A passenger has shared how cosmetic surgery on their face led to an unexpected situation as they no longer resemble their passport photo.
Tomi Grainger took to social media platform TikTok to reveal how their trip to Japan was interrupted as security staff didn’t think they were the same person in the passport photograph.
Tomi explains: “Then it dawns on me: I no longer look like the person in that picture because I’ve had so much plastic surgery.”
To prove how much had changed since the passport was issued, they shared their photo of their 21-year-old self that was used for the document.
Tomi said they were finally allowed through only after explaining that they had recently had a facelift.
The Australian said that they’ll feel anxious every time they go through border control with their current document.
This is not the first time someone has been stopped by airport security for not looking like their passport photo. Earlier this year, a Ukrainian actress and model was stopped from entering Malaysia because her face looked so different to her passport photo without makeup.
Rules regarding passport photos vary around the world. UK passport holders must renew theirs if their appearances changes so much that “cannot be recognised from your passport photo any more” – with plastic surgery given as an example on the UK government website.
However, there’s no need to order a new one if you “change your appearance slightly – for example, dye your hair or grow a beard”.
