What happens if my US passport photo is rejected?  

Thank you so much for telling me your mom's experience, I have been so worried lately about all of this. I have until December to get my passport, but if it was all sent back and I had to restart I would be afraid that I would never get to leave the country. How much of a delay did it make when she had to send new ones? I have taken two different sets of photos, Walmart took a pair, and I noticed that there were shadows in the back, so without wanting to take the risk I went to Wegmans, and the woman tilted the camera a little so now my head looks slightly tilted, I may risk it with these. I'm about to go back to walmart though and have them retake them for free!

Hey, it's natural to be worried. But as long as you fill out everything, check it over a time or two before sending it off, you should be fine.

There wasn't much of a delay. When she called, she was told that her application was ready but was on hold because of the photos. They also told her that as soon as they get the photos, they would finish it and it would be good to go. I can't remember exactly how long it took but it came back before we expected it.

One of the nice things is that you can check the status of your passport online. It gave us a new date for hers and we got it probably at least a week before that date. And if there is a problem, it will give some kind of message on the website and they'll also send you a letter. Then you can fix whatever it is you need.

I don't think it's a bad idea to go back to Walmart, especially with shadows in the background. They better not charge you again! ;)

BTW...here's the website that tells you everything you needed to know and can check the status. It really helped us out a lot.

http://travel.state.gov/p...

Good luck!