If you don’t like the way you look in glasses, the State Department is going to help you out.
Starting November 1, those taking pictures for US passports and visas will be required to remove their glasses for the photo.
The State Department says this is to help take away shadows or glares that tend to cause delays in the processing passport and visa applications. The goal is to have more consistency in photo standards.
Pictures with glasses in current passports and visas are fine until they expire.
According to the State Department, more than 200,000 passport customers submitted noncompliant photos last year, which caused a delay in the processing of applications. The department says the most common problem was glasses, which caused the applicant to not be clearly identified. In 2017, State expects more than 20 million passport applications — a record high.
But there are rare exceptions: If applicants have a medical necessity to wear glasses in their photos, they can do so as long as they have a doctor’s note.
