No Photoshopped Passport Photos

The Ministry of the Interior is fine-tuning new regulations for passports and passport photos, including a ban on any image manipulation of any kind.

RÚV reports that the length of passport validity will be extended from five years to ten, in accordance to changes made in the law in 2012. In addition, any kind of headwear will be forbidden in passport photos, unless said headwear must be worn for medical or religious reasons.

The biggest change to the new regulations on passport photos regards the use of Photoshop or other image manipulation software. The ministry says that people may continue to bring their photos to the county seat (sýslumaðurinn) for making their passports, but the ministry will no longer accept photos that have been altered in any way.

The ministry points out that people will sometimes digitally alter the passport photos to look younger than they are, or to cover up birthmarks, blemishes, wrinkles or scars. This will no longer be allowed, and digitally-altered passport photos will no longer be accepted.