You may think that the only time you need to update your passport picture is when your passport has expired, but that’s not the case. Since the only thing that proves your passport belongs to you is your picture inside it, it’s important that this picture actually resembles you. It’s for this reason that the government requires you to update your passport photo when you’ve undergone significant changes to your appearance.
So what counts as a significant change in appearance?
1. You’ve undergone significant facial surgery or have experienced a serious trauma that has affected your face. This may include plastic surgery, or trauma caused by a fire or other type of accident.
2. You’ve added or removed significant facial tattoos or piercings that take up a large portion of your face. Something small like a single nose ring doesn’t count, but use your best judgment to determine if it’s something that is obscuring your facial features in any way.
3. You’ve gained or lost a significant amount of weight. Again, use your best judgment – this really only applies if the weight gain or loss has a significant impact on the appearance of your face as seen in the photo.
4. You’ve made a gender transition.
In case you’re still confused about what constitutes a significant change in appearance, here are a few examples of appearance changes that do not require you to update your passport photo:
1. Growing or shaving off facial hair like a beard or a mustache counts as a minor change, so you don’t need a new photo.
2. Coloring, cutting or in any way changing your hair style also doesn’t count, because it does not significantly affect your facial features.
3. The normal growth of a baby or young child happens very quickly in a short amount of time, so you are not required to apply for a new passport for that reason while your child is under the age of 16. Instead, you can continue to use the same baby passport photo or child passport photo throughout the duration of that time (barring any of the other significant appearance changes listed above).
