
The Migration Service has highlighted that social media advice encouraging the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for passport photo editing could result in the outright rejection of passport applications.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs reiterated that altered photographs might be deemed unacceptable for official documents. The Migration Service`s official Telegram channel drew attention to a growing trend on social media where individuals share tips on using AI to enhance passport photos. The service cautioned that improperly prepared photos could lead to a refusal to issue the document, with application fees being non-refundable. Concerns could extend beyond AI-based enhancements to include even basic Photoshop manipulations.
Mikhail Maklakov
Director of «Wow!Passport» photo studio network
«Even a photo taken with a phone is no longer just a photograph. Essentially, it`s an image that a neural network has processed and redrawn. When a photo transfers from a camera`s sensor to your computer or phone, it already undergoes several stages of processing – it`s retouched. Sometimes questions arise, and photos are rejected. But, what`s most amusing in our practice, from our studios, is that we`ve had photos returned that were rejected even without any retouching at all. It`s possible that people are simply unaccustomed to seeing good, high-quality lighting in photographs, and they perceive it as something artificial or drawn.»
Over the past eight months, the Migration Service reported approximately 4,000 instances where Russian citizens were denied passport issuance or replacement for various reasons.