Because of a policy change that took effect on November 1, 2016, applicants are now required to remove their glasses for passport photos when applying for or renewing passports. According to the US Department of State, they have had to reject over 200,000 passport applications because of the quality of the pictures submitted with them. The problems ranged from pictures taken from too far away or in dimly lit environments; however, the main reason for the rejections were glasses.
About the previous policy
Previously, there was a prohibition on the wearing of sunglasses or any other type of glasses with tinted lenses. This was because these glasses made it difficult to see the applicant’s eyes. In addition, any glare on the lenses of the applicant’s glasses would have to be dealt with before the photo was submitted. Glare is one of the main reasons for the change to the policy on glasses.
Glasses and biometric passports
Along with the issue of glare, another important reason for the prohibition on glasses in passport photos is the use of biometric data. This data includes measurements of your face in your passport photo. If you are wearing glasses in your photo, this makes it difficult to get accurate biometric data.
Current passport photos with glasses on
If you are wearing glasses in your current passport photo, this will not be a problem. You will not have to worry about it until you renew your passport. When that happens, you will be required to submit a passport photo with your glasses off.
How this change can help you
This change in the policy allows you to be more easily identifiable in your picture. The results that you should expect include faster processing of passport applications. Another benefit is that it should take less time to move through US ports of entry.
There are rare exceptions to the prohibition on glasses. These include cases where a person must wear their glasses in their photo due to a medical necessity. In these cases, glasses can be worn if the individual has a doctor’s note. It is important to note that the US is not the first country to forbid glasses. Both France and the United Kingdom have a similar ban.
