The Unexpected Challenges of Passport Photos: My Story

Who here likes to take passport photos? Raise your hand. For me, I don’t like them because I look completely different without glasses and without smiling—I look too serious. But in life, we need passport photos, right? For serious purposes, of course, like for IDs, visas, or driving licenses.

I have a big procrastination issue when it comes to going to the photo studio for passport photos. However, this discomfort was reduced when I went to a photo studio near my house in Vietnam. The photographer there is extremely good at making me look less serious.

I have been living in Germany for five years now, and every year I go back to Vietnam to visit my family. Visiting the photo studio is always on the agenda. Generally, I take photos in the German passport standard size of 35*45mm, and it works quite well. I have used this size twice for applying for my driving licenses in Germany. Why twice? You’ll find out later.

Earlier this year, I got an invitation from my German colleague to his wedding in China. I was so excited that I booked the flight right away. Just last week, I started preparing for the Chinese visa application and, to my surprise, found out that the photo requirements are 33*48mm. What??? My current passport photos—taken 10,000 miles away in Vietnam—are 2mm too long on one side and 3mm too short on the other. What do I do now? Should I test the Chinese Embassy with my German passport photo or take a new one?

After careful consideration, I decided to take a new photo. Since I needed to travel a long way from home to Frankfurt for the visa application, it wasn’t worth the risk. I went to a photo studio near my house in Germany yesterday. The photographer was a fun lady, and we laughed a lot, making the photo-taking process smooth. She asked what the photo was for, and I said, “For a Chinese visa.” She got it immediately. I showed her the photo requirements for the Chinese visa, but she didn’t need to look for long. When I got the photo, the first thing I did at home was measure the size. Woah, exactly 33*48mm—not a single tiny gap. Not bad!

Now, if you’re wondering about the cost: I generally pay 25,000 Vietnamese Dong (1 Euro) for a 4-pass photo in Vietnam. Yesterday, I paid 35 Euros—35 times more. My heart broke for a moment, but then I reminded myself, I earn here, so I pay here.

Now, back to the “two times” I mentioned earlier about applying for my driving license. One time, my colleagues asked me during lunch how my driving lessons were going. I answered, “Really bad.” They were surprised and asked if I hadn’t passed the driving theory exam. I said, “Even worse. I passed the theory exam, but because my practical driving took so long, it’s now more than a year after the theory exam date, and I need to redo my theory exam!” My colleague said, “I’m sorry to hear that, it’s bad.” I responded, “No worries, for me, it’s just another story to tell!”