A man’s travel plans were delayed after discovering that his passport photo was rejected, causing a two-month delay in his application.
A 53-year-old man from Singapore, identified as Zhuang, had his holiday plans derailed after discovering that his passport renewal application was delayed for nearly two months due to a rejected photo. Zhuang had planned a trip with his wife for June 24 and submitted his passport renewal application in April 2022, two months prior to their intended departure.
To begin the process, Zhuang had his photo taken at a shop in Bedok Central, then sought assistance from a staff member at the community club to submit his application online. However, after waiting almost two months for updates, he received no communication about his passport. Concerned, he visited the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to inquire about the delay, only to be informed that his submitted photo had been rejected for not meeting the requirements.
It was later revealed that the lack of updates was due to Zhuang not having the Singpass mobile app, which would have notified him of the issue. “I didn’t download the app before, so I missed the message,” he explained. As a result, his passport could not be processed in time for his trip, and he was advised to resubmit the application with a new photo.
Zhuang had to wait an additional month for his new passport to be processed, causing his travel plans to be postponed. According to the ICA, the average waiting time for passport applications is currently at least six weeks, which can be longer during peak periods or when application issues arise, such as rejected photos.
The ICA clarified that passport photo requirements adhere to international standards, including the guidelines of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Photos may be rejected if they do not meet specific criteria, such as an inappropriate background, mirrored images, or poor lighting, which Zhuang’s initial submission failed to meet.
