Anyone get a new US passport? The "Next Generation" is way different.

[QueenIsabella]

My son really liked his passport photo! Unusual, given how crappy ID photos typically are, but his hair looks good, his smile looks natural, and his skin looks clear (he was wondering if they re-touched it, but I doubt it--he must have been having a "good skin" day!). He also really liked the photo made up of his name/passport number.

I'm glad he's happy, he las to live with it for 10 years.

 

[bcla]

My son really liked his passport photo! Unusual, given how crappy ID photos typically are, but his hair looks good, his smile looks natural, and his skin looks clear (he was wondering if they re-touched it, but I doubt it--he must have been having a "good skin" day!). He also really liked the photo made up of his name/passport number.

I'm glad he's happy, he las to live with it for 10 years.

One is allowed to renew a passport at any time. Not sure if it's worth it though just for a photo. These days I'm thinking some who travel a lot might need to renew when a passport fills up with visas and stamps, especially now that the State Dept doesn't provide extra pages.

With my passport I'm just thinking that my photo really sucks. But I don't normally need to look at it.

 

[soccerdad72]

Yes. My husband looks absolutely nothing like his passport photo. The last two times we have gone on an international vacation the customs people had to carefully look at his eyes to decide if it was really him or not. In his photo he was super clean cut and baby-faced (our kids' friends always said he looked like Captain America). Now he has a long beard and long hair (looks more like a character from Vikings) and appears significantly older than the photo.

We could probably find 5 random people in the airport who resemble his passport more than he does. So, I could definitely see where it would be easy to use a stolen passport if all you need is to look similar to the photo.

My older son's passport is like 5 years old, back when he was clean shaven (and 17). He's now 22 with a full beard and looks nothing like his passport photo.

While travelling home last week through Houston, the customs agent did a double take when looking at his passport, then looked at him and just said, "Why you gotta be so old now?" (with a chuckle).

 

[Orion Nebula]

I recently got my kids passports and they look like that. I didn't know why they were so different.

 

[bcla]

I recently got my kids passports and they look like that. I didn't know why they were so different.

Progress I guess. It used to be possible to add a child to a parent's passport. Instead of the standard photo, it would typically be of a child sitting on a parent's lap. It used to be a photo that was glued to the page and then embossed together with the page. Then laminated over the photo. Then the photo digitally scanned and then printed directly on the page.

I guess it seems like overkill, but I rather like that it's different.

 

[pooh2001]

Yes
I have one with my maiden name still
I need one with my married name
My original passport was when we got married
Plus o will get the card too with the passport
Never know when I will need it and I need it in my current married name that matches my drivers license
I had to dig up my marriage certificate

 

[TinkAgainU]

Odd look - but received quickly. I paid ALL the extra fees and sent Priority Mail, used a pobox for return, and noted I had a trip coming up soon. Sent for renewal (no changes) 1/4/2023, received back 1/27/2023.

 

[QueenIsabella]

That's awesome to hear that your son had a surprisingly great passport photo! It's not often we hear positive feedback about ID pictures, so it's definitely a pleasant surprise. It's funny how sometimes everything just comes together for a photo, from good hair days to a natural smile. As for the "good skin" day, maybe it was just luck or some great lighting! But hey, when you're stuck with a photo for a whole decade, it's nice to have one that you actually like.

I have to say, there's a passport office at the local college (UNC-Wilmington), and they do a great job with passports. Very efficient, friendly, and helpful. When DS17 and I showed up for our appointment, she took one look at my (pre-filled in and printed at home) form and immediately saw that it would be rejected. Something about the way the printer worked messed it up. She gave me a new form, and I used the old form to fill in the information, and we were on our way. It saved us weeks of time and the hassle of having to re-do the paperwork. For all that people crab about government employees (post office, DMV), I have to give a shout-out when they do things well.

 

[bcla]

That's awesome to hear that your son had a surprisingly great passport photo! It's not often we hear positive feedback about ID pictures, so it's definitely a pleasant surprise. It's funny how sometimes everything just comes together for a photo, from good hair days to a natural smile. As for the "good skin" day, maybe it was just luck or some great lighting! But hey, when you're stuck with a photo for a whole decade, it's nice to have one that you actually like.

