone you meet.