State Dept. Changes Passport Photo Rules

Travelers may want to reconsider their look for their next passport photos. In a statement for September’s Picture Perfect Passport campaign, the U.S. Department of State warned travelers that “coming soon, glasses won’t be allowed anymore in passport photos.”

The reasoning behind the news is that it’s tough to get a suitable photo of a glasses wearer without glare, and while at the moment the State Department is advising people to take their glasses off for the photo, soon they will be required to do so.  

While there is no timetable, the threshold for an appropriate passport photo is rising. Photos that are too light or too dark, taken longer than six months before submitting, too close or too far away, or of low quality will also be rejected.