In the previous year, around 1,2 million Austrian passports expired. However, many have not yet renewed their ID because no trips abroad have been made. Now photo studios expect that there could be an increased demand for passport photos this year.

The background to this is that, in addition to the passports that expired in the previous year, many ID documents will again lose their validity this year and must therefore be renewed. Many states require the passport to be valid for at least six months after entry. Some countries even stipulate longer deadlines. Due to the corona pandemic, it is to be expected that the passport will often have to be presented in the Schengen area. In principle, it also applies within the Schengen area that a passport or identity card must be carried and must also be valid.

Among other things, the Hartlauer photo studio is now recommending affected Austrians to renew their identity documents required for trips abroad in good time in order to avoid bottlenecks and waiting times in the authorities and photographer studios. In this context, it should also be pointed out that the issue of a passport is always associated with a certain waiting time, which is production-related. Not all states recognize the so-called emergency passport, which can be taken with you immediately.