Passport application

[who?]

A passport is for when the TSA starts requiring RealID compliant id although Arkansas is going to start offering compliant ID as an option next month and requiring it in 2018.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I have no idea what this is about. What about a visa and how does it relate to the info concerning my application?

Obtaining a passport is child's play compared to the hoops you have to jump through in order to get a a visa, specifically since the process varies for each country.

 

[purbeast0]

Don't understand the recommendations to take another photo. There's NOTHING technically wrong with the one I submitted. The problem was the stupid clerk. What she wrote on the application will likely be ignored by the State Department. If they want another photo I'll provide it. Meantime, I'm not wasting my time (or money) getting another one taken and reappearing somewhere to submit another application, why bother?

AFAIK, my post office is not equipped to take my photo. My local Staples doesn't do it. I could pay $12.99 to have Walgreens do it but figured doing it at Costco last week (I was going to be there anyway), for $4.99 was the way to go. They do it all the time, have a system, a dedicated chip. They take up to 3 shots, you choose, they give you 4 two by two inch prints, no digital copies. I did my shopping while they did the processing.

Did you not read my post? I'm assuming you have a smart phone. If you do, you're wasting your time going somewhere to take your picture. It costs you about 30 cents to print a 4x6 CVS or Walgreens or wherever

Wouldn't you rather have a correct looking picture than having to submit another photo once processing has started? Now THAT would be a huge waste of time.

 

[Mixolydian]

I just had my passport picture taken at the post office where I filed the application. They did it all right there. The whole process of taking pic and submitting application took all of about 15 minutes. Got my passport book and card in the mail in about 7 days.

 

[Muse]

Did you not read my post? I'm assuming you have a smart phone. If you do, you're wasting your time going somewhere to take your picture. It costs you about 30 cents to print a 4x6 CVS or Walgreens or wherever

Wouldn't you rather have a correct looking picture than having to submit another photo once processing has started? Now THAT would be a huge waste of time.

I called and asked Walgreens (the photo dept.) if I could bring in my own picture on flash drive and have them print it for my passport in lieu of them taking/printing the shot. They said that too would cost $12.99. I figured that was just plain dumb. Staples photo dept. said they don't do passport photos, period. Therefore I got the idea to call Costco and ask their photo dept. if they do passport photos. I was due to make my Costco run in any case. They said yes and it's $4.99, seemed like a no-brainer.

Hardly seems to matter at this point because my photo was within spec. If they refuse it, to hell with the red tape, I'll ask Costco to make another with my head appearing bigger and my glasses off.

 

[Muse]

I just had my passport picture taken at the post office where I filed the application. They did it all right there. The whole process of taking pic and submitting application took all of about 15 minutes. Got my passport book and card in the mail in about 7 days.

AFAIK, my PO will not take the photo. They never mentioned that possibility all the times I've gotten in line and talked to their passport specialists. Also, they and the State Dept. rep I talked to yesterday said it would take weeks in all probability to get my book, card and birth certificate + ID photocopies back, and they would come in that order in separate letters due to the increased incidence of identity theft in our culture.

 

[Mixolydian]

AFAIK, my PO will not take the photo. They never mentioned that possibility all the times I've gotten in line and talked to their passport specialists. Also, they and the State Dept. rep I talked to yesterday said it would take weeks in all probability to get my book, card and birth certificate + ID photocopies back, and they would come in separate letters due to the increased incidence of identity theft in our culture.

Some post offices do photo processing and others don't. On the State Department website it lists which locations do photos on-site.

 

[Muse]

Some post offices do photo processing and others don't. On the State Department website it lists which locations do photos on-site.

Ah, well, I know of two POs in my town, and I highly doubt the other would take the photo, they are relatively a hole in the wall.

 

[purbeast0]

I called and asked Walgreens (the photo dept.) if I could bring in my own picture on flash drive and have them print it for my passport in lieu of them taking/printing the shot. They said that too would cost $12.99. I figured that was just plain dumb. Staples photo dept. said they don't do passport photos, period. Therefore I got the idea to call Costco and ask their photo dept. if they do passport photos. I was due to make my Costco run in any case. They said yes and it's $4.99, seemed like a no-brainer.

