picture

[hondo1z 2]

Hello, again.

I am not sure how to make the pictures. Do the pictures have to be like the ones that I took for my permanent GC? I wear glasses, is it OK to wear them in the picture? And can the hear cover the ears?

Please, help!!!

[hondo1z 2]

Please help!!! To wear the glasses or not?

[LastSurvivor 0]

Go to Walgreens and have them made. They can help you and it is fairly cheap.

LS

[NickD 203]

Please help!!! To wear the glasses or not?

While the N-400 instructions state to send in two Department of State type passport photos or yourself, in our recent experience, they never used them, but took their own photo at biometrics and used that.

It is not recommended that you wear your glasses unless your photographer can take your photo reflection free. Nothing said about wearing your hair down over you ears. They are currently using a photo computerized recognition software program for file match up so want the basic features of your face to be as simple as possible.

More than likely they will use the photo they take at your biometrics, other may verify this as seems to be a large variation of procedures at local offices. The photo they took of my daughter was terrible compared to mine, but she didn't care, it was accepted, and that is all that counts. After you update your SS card and get your passport, you can hide your certificate someplace.

The photos I took of her didn't go to waste, used those for her passport, long black hair covering her ears, no glasses nor any jewelry, no smile, exact ratio they call for the size of her face compared to the 2" height of the photo, perfectly white background, great details of her face, no red eye, no iris reflection. They were accepted by the DOS, further accepted at the airport yesterday when she left the country. Now the big thing, will they let her back in two weeks from the today. That we will find out, but sure they will. DOS has a website on how to take photos, but any passport photographer knows that.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

The passport places usually have you remove them - and when you get biometrics, they also had me remove mine.

I would say it's safe to say that you should remove your glasses - frames can change, but your face won't I had mine done at Walmart.

PS - I have beyond shoulder length hair and I wore it down both for the pictures and biometrics pics. Always have throughout this whole process.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Udella&Wiz

[NickD 203]

Don't know about other field offices, subject never came up before. With ours, St. Paul, got a little nasty that the supplied photos did not have your full name neatly printed on the left margin of your photograph in ink. When the instructions clearly state to use a light pencil on the rear of the photo.

Feel they are doing this for their own convenience and as a check to make sure they glue the correct photo to your certificate. Last time, like last month, didn't even use our photos, but used their own taken at biometrics. So all this fuss about how you should fix your hair or wearing glasses may not even apply.

[Caroline and Phil 14]

I took my pictures at CVS and I asked if I should show my ears or not and the picture lady said I should show my face as it will look like when I'm traveling for example. So she took my picture and I sent them along with my application. Yesterday I went to my biometrics and she took a picture of me there. So, I don't know if there was something not right with the pictures I sent or if it was just the procedure. BTW, the picture she took at my biometrics I had my ears covered by hair (like any regular passport style photo).

[hondo1z 2]

Thank you very much for your reply.

[NickD 203]

Before, they took our supplied photos, two of them, but only used one that was stuck to the certificate with double sided sticky tape, then stamped on the USCIS half on the photo, the other half on the certificate.

Recently, they used a digital type photo they took at biometrics. If you ever played with a digital camera and printed it out on ordinary paper, not photographic paper, that is what your photo will look like.

We did go through some trouble to supply some very nice photos, instructions said to do so, but they never used our photos. Really don't know if they will reject your application if you don't supply your photos. But apparently, they don't use them unless they file them away someplace.

Have to say my photos are of very high quality, can clearly make out the color of the eyes, the one on the certificate looks like two blurred black dots. But what the heck, the DOS accepted it and issued a passport. DOS plays games too, want a 2" square photo, but cut it down to 1 1/4 inches wide and 1 3/4 inches high, not even the same aspect ratio. Then embed it in some kind of blue lined lumpy plastic. But again, what the heck, it works.