Next QEP and Master QEP session:
November 27-28, 2010 in Brussels

Deadline for entry form
next QEP and MQEP session:
October 31st, 2010

2nd FEP European Congress
February 6th - 8th, 2011
Lyon Convention Centre, France

ID pictures - the situation in Europe

Passport and identity card pictures - a business which we are about to lose...
How the situation is regulated in the different countries

This issue is affecting the professional earnings of many photographers in many countries and certainly needs our attention. The actual or potential loss of this particular business, as the rules and legislations change and bring this kind of job in the hands of civil servants or policemen, is seen as a real threat by many associations and single photographers.
As agreed with the President of the FEP Syndical Cell, Louis Laurent, THIS ITEM WILL BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE NEXT SYNDICAL CELL MEETING, that will take place in Brussels, the day before the GA, aside the QEP SESSION, on Sunday May 17th 2009.
In the meanwhile, following a specific request from the Belgian association, we asked FEP members which is the situation about "passport" pictures in the different countries.
Here are the first answers we got.

Austria

Pictures are still taken only by professional photographers

Belgium

Now pictures are taken by professional photographers but they plan to have it done by Government from june 2009.
The Belgian association started a lobbying action, contacting some Ministers.

Finland

So far professional photographers take the passport and identity card pictures in Finland.
The police is the authority issuing both passports and identity cards.
The Association of Professional Photographers has worked in close co-operation with the police.
They have even organised some training sessions together.
Police has given no indication that this situation would change.
In fact, police has said that taking over the photos would require them to make large investments on equipment and some manpower as well, so they are not interested in that.
Of course, things may change, but right now they are quite confident that Finnish photographers can keep the right to take passport and identity card photos.

France

The French photographers are in the middle of a campaign trying to lobbying with CFP (the association of photo producers and vendors) in order to change the actual system, which implies the usage of a special photo camera by the local town halls employees for the new identity cards. The situation is very complicate, because all town halls in France will be soon requested to install these digital features. The GNPP and Photomaton (photo-cabin distributor) are partners in this action, in fact for both it would mean the end of a business activity.

The Netherlands

Pictures are taken only by professional photographers.

Ireland

Professional photographers in Ireland take the passports and identity card pictures. In Ireland too police are the authority issuing both passports and identity cards
The Irish Professional Photographers Association have worked in co-operation with the police. The police are not interested in setting up their own service for this.
Some years ago the local County Councils were intent in providing this service, but the IPPA discussed this with them and the Councils seem to have dropped the matter.

Malta

Situation in Malta is definitely not good. Most of the ID passports are taken in a Government office and by government officials.
Now there is also the talk of biometric passports so that again will cut off more revenue from photographers’ earnings.
We had tried to lobby with the government but to no avail.

Portugal

So far the association didn’t get anything from the gouvernment. The passport and identity card photos area taken by the government. They wish an help form fellow member associations, and indication for eventual successfull ideas to change this situation.

UK

The situation in the UK is that anyone can take pictures for passports, bus passes, gun and motor licenses and general ID if they conform to the sizes and regulations. Some are done by photographers, but the majority are done in one hour labs etc by the sales staff.

Italy

10 years ago the administration decided to introduce the so called C.I.E. (Electronis Identity Card), a multipurpose document including medical and fiscal uses and valid for circulate in and outside Italy (all EU countries). The sperimentation started in the early 90s and after 10 years is still up only in 350 over 8000 towns.
The different gouvernements who succeeded in Italy in these years, accepted the idea, but never realised it, both for technical and economic reasons.
Formally, it has been claimed that the new system will be up and running as the sole recognised system since 2010. But this decision, as I said, has been postponed year after year.
So we have presently a double regime, and citizens are using and authorities are issuing both traditional paper made document and the new plastic card.
In the first case (which costs about Euros 5,50 plus the picture, offered at 3-5 Euros in an automatic kiosk and 5-10 Euros in a studio) citizens have to bring the picture themselves to the officials, and they are accepted if they fit the international necessary scheme; in the second case, with rare exceptions leave to the willing of the local town administration, the officials made the pictures digitally.
In this case, the document costs to the citizens Euros 20,00 (or 30,00 as previously announced).
We tried to convince the authorities to give every citizen anyway the possibility to bring himself the pictures (both printed or on a file, cd, etc.), but again the dispositions entrust the local authorities to decide about it. In the meanwhile, the actual Government decided to extend up to 10 years for everybody the validity of the national identity card. This already caused a loss in this market of about 50% of the total market revenue. We calculate a loss of about 200 million Euros for the photographers and related market.
We are presently setting up an agreement with AIF (the Italian federation of photographic producers and wholesalers) in order to organise a combined lobby action. A meeting with them is scheduled next March 2009. In the mean time, we are trying to contact directly some members of the Parliament and the Government, asking to cancel this extension of the expiring time of the documents, and argumentum our request with possible problems of security, and not only with the loss of our economy.
As for passports (much less used in Italy than the identity cards), we still use the non-biometric passports, and people bring, as usual, the pictures to the police stations. Is it anyway forecasted the introduction of the biometric system, that will cut even further the revenue of the photographers in the next few years. On that sphere, we would like to follow if and when will be the case, the same way used in France, including possible legal actions for illegal competition to the companies made by the State in a dominant position. I can easily reckon that this action, anyway, will take long time to make the political decisions (the Italian associations belong to interprofessional federations of SMEs), and quite a few resources to invest.