Natural lighting works really well - especially with most smaller camera lenses. Indoor lighting works better with large cameras and there can be issues with flash creating noticeable shadows.

I took a few passport photos outdoors and there were few shadows and the ambient light everywhere bounced off where there weren't shadows on the face like I've seen with indoor flash photos. I tried one indoors with a large window and ideal lighting conditions. Even with a phone/tablet it was really good because the light compensates for the relatively poor noise level of a phone. Up the lighting and the noise/graininess isn't a problem without a flash.

The thing that's really difficult these days is that some visa photo requirements are for a completely removed background. The US State Dept will reject anything with an obviously modified/erased background, but other countries have a passport/visa requirement for a pure white background that can only be done with electronic modification. I think some might just take a photo anywhere and then just use a tool to completely erase the background.

 

[bcla]

I have to say, there's a passport office at the local college (UNC-Wilmington), and they do a great job with passports. Very efficient, friendly, and helpful. When DS17 and I showed up for our appointment, she took one look at my (pre-filled in and printed at home) form and immediately saw that it would be rejected. Something about the way the printer worked messed it up. She gave me a new form, and I used the old form to fill in the information, and we were on our way. It saved us weeks of time and the hassle of having to re-do the paperwork. For all that people crab about government employees (post office, DMV), I have to give a shout-out when they do things well.

I prefer to use the online form generator. It will at the very least check for the required information and much of it goes into a barcode in the corner, although I'm not sure if that info is also saved by the State Dept and pulled up from that code. I've used a code reader and it certainly doesn't embed everything in there.

I haven't gone in person for own passports since I got my first. I prefer the mail-in renewal and now the online renewal. Not sure when the latter is going to be available again.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I prefer to use the online form generator. It will at the very least check for the required information and much of it goes into a barcode in the corner, although I'm not sure if that info is also saved by the State Dept and pulled up from that code. I've used a code reader and it certainly doesn't embed everything in there.

I haven't gone in person for own passports since I got my first. I prefer the mail-in renewal and now the online renewal. Not sure when the latter is going to be available again.

I would have preferred the online generator, too, but the lady said a lot of printers muck it up so it can't work. I don't remember how this was--shortening it, garbling the QR code? Something. I was just glad that she noticed that it was faulty and would be rejected, giving me a chance to rewrite it on the spot (while she did the photos of my son). We just did everything there--much easier than messing around with photos at home (and then finding out, possibly, that they had a flaw, anyway).

My only issue is that they do appointment only, and the appointments fill up fast--you have to go ~6 weeks out. It was fine for us, but we let fellow travelers know that you needed to expect the lead time.

 

[fla4fun]

I haven't gone in person for own passports since I got my first. I prefer the mail-in renewal and now the online renewal. Not sure when the latter is going to be available again.

I read that the online renewals will be active some time in 2024, which is convenient for me since I renew in 2025.

 

[bcla]

I read that the online renewals will be active some time in 2024, which is convenient for me since I renew in 2025.

I did the online renewal last October during one of the pilot program periods. Took maybe 9 weeks back then, but I'm thinking it was a pretty massive backlog.

The other thing these days is that they'll apparently print and ship from any passport agency office to spread around the backlog. Previously the mail-in renewals only came from one or two "national" offices, including the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, NH. This photo came from an active shooter exercise they did, so that's what's up with the police cars in front. One of my expired passports says "National Passport Center" as the place of issue.

 

[bcla]

I would have preferred the online generator, too, but the lady said a lot of printers muck it up so it can't work. I don't remember how this was--shortening it, garbling the QR code? Something. I was just glad that she noticed that it was faulty and would be rejected, giving me a chance to rewrite it on the spot (while she did the photos of my son). We just did everything there--much easier than messing around with photos at home (and then finding out, possibly, that they had a flaw, anyway).

My only issue is that they do appointment only, and the appointments fill up fast--you have to go ~6 weeks out. It was fine for us, but we let fellow travelers know that you needed to expect the lead time.

