Why the rules tightened
Until the mid-2010s most countries allowed prescription glasses in passport photos as long as the eyes were clearly visible and there was no glare on the lenses. Automated face matching at e-gates changed that. Glasses, even clear ones, introduce reflections, lens distortion at the rim, and partial occlusion of the iris - all of which lower the confidence score of the underlying matcher. Several agencies responded by simply banning glasses outright, on the grounds that it was easier to enforce than to police lens reflections case by case.
Countries with an outright ban
The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand now ban all glasses in passport and most visa photos, with narrow medical exemptions. This includes clear prescription lenses, sunglasses, tinted lenses, and transition lenses that are clear indoors. The US State Department guidance is the strictest of the group and refuses photos even with glasses that have been digitally erased.
Countries that still allow glasses with conditions
Most of the Schengen area, India, Japan, and several Gulf states continue to allow clear prescription glasses provided the frames do not cover the eyes, there is no lens glare, and the lenses are not tinted. Within Schengen, individual states sometimes tighten further - for example refusing thick frames that touch the eyebrow - but the underlying allowance is the EU baseline. Applicants in these jurisdictions still benefit from removing glasses if they can, because the lower-friction photo is less likely to be downgraded by an automated quality checker.
Medical exemption procedure
All of the strict-ban countries provide a medical exemption. The pattern is similar everywhere: you submit the photo with glasses, a signed statement from a registered medical practitioner explaining why the glasses cannot be removed (post-surgical light sensitivity is the most common reason), and you accept that processing will take longer. The exemption does not cover cosmetic or convenience reasons - losing a prescription, not wanting to remove contact lenses, or simply preferring to wear glasses are not accepted.
Sunglasses, tinted lenses, and transition lenses
No country allows sunglasses or any tinted lens. Transition lenses that darken in sunlight are a common surprise rejection: even if they are clear at the moment of capture, agencies treat them as tinted because they can change state. The safest practice is to use non-transition lenses for the photo capture, or remove glasses entirely.
Practical guidance for applicants
Default to no glasses everywhere unless you have a documented medical reason. For jurisdictions that still allow them, watch for three things: no reflections on the lenses, no frame intrusion onto the eyes, and no tint of any kind. Take the photo near a soft, indirect light source rather than under a single overhead light to suppress lens flare. If the photo software offers a glare-detection score, treat anything above a low threshold as a likely rejection.