question

Hi everyone I have a question about passports.  How much weight can you lose before you need a new passport photo?  I am still pre op likely to have surgery in the next 2-3 months and I go on a shopping trip each fall to the states.  Will I need a new photo taken?  My passport expires next year so will need a new one then I don't want to spend the money twice has anyone had trouble getting across and then back into Canada if they use their  "fat" photo?  I have no idea how much weight I will manage to get off but I just thought I want to plan ahead if I might need to get a new pass port.  thanks

I did a quick google search for "Canada Passport changed appearance", and this is what the Passport office says:

Answer

Although it is not mandatory, we do recommend that you obtain a new passport if your appearance has changed substantially, even if your passport is still valid. The intent of the photo is to accurately identify the person presenting his or her passport to border officials and prevent travelers from experiencing difficulties when travelling outside of Canada.

Please note that in order to change your passport photo, you must apply for a new passport and pay the applicable fees.

 

http://www.passport.gc.ca/support/faq.aspx?lang=eng&id=q4005

If you do not have surgery until June or July and go to the states in the fall you will only be about 3 months out. I would wait. At three months you face will have changed but not as much as say 1 year out. It is not cheap to renew your passport so you do not want to have to do too often. Will you be renewing your drivers license? It is at least cheaper

My pass port expires June 2015 i never thought about my licence.  I don't want to do either until I have lost all I will lose.  What does others do?

I was still using my passport. I am 3.5yrs post-op.. The only reason I changed it was because I got married and I had a name change, other wise I would have just renewed it at the time of expiry! 

I was only asked one time to give more ID .. no big deal. 

Don't waste your money getting a new one yet... You'll be ok ;)

Thanks for the reply I do usually take other ID with me anyway I just wasn't sure if they give any trouble at the boarder crossing over, since I will be on a bus I don't want to cause any hold ups.  I think I will just play it by ear and see how much I end up losing I was just kinda wondering I didn't want to leave it right until the last min.    Thanks for all the input everyone. 

 

I took a bus trip when I was 2yrs post-op and everything was fine... at that point, I had lost 115lbs. I had no issues.. when you go, you will be a fresh post-op. I truly don't think you will uave ANY problems. I have friends that still use their paasports and they are 5yrs post-op. They have lost alot of weight and dob't have issues at the border. 

Not Canada-specific, but I am on vacation in the uk from the us. As I was leaving Atlanta, the TSA agent remarked as she looked at my passport, this doesn't look like you. Scared me to death till I realized she was complimenting me. This is 99.4 lbs down.

fingers crossed I can get home again, and have trouble getting from the uk to France and back later this week.

laurie

I hope you get home again gadget_grrl.  Thanks for the feed back I have been worrying about this but now that I know others have used theirs without problems I feel better. I am travelling with the same group I have for the past 4 years so they can vouch that I am who I say I am.  

Years ago I lost 100 lbs. When I went through passport control the agent didn't believe it was me in the photo. She conferred with a colleague who compared me to my passport photo as well and they finally decided to let me back in the country! They suggested I get a new passport though.

As a work around, she mentioned that some people who have undergone "transformations" have whipped out photos of themselves going through their various stages of metamorphosis.

If you're concerned I would suggest you take "passport style", no smile head shot pictures of yourself on your phone pre-surgery and then once a month. If they ask you about the change whip out your phone and show them the progress you've made!