Hardly seems to matter at this point because my photo was within spec. If they refuse it, to hell with the red tape, I'll ask Costco to make another with my head appearing bigger and my glasses off.

LOL ... dude it is not $12.99. You take it to your kiosk like you would ANY pictures you want to print off of a flash drive. There is nothing "special" about a passport photo. It just has to meet certain criteria.

No wonder you are having such issues with your passport - you make a big deal out of everything. I'm also starting to think maybe you can't read based off of your replies to people (myself included) in this thread.

 

[JM Aggie08]

OP, how do you handle other daily tasks and issues?

 

[LevelSea]

If you go to Walgreen's, etc, they just take your photo with a cheap digital camera and crop it lol.

 

[purbeast0]

If you go to Walgreen's, etc, they just take your photo with a cheap digital camera and crop it lol.

Or you can do it for free like I've been saying then go print it somewhere for a quarter.

https://play.google.com/store/searc...G9ydCBwaWN0dXJlegUYAMABAooBAggB:S:ANO1ljKbNq4

https://fnd.io/#/us/search?mediaType=ios&term=passport pictures

 

[Anubis]

If you go to Walgreen's, etc, they just take your photo with a cheap digital camera and crop it lol.

and this is an issue why?

I travel internationally a lot for work and pleasure, last passport photo I got taken was taken at Wal-Mart - same place I had them taken for my china visa application. zero issues. in and out in under 10 min

when my parents renewed theirs I took the photos myself in their kitchen. photoshopped the background to white (was light yellow) and cropped to the right aspect ratio, printed out on a cheap inkjet printer on photo paper

this process honestly could not be any easier and the fact that you are making such a big deal out of it tells me that you prob should be banned from having a passport because we don't need someone like you representing the US overseas

 

[Muse]

LOL ... dude it is not $12.99. You take it to your kiosk like you would ANY pictures you want to print off of a flash drive. There is nothing "special" about a passport photo. It just has to meet certain criteria.

No wonder you are having such issues with your passport - you make a big deal out of everything. I'm also starting to think maybe you can't read based off of your replies to people (myself included) in this thread.

Don't be silly.

I called Walgreens and they said $12.99, what am I to believe? I've never used their photo services, have no idea about a "kiosk" there, OK? Can you read that? They are 4 blocks from me, I've been in there many times, have never interacted with their photo services. In another thread someone said stay away from Walgreens for a passport photo. Several people said go to Staples, but when I called Staples (and finally managed to reach a live person after more than 1/2 hour, can you read that?), the man told me they don't do passport photos. I said screw it, I'm gonna do it at Costco. Done.

And get off my case, if you need to flame someone find someone offline, or look in the goddamn mirror.

 

[Muse]

OP, how do you handle other daily tasks and issues?

Huh? What's it to ya?

 

[Muse]

and this is an issue why?

I travel internationally a lot for work and pleasure, last passport photo I got taken was taken at Wal-Mart - same place I had them taken for my china visa application. zero issues. in and out in under 10 min

when my parents renewed theirs I took the photos myself in their kitchen. photoshopped the background to white (was light yellow) and cropped to the right aspect ratio, printed out on a cheap inkjet printer on photo paper

this process honestly could not be any easier and the fact that you are making such a big deal out of it tells me that you prob should be banned from having a passport because we don't need someone like you representing the US overseas

Oh, why don't you apply for your job at the State Department? You are clearly qualified.

Let me tell you, if I had a working color inkjet printer I would have made my own PP photo. Now piss off.

 

[purbeast0]

You've seriously never seen a kiosk at any store where you can take your own thumbdrive in and print out a 4x6 picture off of it? I find that hard to believe.

 

[nakedfrog]

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.

Yep, that's always the way to win a bureaucratic administrative official over to your way of thinking! GET SURLY!

 

[dullard]

Don't be silly.

I called Walgreens and they said $12.99, what am I to believe? I've never used their photo services, have no idea about a "kiosk" there, OK? Can you read that? They are 4 blocks from me, I've been in there many times, have never interacted with their photo services. In another thread someone said stay away from Walgreens for a passport photo. Several people said go to Staples, but when I called Staples (and finally managed to reach a live person after more than 1/2 hour, can you read that?), the man told me they don't do passport photos. I said screw it, I'm gonna do it at Costco. Done.

