I had one crazy afternoon. I zipped (bicycle) over to my local USPS office, asked to submit my application for my first passport. The woman asked for the required items, looked at the photo and said it wouldn't be accepted. She said they have a new requirement that you can't wear glasses, "they want to see your eyes." I replied that my information was that this requirement kicks in Nov. 1, 2016. She said that wasn't so, they'd gotten a letter. She said as well that my head was too small in the 2"x2" photo (I got that done at Costco, where they have a system to produce passport photos). I contested that too.
I insisted that Nov. 1 was when the requirement took effect. In fact, I got the form only a few days before and the postal worker said I had until Oct. 31 to submit the application with photo before the new requirement would kick in. Anyway, the woman I talk to today refused to believe the rule wasn't already in effect. I asked her to talk to a supervisor, and she resisted that with some remark and said she'd have to consult the State Department. She said I could send in the application as is but they would send it back requiring a new photo. I took back my application, photos, my photocopy of my ID, everything and figured to bike over to Costco and ask them to take another photo of me, this time bigger and without my favorite glasses. However, I decided to go home first to shave (I hadn't in over 24 hours, figured I wanted to be clean shaven).
I go home, search and find that Nov. 1 is indeed when the new rule goes into effect:
This from the
State Department's own site.
I then found my previous application (had used a blue ballpoint pen, and then discovered that they required black ink), and the section for stapling your color photo indicates the head vertical dimension must be between 1" and 1 3/8". I measured mine and it's more than 1 1/8", more by about 1/64". So, well within the specification. I print out the page from the State Department website clearly showing NOVEMBER 1st as you see above, and when I reach the front of the line I wave that in her face and claim that my photo is acceptable according to the specifications on the form. She denies this saying the photo is clearly too small (not the photo, but I appear too small in it to her, i.e. on a subjective basis), and she insists writing on the application that the photo is "too small." I'm getting pretty angry at this point and I'm arguing with her, I had brought a ruler to prove my point but she refused to even consider looking at the form and what it said much less using a ruler. She reiterated that she's been doing this for 32 years and knows when a photo is too small. She shows me a couple of applications that she'd taken in today and yes, their heads looked bigger than mine, however that doesn't mean my photo is not acceptable. She then says that she doesn't have to weigh a package to know its weight. I counter that the only way to know the weight of a package is to put it on a scale. She countered that this wasn't so, I turned on my heel and left declaring in a loud enough voice, "you're wrong!"
Yes, she got my application and will submit it, including her written declaration that the image of me in the photo is "too small." I had to write a check to the State Department for $140 (no credit card payment is acceptable for that, said the woman) and made a credit card payment for $25 to the USPS for processing the application on their end. She said I may get a letter from the State Department saying that the photo is not acceptable. I figure if that happens I won't get into it with the State Department but will return to Costco and ask them to take another photo. I'm in no hurry. I have no travel plans, currently, I left that part of the application blank (where do you plan to travel).
Anyone know the Bob Seger song "
Katmandu?" I had that running through my head after going home, shaving, checking the internet and the application specifications. Spot on, that song, after what happened to me this afternoon. Cool song...
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