Featured Image Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images/BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Travel, Life Hacks, Social Media, TikTok
Kya Buller
Topics: Travel, Life Hacks, Social Media, TikTok
Travellers are being urged to bear something very important in mind when it comes to passports - or there could be even more chaos than usual at the security gates.
We all know the pain of growing up with a quite clearly horrifying photo on our passports, so when the day finally comes that we're due for a renewal, it's normal to put a bit of effort in.
After all, that picture is going to be staring back at you for 10 years.
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But it seems some people have been taking the photo booth experience a little bit too seriously, with humiliating results to match.
Amelia Marni, an influencer, recently posted a viral video captioned: "POV: U want that hot passport pic", followed by "we won't stop at nothin."
It shows the creator stood in front of an all-white backdrop as she uses a portable light to accentuate her features, in a full face of glam makeup.
People's passport picture wins regularly go viral on TikTok, with some users even making entire videos dedicated to 'passport makeup'.
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But it seems a few people who have taken the advice have run into some difficulties when trying to get into the countries they've travelled to.
Another TikToker, Beth Gould, shared her experience of being 'humbled' in Taiwan.
She said: "The machine said my passport photo didn't look like me, so I had to go to the desk and get my identification verified.
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"Basically, I don't look like my passport photo."
People flooded the comments with their thoughts, while some shared similar stories.
One person wrote: "I hated my passport photo one time. The lady at the desk at the passport office said that your passport picture should look like you need a vacation!"
Another said: "I look scared in my passport photo", to which Beth responded: "I'm scared OF my passport photo if that helps."
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And someone else added: "Girl don’t worry, this happens to me every time. I’ll never do passport makeup again because I defo don’t look like that after a holiday."
Gemma Brown, Head of Product at Travel Republic, told the Manchester Evening News: "It's important to remember that the reason for a passport photo is to provide a clear and accurate visual identification of you.
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"Most people do feel embarrassed of their ID images, however, they are a security measure to help prevent fraud, keep borders safe and ensure easy recognition of travellers identity.
"Therefore, if you overly-enhance your look when taking your photo, you can actually slow down the process of verification checks at the airport because you look too different in person from the photo at hand."