My Passport Photo Was Rejected THREE Times… Here’s the Real (and Embarrassing) Story 📸😭

I’ve had my passport photo rejected **three times in a row**. Not once. Not twice. Three. Each time I walked out of the photo studio thinking “This is it. This time I nailed it.” Each time the immigration officer looked at the picture like I had personally offended them.

Let me tell you the whole humiliating journey so you can avoid wasting $30–50 and 2–3 weeks like I did.

Attempt #1 – “The Instagram Model”

I took the photo at home with my phone. Ring light, good angle, slight smile, perfect hair. I even used one of those passport-photo apps that crops it automatically.

Result? Rejected in 30 seconds.

The reason (written on the tiny rejection slip):

“Background not plain white. Shadows visible behind head. Facial expression too strong (smiling with teeth showing).”

I was smiling the way normal humans smile when they take a selfie. Apparently for passport photos you’re supposed to look like you just heard your tax audit started.

Attempt #2 – “Okay… Serious Face + Photoshop Glow-up”

This time I went to a proper photo studio. Paid 25,000 KRW. The guy had the official white background, lights everywhere, the whole setup.

I thought: “Now it’s perfect.”

Rejected again. This time the comment was even more savage:

“Digital alteration detected. Skin smoothing applied. Biometric data compromised.”

I had literally just asked the guy “Can you make my skin look a bit nicer?” …and he did. Turns out many cheap studios quietly run a light skin-smoothing filter. The new biometric scanners catch it instantly. Never ever let anyone “touch up” your face even 1%.

Attempt #3 – “The Final Boss” (I Almost Cried at the Counter)

Third time I did everything by the book.

• Official passport studio in a government-approved building
• Pure matte white background (no shadows allowed)
• Black round-neck T-shirt (because white shirt + white background = floating head effect — yes, that’s a real rejection reason)
• No glasses
• No makeup at all
• Neutral expression — mouth completely closed, no “smiling eyes”, no nothing
• Hair pulled back so both ears are clearly visible
• Bangs not covering even 1 mm of eyebrow

I looked like a very bored NPC in a video game. I handed it over proudly.

The officer stared at the photo. Then at me. Then back at the photo. Five seconds of pure silence.

Then he said very calmly:

“Sir… your bangs are still covering approximately 2% of the left eyebrow. We need the entire eyebrow visible. Next.”

I almost screamed. I had to go back to the studio next door, pay another 10,000 KRW just to have them cut my bangs 3 mm higher with scissors right there in the waiting area.

What I Learned (So You Don’t Have to Suffer Like Me)

Common Mistake	Why It Gets Rejected	Fix
Any kind of smile (even “smiling eyes”)	Changes facial measurements	Completely deadpan face
White shirt + white background	System can’t separate head from background	Dark / black / navy top
Even very light skin smoothing app or studio filter	Biometric scanner flags digital alteration	Zero retouching allowed
Bangs / hair touching eyebrow at all	Must see full eyebrow shape	Pull hair back or pin it
Shadows anywhere	Old-school photo studios with bad lighting	Only go to places that advertise “ICAO / biometric compliant”

Final Photo Cost Me

• Attempt 1: free (selfie) → wasted time
• Attempt 2: ₩25,000
• Attempt 3: ₩25,000 + ₩10,000 emergency bang trim
• Total humiliation + money spent: ≈ ₩60,000 + three separate trips

Moral of the story?

Passport photos are not for looking good. They are for looking like a criminal who’s very bored of being a criminal.

Save yourself the pain. Go straight to a proper biometric passport studio, wear black, show your ears, kill your smile, and bribe your bangs to stay far away from your eyebrows.

And if it still gets rejected… I’ll be here crying with you in the comments.

Anyone else have a passport photo horror story? Tell me I’m not alone 😭