NEW YEAR, NEW PASSPORT PHOTO RULES!

NEW YEAR, NEW PASSPORT PHOTO RULES! - For the third year in a row, the former UK Passport Office (Now the Identity and Passport Service), is renewing efforts to enforce its 'new' standards for passport photos. The latest change for 2008 is strict refusal of photos taken against a white background. The new regulations have always stated that passport photos should be taken against an off-white, or 5% - 10% grey, background (a 'digital grey background'), but this regulation was not enforced. A survey of pharmacies and photo labs by the www.photomart.co.uk field sales team has revealed that very few of these outlets are aware of the 'new' background requirement. (Let's hope more studios are!) On the plus side - and contrary to out-of-date documents on the IPS website - the service will not be enforcing its prohibition on backprinting anymore. Backprinted passport photos will be accepted as long as they are shot against a digital grey background and scan acceptably on the service's (unspecified) equipment.