400 passport photos a day are rejected

About 400 passport photos have been rejected every day since strict guidelines were introduced a month ago.

Internal Affairs said the number of rejections was falling as people became aware of the criteria introduced on June 1, but at its height the department was throwing back 30 per cent of shots submitted.

Internal Affairs issues about 400,000 passports a year.

The guidelines include precise measurements for the head position, lighting and acceptable facial expressions so passports can be read by facial recognition technology at border controls.

Customers had their mugshots returned because they were smiling, their head position was slightly off, or they had their mouth open.

The Green Party yesterday called for the passport office to "lighten up" and accused the Government of introducing new requirements to suit America's immigration regime.

Spokesman Keith Locke said most people arriving in New Zealand had a smile on their face, "and there is nothing wrong with having passport photos to match".

Photographers told the Herald that customers were returning reject shots. They also had difficulty with strict rules around baby photos.

A baby cannot be photographed crying, or with its eyes closed or looking away from the camera.

The child cannot have its mouth open, have its hands obscuring the mouth or be sucking on a dummy.