And get off my case, if you need to flame someone find someone offline, or look in the goddamn mirror.

The problem is that you asked for a passport photo. We are saying you take a normal photo, use one of many free tools to make it the right size, and have any photo service print it for a few pennies.

As soon as you say "passport", they see dollar signs. You should have asked if they print "photos".

But you are correct, you probably have a good enough photo, so you don't need to worry. But anyone else who reads this thread might like to find out how to save $4.79 to $12.79.

 

[Muse]

You've seriously never seen a kiosk at any store where you can take your own thumbdrive in and print out a 4x6 picture off of it? I find that hard to believe.

You are incredulous at that? Some imagination...

 

[Muse]

Yep, that's always the way to win a bureaucratic administrative official over to your way of thinking! GET SURLY!

Hey, she'd refused to believe me in the first place when I was sure about the Nov. 1st rule change, asked her to check her facts and she wouldn't. She also said my photo was too small and wouldn't bother to check the spec. I had to go home and garner proof that I was right on both counts, she was wrong. I come back with proof and wait in line again. Then she flat out refuses to even acknowledge that the dimensions spec for the photo were right there on the form. Instead, she insists in writing on my form that the image of my head in the photo was "too small." I shouldn't be pissed at her? I'm supposed to what, provide her with cupcakes?

Hey, there are people in America who shoot people for less. It's a crazy country. I'm not one of those people. But I did give her a piece of my mind and I'm not sorry.

 

[Muse]

The problem is that you asked for a passport photo. We are saying you take a normal photo, use one of many free tools to make it the right size, and have any photo service print it for a few pennies.

As soon as you say "passport", they see dollar signs. You should have asked if they print "photos".

But you are correct, you probably have a good enough photo, so you don't need to worry. But anyone else who reads this thread might like to find out how to save $4.79 to $12.79.

I haven't used a photo printing service of any kind since before the days of digital cameras. I used to have them print out color film to prints. Many years ago I did my own black and white printing, had my own dark room. Being color blind, I tended to stick to B&W, plus DIY B&W processing was a lot simpler and cheaper than color, which I never got into when I got serious about photography. I had aspirations of being a professional photographer, but I think my color blindness discouraged me.

I have never ever brought digital photo files to anybody to make prints. EVER. I don't know the ins and outs. Getting some drug store to take my digital file and produce a print that I could use for a passport photo was obviously possible, but I honestly don't know exactly how that would work out. I could have worked at it, experimented, if it didn't work the first time, I could iterate, make a 2nd try, etc. but in this instance I felt constrained by the Oct. 31 deadline explained in the OP.

My original intention for a PP photo was to take it myself using one of my digital cameras, its self-timer and a tripod. Walgreens said they'd charge me $12.99 to made a PP photo from my digital file, I said fuck that. Staples said they don't do PP photos, period. Goodbye. Take my thumb drive to Walgreens, have them make prints and hope that what I come up with using a pair of scissors would be acceptable seemed like a completely iffy proposition. Am I incompetent? Sure. Everybody's incompetent. But I can do a ton of things that most people can't.

 

[evident]

good lord dude, i think this is being blown way out of proportion. totally not worth the hassle and risk of passport being rejected, i woulda just had another photo taken and be done with it. Doesn't your post office take pictures as well? mine does ( or did?)

 

[Muse]

good lord dude, i think this is being blown way out of proportion. totally not worth the hassle and risk of passport being rejected, i woulda just had another photo taken and be done with it. Doesn't your post office take pictures as well? mine does ( or did?)

You didn't read the thread. My PO doesn't take photos. I was going to go back to Costco and have them take another photo but went home to shave, I didn't want 28 hours of beard on my face for my PP photo. So, being home I looked up the Nov. 1 rule change, made a print for proof, measured my photo against the form spec with a ruler, decided to go back to the PO with my print and ruler and present my evidence so I didn't have to make the LONG trip to Costco for no good reason.

Hey, I've known for ages that there's incompetence everywhere. I used to work temps and encountered it again and again and again. That doesn't mean I should accept it meekly when it inconveniences me.