I recently got my New York State driver's license renewed at the fantastic Utica DMV located inside breathtaking Union Station. I also applied for and received from the U.S. Department of State my renewed passport and passport card (pictured above), which is similar to the enhanced license now available. We will all need at least one of these updated forms of ID by October 2020.

I should be all set now, HOWEVER...my photos may not be in compliance with the law. According to FastCompany.com, the government has a new interest in facial recognition technology, which works best on photos with minimal facial expression. This is leading to new rules at local DMVs, county clerk's offices and other governmental outlets:

No smiling for official photos.

Oops. Both my passport card (above) and my updated New York State driver's license card feature me smiling like I just won Mega Millions.

To be fair, I was not told to remain expressionless when my pictures were snapped. And both IDs were approved at various levels of processing.

Do you think I'm in for some travel troubles in the future? Are you in compliance?

 

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