When dealing with government agencies, there’s always an element of time and uncertainty. Did you bring the right paperwork? Did you fill it out correctly? And …. do you have ears?
One woman recently learned that when it comes to passports, every little detail matters. Not For The Streets (@justaboutavg) was trying to make it to Australia from Chicago when she got caught in a bizarre bureaucratic situation.
Not For The Streets, whose bio says she’s a dual citizen of the United States and Australia, explains that when she went to renew her passport, the photo wasn’t right. “He [the clerk] looks at my photo and says, ‘Oh no, this isn’t gonna work, your hair is down and you need to have your hair up, and out of your face for your photo.'”
She was stressed because her international trip was coming up soon, so she needed her passport quickly. Then the clerk offered a solution: “We do have a blank wall here, we’ll just take your photo,” he said.
Simple.
Wrong.
He took her photo, but wasn’t happy with it. And since Not For The Streets didn’t have a hair tie with her she was trying to knot/balance her long hair on top of her head. Meanwhile, the clerk kept taking her photo: standing up, standing back, and he kept being unhappy with the results. Then, after about an hour, he called his supervisor over.
The two spent some time fiddling with the camera and the image. Finally, Not For The Street heard the supervisor say, “We’ll just have her sign an affidavit.” She was happy to do so, even though she wasn’t sure what it was for. Then they explained.
“It was an affidavit saying I had ears,” she says, laughing.
The problem? Not For The Streets has a round face. Even in the her TikTok, which has been viewed over 607,000 times, neither of her ears—or any portion of them—are visible. But for an official Australian passport, it seems it is required information.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t the only one signing papers attesting to things that are arguably visible to the naked eye. People in the comments shared similar experiences
“I had to sign an affidavit that I was as white as depicted in my passport and it wasn’t poor lighting,” said Jademargaret4.
Elizabethdi0r had the opposite(ish) problem. “I once had a passport photo rejected for being ‘washed out.’ I had to go to a ServiceCanada location to prove that I was just pale and the photo was an accurate representation of my skin tone.”
A fellow Aussie weighed in with a joke, writing, “We take ears very seriously here in Australia. What if you’re actually a koala or kangaroo in disguise? Both have very distinct ears so can’t be too careful.”
Passports in various forms have existed for thousands of years, ABC News reports. There’s even a mention in a passage in the Bible where Nehemiah requested a travel permit from the king. In the Bible, he’s credited with rebuilding Jerusalem after the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar attacked the city (circa 500 B.C.E.).
According to ABC News, Australia’s “passports are admired globally for their technological sophistication.” The country’s use of a biometric passports purportedly helps prevent fraud and crime.
Australia developed advanced passport technology using biometric markers to more carefully control instances of identity theft and fraud as a matter of state security. The country was one of the first in the world to put images on passports. Now updates in biometric technology and facial recognition allow cross database searches for individuals applying for and holding an Australian passport. Paired with face comparison algorithms, these programs can spot “anomalies humans would miss.”
In order for the technology to function properly, Australian passport photos have very strict parameters. The photo must be taken on a white background with even studio lighting. Both ears must be visible, and the shoulders as well. Long hair should be pulled back, glasses are not permitted, and the subject should have a neutral facial expression. Religious head coverings are allowed, but the face, chin to hairline needs to be visible. Hearing aides are always allowed. The photo can’t be more than six months old from when the passport is issued.
Australian passports have an embedded biometric chip, which includes a record of your facial geometry. So each time you use the passport, it crosschecks the proportions of your face against the record. The Australian passport is also one of the most expensive in the world. It costs $422 Australian dollars, or about $300 U.S. dollars.
BoardingArea reached out to Not For The Streets via TikTok direct message and with a comment on the post. We will update this if she replies to us.
@justaboutavg I had to sign an affidavit at the embassy saying I had ears… ##australian##noears ♬ original sound – not for the streets