It's been pretty foolproof for me. The code itself is the PDF417 format, which is pretty common. It's in the corner of the form and they leave that space blank on forms to be filled out by hand. Amtrak uses it for their standard tickets (but QR for self-printed) and a lot of airlines use it for boarding passes. But they can make it really big with more information. I also have a few code reader apps for my phones/tablets and I usually check to see that it's correct. I got this from the Wikipedia article on PDF417. I checked it and it says "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia".

The one on the back of my driver license is huge.

I rather like the online generator because I don't want someone misreading my chicken scratch handwriting. The one caveat is that I wouldn't want it stored on a computer since it will include the SSN, so I always print it quickly and deleted. Maybe save it to a USB flash drive. But I know how to check the PDF417 to make sure it's got all the information. YMMV.

 

[darnheather]

My dh and kids have the new passports. They got theirs last year. Mine is the older style cause I renewed in 2019. I have my first passport from 1999 and they used the actual photo laminated onto the page.

Same. I also have my Turkish passport from around that time that they stapled in a photo of my daughter so it would serve as her passport too because at the time they did not issue passports to children under five.

 

[bcla]

Same. I also have my Turkish passport from around that time that they stapled in a photo of my daughter so it would serve as her passport too because at the time they did not issue passports to children under five.

In 2000, the US State Dept started issuing passports where they scanned the photo and then printed the image into the information page rather than use the actual photo paper. I got a renewal in 2001 and it's way different.

All my physically cancelled passports have two holes punched into the front cover and possibly to the next (info) page, and the holes go into some important stuff including the big number that scanning systems are supposed to read. The earlier passports have the information page on the other side of the front cover, but newer US passports have an image and other stuff in the front. One of those cancelled passports also has a cancellation stamp on one page with a date that matches when my replacement passport was issued.

 

[hrhdhd]

Other countries have passport numbers starting with letters, so I don't see why not. US passport cards all start with a C, but they're not used for international travel. I guess they might require some reprogramming if designed to filter out for expected numbers.

Passport cards can't be used for international air travel, but they are good for entry into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada, and from Caribbean islands and Bermuda at sea ports of entry.

 

[mousefan73]

got my new one back in Dec. and was shocked at the raised letter format. It looks more fake and looks like the print will wear off/ fall off in a while.

 

[bcla]

got my new one back in Dec. and was shocked at the raised letter format. It looks more fake and looks like the print will wear off/ fall off in a while.

It's all printed under the top plastic layer, so it's not going to wear off. It's also not going to be like a credit card where it might be taken in and out of a wallet.

I did get a passport card (uses a similar printing process) in the first year, and after several years the one I had was that the top layer started cracking and peeling but didn't come completely off. But I think that was an early version and they've probably improved the materials.

 

[bcla]

I would have preferred the online generator, too, but the lady said a lot of printers muck it up so it can't work. I don't remember how this was--shortening it, garbling the QR code? Something.

Just following up.

I get that someone told you that, but that sounds like she was handing you a huge steaming pile. As far back as 2010, I've filled in applications with the online generator (both the DS-82 mail-in renewal and DS-11 in-person) maybe 6-7 times for myself and my family. I've never seen a case where the code sections looked wrong or where the application was rejected. I have sent them in as mail-in renewals and I've had them accepted at a place that did passport acceptance as well as at a State Dept passport office (for an expedited passport). It generates a PDF file meant to be printed as 8-1/2"x11" with the instructions (with a checklist) and . I've usually just printed the two pages of the application, where the instructions aren't required to be submitted. I've only printed in black in white even though the PDF file is in color.

This is a pretty good tutorial. It shows the DS-11, but there should be the option for the DS-82 mail-in renewal. This person make a mock one with fake information, but it clearly shows a good PDF417 code in the upper left corner of the application form.

I've certainly seen some issues with PDF files, but those are pretty obvious. I occasionally download my credit card statements to print, and with one specific PDF reader, much of the text turns into a bunch of boxes once it's printed out. But that's pretty obvious and I have a choice of different PDF readers where I can typically find one that works. And it's only with my specific credit card provider.