Applying for a new passport might seem like a fairly straightforward undertaking, but even small errors can delay the process and potentially derail your travel plans.
“Mistakes can force people to cancel their vacations and trips because they didn’t receive their passport back in time, losing people money and precious time,” David Alwadish, the founder and CEO of the passport and visa concierge service ItsEasy.com, told HuffPost. “Time is of the essence and of utmost importance when it comes to applying for a renewed passport. But these errors could result in a ‘suspense,’ adding three to four weeks to the government-quoted processing time frames.”
To help people avoid extra processing time and additional procedural hassles, we asked experts to share the classic mistakes that delay passport applications and issuances.
“By learning about these common errors, people can prevent these mistakes and receive their renewed passports as quickly as possible,” Alwadish noted.
Applying With Noncompliant Photos
“Not all passport photos are accepted,” Alwadish said. “Per the Department of State, the No. 1 reason passport applications are suspended or put on hold is noncompliant photos. Just because a store, pharmacy or facility sells passport photos does not mean their employee took a qualifying photo that meets the government’s standards.”
The State Department website provides a list of guidelines for acceptable passport photos, including the requirement that the subject look straight ahead and directly face the camera. The head must be centered and not too large or small, and the photo shouldn’t be of poor quality, with blurriness, graininess, overexposure, etc.
Other guidelines pertain to eyeglasses, head coverings, filters and facial expressions. It’s important to keep your expression neutral in your passport photo.
“A common mistake people make is smiling wide and proud in their passport photos,” said travel expert Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for the travel site Going. “Smiling in a passport photo can delay the application process or renewal. If the State Department deems the photo is too exaggerated, this can delay getting your passport in hand and potentially mean submitting another photo.”
Submitting An Application Fee Check With Issues
“Another mistake would involve issues with the check,” Alwadish said. “Maybe the check provided by the applicant was for an incorrect amount based on the government fees required.”