17 May 2023 , 11:02
1189
0
A passenger who had recently had plastic surgery was stopped by airport security who couldn't believe they were the same person pictured in their passport photo.
Tomi Grainger, who describes themselves as “Australia’s craziest drag queen”, was travelling to Tokyo from Sydney International Airport when they were detained at passport control.
The drag performer had been using the passport for the past eight years without any issues, but on this trip security workers were less convinced, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Tomi was taken to one side and questioned about the travel document by the border guards, who asked if they were the same person as the picture on the passport.
“Then it dawns on me: I no longer look like the person in that picture because I’ve had so much plastic surgery,” the drag queen said in the TikTok video.
Influencer who encouraged followers to battle obesity dies after gastric surgery
To prove how much had changed since the passport was issued, Tomi showed a photo of their 21-year-old self that was used for the document.
Tomi later told News.com.au that the situation was "funny" but also "super nerve-racking at the same time".
"I’ve been through the airport many times and never had an issue like that. My heart was racing, I thought I might miss my flight. That would have been a nightmare.”
Eventually Tomi was allowed through the gate after telling the border guards that they'd recently had a facelift which explained why the photo looked so different.
“I think it’s about time I change my passport,” Grainger quipped.
A similar situation unfolded earlier this year when a model was blocked from entering a country because she looked so different from her passport photo.
Tatiana Lin, a Ukrainian actress and model based in Taiwan, has said she was stopped by border control as she looked too different to the snap without her makeup on.
Tatiana Lin said she was stopped by border force (@_tatiana_lin/Instagram)
The model was stopped because she didn’t look like her passport photo without make-up (@_tatiana_lin/Instagram)The model – who posts all about her travels on Instagram @_tatiana_lin – was in Malaysia with her boyfriend when the mix up happened. She claims that her passport photo shows her wearing some cosmetics but she was bare-faced when she turned up at the airport, Mothership reported.
Tatiana posted on Instagram in traditional Chinese and explained that customs originally denied her entry because she didn't look like the photo on her passport - although she admitted she did think the snap was "a little different".
Makeup can affect your ability to enter a number of countries as it may cause Artificial Intelligence scanners to not recognise your facial features as a match with your passport.
Inside the $60K Grammys 2023 guest gift bags - including lipo vouchers
Brits are allowed to wear makeup in their passport photos, however it may be rejected if the cosmetics drastically alter how you look. Make up is fine so long as you look natural and not too dissimilar from how you look without it.
In the UK, Brits are now able to submit passport photos digitally. The gov.uk website states: “You must get a new photo when you get a new passport, even if your appearance has not changed.