UK Passport photo: no smiling allowed?

It's to do with computerized image recognition. EDIT ------ When you smile, your facial features are slightly distorted, makes it difficult for the facial recognition software to do an accurate comparison.

yes thats why no one smiles@ £4.00

They don't want you to smile in any country for a passport photo. They don't care what you look like only that face recognition software will work to measure the face to the photo. We just had ours renewed in Canada and same thing........worse than a mug shot lolol They are not ogres, they are just doing what they are told

I look like a ghost on mine : (. I was ill at the time, and the background of the booth was white, so you can basically see floating ginger hair and two eyes, and a mouth!

Ebeneezer Scrooge runs the passport office

Strictly speaking they can refuse to issue you a passport if you are smiling. Even if one is issued I believe they can refuse to accept it at cutoms as well if you are showing off your whites! Sad but true.

I would think that most people going through airport immigration wouldn't have a silly grin on their face, so a neutral expression in the photo would be the closest likeness to the actual person.

Same here in the netherlands. Head must be straight, both eyes must be well visible, the background must be gray, facial expression must be neutral... Photo booth pictures are simply not allowed as passport photo's here.

I actually asked the same question to a travel agent and an passport official in the UK. No smiling is allowed, there must be a plain white background and you are only allowed to wear a hat if its for religious purposes.