Big Mo

I look very different than my passport photo, especially my beard.

Never even got a comment on it.

kuroneko

From day 1 my PP photo never resembled me at all. The photo was taken at a bad, wide-angle and makes my face look rounder and fatter than it is, but I was in a hurry at the time and just needed a photo to get the PP.

Friends tell me I look nothing like the photo.

Sometimes I am asked about this at immigration, (most of the time, they ask if I've lost weight) but other than a few perfunctory questions like this, I've never had any problems. I'd say 95% of the time no one even takes a second look.

GUWonder

It might get a comment or a few more questions, but it's unlikely to cause any serious problem even for those travelling internationally a lot.

JimJ321

Ive put on a lot of weight and look nothing like my id. No one questions me, but as long as you look "normal" (with or without facial hair) then you should have no problem. It is you after all.

sinanju

I lost 40 pounds since my last passport photo... and a little more hair.

Nobody notices. Would it kill them to say, "Gee, Mr. Sinanju... good job dropping the weight"?

ladiflier

My Drivers license had a bad picture. Horrible actually. It was from the big glasses, big hair era (pictures were saved at DMV and used on renewals). Since then I've become much more updated in style. Well I started traveling a lot domestically and I used to get a ton of comments. They used to just flat out laugh and say "my, you've improved with age!". Was funny until I was traveling with my boss and he wanted to see what they were laughing at. Went to DMV that week and insisted on a new picture.

exerda

I have gotten occasional comments on some ID photos which don't look as much like me as they should (my passport is OK; my DL photo looks much younger, as does an ATM card photo taken several years after my passport photo, of all things).

Never any problems, though. Just the occasional, "Were you in high school when this was taken?" and the like (and no, I wasn't, either--oldest of those photos is my passport, which was taken the year I graduated from college).

Pit

I've added facial hair and aged 8 years since my pp photo was taken. Looks nothing like me (IMO), but I've not had any problems.

Phineas Q Butterfat

So here is an odd question I'm hoping the FT community can help me with.

In January, my wife and I made a deal with my son-if he continued to achieve a 4.0 grade average in 6th grade through the end of school, we would let him temporarily dye his hair fluorescent green for our trip to Mexico over Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, he achieved his end of the deal, and graduated 6th grade with a 4.1 GPA (still unsure how he got the .1 grade point, but that's a separate discussion for a different forum).

My concern is this-his passport photo is that of a brow- haired, smiling 12 year old, not that of a 12 year old with hair coloring resembling a safety barricade on a construction site. While I'm more than happy to simply play the role of the parent and say 'nope-pick another time', we did have a deal. I'm just worried getting turned away by either the <redacted by moderator> members at the TSA checkpoint of the airport, or worse, Customs and Immigration in Cancun, due to his passport not matching the individual in front of them.

Am i being overly worried?

To my son's credit, and after explaining my concerns, he understood completely and is fine with whatever decision is made (not that he'd have a choice, but this isn't a matter of 'YOU PROMISED, DAD!!!').

Thanks in advance.

drminn

Don't worry. If hair color was something that they rejected people for neither Mrs drminn nor any of her friends would be able to cross any international border.

84fiero

Absolutely will not be a problem. When our daughter was a teenager traveling with us worldwide her hair was various colors, including bright pink, fluorescent blue, neon green, etc. No one at any immigration office ever blinked an eye.

In fact her hair was partially dyed bright blue when she needed her passport renewed. Concerned whether it would be OK for the photo, the passport agent at the post office called the State Department to confirm that wouldn't be a problem for the passport photo itself, and it wasn't. The next trip with her using the new passport (to CUN in fact), her hair was actually back closer to her natural sandy blonde color and her passport photo had the blue hair - again, no problems.

WorldLux

It won't be a problem as long as the picture still resembles the real one.

beckoa

Welcome to Flyertalk @Phineas Q Butterfat.

Please follow the redirect as we move your post.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

Often1

Hair color changes all the time for lots of people. It won't be a problem. If it makes you feel any better, bring along a "before" picture.

At worst, your son will get a bit of a stare and an extra glance.

Phineas Q Butterfat

Usually I'm the one causing the stares and extra glances. It'll be pleasant to have another person in our party be the center of attention.

Thanks for all of the answers and helpful advice.