USAToday reports passports not needed until 2008!

[Regina]

Wow Lisa! That's a great price for the pix. I thought what we paid is "standard." I guess it isn't.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Thank you - so bring the pic with you - now someone said NO SMILING - is that correct?

Thats right...NO SMILING!!! What are they thinking??? We had these photos taken for our Disney cruise and as giddy it makes me just thinking about it, all I wanted to do is SMILE and do a happy dance cuz of all the excitement. I HATE my photos, but its what they want.

 

[LisaSp]

Regina, Rite Aid's regular price is $7.99 but I had a coupon. And the kid working there only charged me $6.99 for both sets of photos (I think he felt sorry for me as my kids were being maniacs)!

As far as not smiling goes, I hadn't heard that before. My kids are not grinning with teeth showing but sort of smirking--the passport lady at the post office made no comment so I guess that they were OK!!

Lisa

 

[wdwstar]

oh, no.. no smiling we had our pics done at CVS and we are all smiling and CVS was told that these were passport pics and didnt say not to smile. we were going this week to the post office with all our paper work.
can someone post that did smile for the pics and were excepted by the post office... i hate to get to our appt. and have to make a new one because we have to get new pics.

by the way i told cvs that we only needed 2 pics per passport and they said you get 6 pics per sheet for $7.99 each. i told them oh, i just thought they hand you 2 pics for $7.99, well she gave us 2 pics per person and only charged us $7.99 for all six pics on one sheet. only three of us went for the pics for our passports.
i was pretty when i walked out of there but was happy that i didnt pay $7.99 per person per sheet, because i didnt know what i was going to do with 4 extra 2x2 pics of us.

 

[SueEllen]

If you have a good printer and digital camera you can take your own pictures (which is what we did.) I took a close up of each of us, with a white background, and sized them to 2 x 2 and a just a head shot. Then we could keep taking them until we had a picture we liked (well half-way liked because I wasn't taking pictures all day.)

I printed them out on photo paper with the best quality printing and they look like regular photos. As long as you follow the guidelines (bottom of chin to top of head at least 1" to 1 3/8" (I might be wrong about the 1 3/8", I can't remember exactly) with a white or off-white background you can save a little by doing your own. They do have to be high quality printing and cannot look like a digital print, but they are allowed per the government website.

Sue Ellen

 

[jodifla]

What is this no smiling nonsense? I'm smiling in my passport picture.

Not sure how I'll convince DS, 3, NOT to smile in his passport picture. (Still hope I can put off getting one until he is older. I don't relish having DH having to take TIME OFF WORK to go stand in some stupid passport line with DS, WHO WILL HAVE TO MISS SCHOOL.)

Like I've said many times before on this board, I don't mind passports for adults, but it seems like a big waste for kids under 10.

 

[LisaSp]

I never heard the no smiling rule before--it is not on the government's passport guidelines website.

Your hubby doesn't have to miss work--you just need to get him to sign a paper saying he approves of getting the passport for DS and then get that note notarized...and most post offices take appointments for the passport application, so you should not have to wait in a line.

I agree for young children it is cumbersome, esp since you have to renew in 5 yrs (vs 10 for adults).

 

[musicgirl]

The reason behind the "no smiling" is that it changes your facial features too much. Especially the eyes.

That's what they told us when they did this at my ds school. They did identification cards with fingerprints on them. These were not for school, but rather for an id at home in case something would ever happen.

 

[Lew]

...you just need to get him to sign a paper saying he approves of getting the passport for DS and then get that note notarized...

It's not just a note, it's a government form: Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 14: DS-3053.

You can download the form here: http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds3053/ds3053_846.html

 

[jodifla]

Like I said -- another huge government hassle. And I have to pull my kid out of school for this? And find a notary if DH can't join us?

And I think the "no smiling" thing is an urban myth. Like I said, I'm smiling away on my passport.

 

[tvguy]

Check around for the hours of the passport office, ours was open on Saturday.....(of course, I got called in on overtime to work that day, but managed to get there before they closed)

Don't know what the law is, by we're all smiling in our photos and they were accepted.

 

[sandiegosusie]

Our travel agent told us we all needed them for the Bahamas...we are going to go ahead and get them. The price will only increase by 2008!

 

[Joeski71]

It looks like we are off te hook for 2006.

"travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2626.html"

The first date is now 12/31/2006. I am hoping that I will not have to layout 400.00 for my family of four to go on our cruise on 3/4/06.

 

[musicgirl]

Yes, it is officially on the govt. site!!!!

 

[Nik's Mom]

Here's a direct link.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html

"When will the Travel Initiative be implemented?

In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:

December 31, 2006 – Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
December 31, 2007 – Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.
I thought there was an additional phase to be implemented on December 31, 2005. Is this a change?

In April 2005, the Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed plan to be implemented in three phases beginning on December 31, 2005 for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. After further review and considering the delay in publishing the public notice in the Federal Register, DOS and DHS recognized that implementing the December 31, 2005, phase would be problematic for travelers during the upcoming winter tourism season. This change will simplify the implementation and provide a longer lead-time for travelers to come into compliance with the requirements."

 

[krdisneybound]

In 2008 my passport expires - will have to renew it then - by that time, the price will probably be even higher. Ugh!!!