Odd NSV - Customs

scottwellman221

Earlier this year I was coming back from a family vacation in St. Maarten and had the fun experience of being selected for extra security screening when we were leaving the island. In St. Maarten is was explained to me that it was a random screening and they just did an additional pat down at the gate, checked my shoes and carry on and let me on the plane. At this point I thought nothing of it.

When we were going through customs at JFK the person checking my passport started asking questions about what I do for work and why I was traveling. At this point I just answered the questions even though I thought it was odd and progressed through to get my bags.

Once we got to the front of the security line to get back into the terminal for our flight home to Maine I was informed by the TSA employee that I needed to go through a secondary screening. I asked why I needed to do this since I had been selected for a random screen in St. Maarten. They told me that it was not random and that I was flagged for the screen and asked me if I knew why. It was 10 PM and I was tired from being on vacation and I said that I had not clue but I guess I had to go through the screening. Then after a short wait I got to experience the full detailed inspection where they even check inside of your waistband at the airport. I made it through and caught my flight, but the flagging bothered me.

The next morning I was talking about it with my wife and had my passport out and realized why I was flagged. After losing close to 100 lbs since my passport photo was taken 2.5 years prior my face looks significantly different and they thought that I was traveling on someone else's passport. Well, I guess it it time for the early passport renewal. Now I just need to see how to upload the other picture from my passport.

Annazbananaz

awesome story! congratulations.

Happymelz

Hahaha! Congrats on being stopped!

Syriene

Congrats on your success! I have heard of the passport thing happening to a few people on this site. It is good and bad at the same time. I agree that an early renewal would be worth it. Less aggravation on your next trip.

deedzzz

Wow, awesome NSV!
Odd but great

sewerchick93

Yup, I snooped at your pics, and there is a significant difference in your passport picture and your current looks!!! Well done!!

itsanatalia

Looking through your profile pictures you can definitely see a difference! What a funny story!

terikd99

LOL!! Too funny. You are right--what an odd NSV!!

willdob3

Very cool!

I had to do some explaining at the airport once because my ID did not look anything like me. I was lucky they believed me when I explained I'd lost a lot of weight. It sure made my day! As soon as I got home I had a new photo taken for it.

lauras777

Funny - and a great NSV! :laugh:

Casstevens133

That has it to be the best NSV to date that I've heard. Brilliant, well done .... Now where are the piccies?? :-)

Alwayssohungry

that fantastically sucks !

scottwellman221

I have the passport photo saved in my profile and the other pics are current. I haven't taken the time to figure out putting the photos in the post.

rgugs13

Congrats! I had something similar happen to me in 2007. I got my first passport at 15 for a high school trip. They expire in 5 years when you get them that young, so I had to get a new one for a trip to Mexico in 2007. I ended up getting the photo taken the week after I got over the flu in the middle of winter, and I was uber pale, overweight, and exhausted looking. Spring forward 6 months, and I'm just coming back from 5 weeks volunteering for a marine conservation program diving and working on the beach, and I've lost 15 pounds and toned up and am really tan and relaxed. The customs guy said I didn't look anything like my passport picture! I later accidentally lost that passport and had to get a new one. I found it stuffed in a purse pocket several months ago, and the picture really is quite horrible!