"igov" online passport renewals

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#823494 22-May-2013 12:37

I believe the photo checking parameters for the online system are deliberately set to be "over sensitive", which can cause some photos that might actually be acceptable to be rejected. While this is annoying, the Passport Office probably see it as a more positive customer experience than the reverse, which is where the online system tells you that your photos are OK, but then you receive a letter in the mail four days later telling you that they're not, and you need to submit new ones.

EDIT: Grammar.

Linuxluver

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#823520 22-May-2013 13:27

I went to the Post Shop at Westfield mall in Albany this morning and they took one photo and emailed it to me.

The Passport Renewal process accepted this image first time, no issues.

To be fair to the people who took the photo the previous day this time I made a face I would best describe as resembling a very surprised Muppet who just drank 5 red Bulls.

It worked. My eyes were visible.

(EDIT: Correcting the name of the Mall).

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bazzer

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#823540 22-May-2013 13:50

As long as you're happy to make the same face each time you go through the airport!

Linuxluver

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#823565 22-May-2013 14:34

bazzer: As long as you're happy to make the same face each time you go through the airport!

LOL!

I may be happy enough...not sure about the Immigration / Customs staff. :-)

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mattwnz

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#823566 22-May-2013 14:43

No wonder these places charge so much.$20-$35 just for a digital photo, they possibly have many people going back all the time, which is only going to increase prices.

Handle9

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#823567 22-May-2013 14:43

I submitted my renewal yesterday. It took about 4 tries to get the photo right as the light in my house isn't the greatest for taking photos, but we got it sorted.

I just received an email saying that my passport has been dispatched. Next day turn around is very impressive!

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bazzer

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#823656 22-May-2013 17:18

Linuxluver:
bazzer: As long as you're happy to make the same face each time you go through the airport!

LOL!

I may be happy enough...not sure about the Immigration / Customs staff. :-)

I was thinking more about using the automatic lanes. It might find it difficult to match your face to the picture if you have to pull a funny face each time, that's all. Then you'll have to go through the manual lanes.

profrink

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#823713 22-May-2013 19:07

Find a NZPost location that does passport photos. They are setup with guidance from the Passport Office and should take an acceptable photo the first time. I wouldn't continue to pay places for photos that don't meet the requirements, it's fairly simple.

If you're doing it at home, make sure you're well lit, plain background with minimal shadow and you should be fine.

There is still a human element at a certain stage with the photo portion of the online submission. It's a lot tricker process behind the scenes than most people realise.

lchiu7

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#823727 22-May-2013 19:33

When I did mine the system with a photo I had taken at home, the system accepted the photo and then I got an e-mail later saying flash reflection in the glasses was not acceptable.

Rather than try to take another one, I just removed the flash reflection with Photoshop, sent it back and it was fine.

I had a different issue with my wife's. She couldn't do it online because her passport has name endorsements in it. So I trekked down to DIA which is about a ten minute walk from my office. They accepted the first lot of photos I took (which I had taken myself and printed off at Noel Leemings for 10c!) but then then received a letter 5 days later saying the image was too large! You would think they would tell you that in the passport office. So I just adjusted the image in Photoshop again, reprinted at Noel Leemings and this time it was fine.

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profrink

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#823771 22-May-2013 20:48

lchiu7: ...but then then received a letter 5 days later saying the image was too large! You would think they would tell you that in the passport office...

That's a bummer. If you have submitted an application via a person at the public counter, they aren't actually involved with the acceptance or rejection quality process of the application photos. So they can't (and shouldn't) tell you whether it will be accepted or not.

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#823772 22-May-2013 20:49

Gooseybhai: ... walked out of Hawaii without anyone checking my passport ...

Did you enter the USA using "Visa free" and get the green tear-off tag stapled into your passport? If so, did you have that tag removed by USA immigration on exit? If not, if you don't do something about it you may have trouble re-entering the USA because of not being recorded as leaving the USA!

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lchiu7

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#823820 22-May-2013 21:40

profrink:
lchiu7: ...but then then received a letter 5 days later saying the image was too large! You would think they would tell you that in the passport office...

That's a bummer. If you have submitted an application via a person at the public counter, they aren't actually involved with the acceptance or rejection quality process of the application photos. So they can't (and shouldn't) tell you whether it will be accepted or not.

This is the DIA main passport office. They are not just receivers - they check the application before taking your money. That was what was annoying.

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Linuxluver

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#823831 22-May-2013 21:57

bazzer:
Linuxluver:
bazzer: As long as you're happy to make the same face each time you go through the airport!

LOL!

I may be happy enough...not sure about the Immigration / Customs staff. :-)

I was thinking more about using the automatic lanes. It might find it difficult to match your face to the picture if you have to pull a funny face each time, that's all. Then you'll have to go through the manual lanes.

I always have to go through the manual lanes anyway as they know I have two passports. This was explained to me the last time I entered the country back in November. I leave NZ on a Kiwi passport and enter Canada on a Canadian passport....and then return to NZ on a kiwi passport.

This (apparent) discontinuity raises a flag...and you're then handled manually.

The last trip was interesting as they knew I had a Canadian passport.....but didn't know it had expired the previous March...which meant the only valid passport I had for THAT trip was my Kiwi passport. So their information is inaccurate because it is out of date....and they don't know it.

Bear that in mind if they ever ask you anything.

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profrink

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#823843 22-May-2013 22:22

lchiu7:
profrink:
lchiu7: ...but then then received a letter 5 days later saying the image was too large! You would think they would tell you that in the passport office...

That's a bummer. If you have submitted an application via a person at the public counter, they aren't actually involved with the acceptance or rejection quality process of the application photos. So they can't (and shouldn't) tell you whether it will be accepted or not.

This is the DIA main passport office. They are not just receivers - they check the application before taking your money. That was what was annoying.

As I said - the people at the counter aren't actually the people who decide whether the quality of your photo is good enough or not, that happens a few steps further down the process.

Acceptance of an application submission doesn't mean acceptance of the information or content provided. They simply check you have filled everything out correctly and that the photo roughly meets the advertised guidelines. Essentially that you coloured within the lines. There are a fair few processes carried out before your application gets anywhere near the stage where your photos are assessed.

This sort of confusion is exactly why counter staff were to refrain from commenting or giving advise that is not already provided in the application instructions, because the final say is with passport officers further down the process.

If you think your photo is of acceptable quality, I'm pretty sure you can ask them to submit the application for review anyway, even if they have said otherwise. Don't quote me on that, but I know enough about the systems process that they can not tell you there and then whether or not anything to do with your application will be accepted.

andrew027

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#824550 24-May-2013 09:10

profrink: I know enough about the systems process that they can not tell you there and then whether or not anything to do with your application will be accepted.

You are correct - DIA counter staff are not Passport Officers. They are only able to tell you whether you have completed the form correctly, not whether the data you have entered is correct or whether the application, including the photographs, can be accepted and a passport issued. There is a lot of checking that goes on in the background to verify you are who you say you are and that you are entitled to a passport, including biometrically matching the photograph you supply against your previous passport photo (if your application is a renewal).

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