Hi,i am trying to book some flights with Ryanair as they are the only company that are going anywhere near where i need to go.They want me to create an account,fair enough i suppose,have given all my passport details etc,now they want a photo of said passport but there is no facility to upload a proper copy from my files(which takes seconds).They want you to hold the passport in front of your pc camera and take a photo.After faffing about with this for about an hour,i have given up.The problem is they won,t let you book any tickets without a copy of your passport.Has anyone any idea why this is not working,the yellow box appears but has no bottom line,is this the problem,who knows,any advice would be appreciated,thanks.
I haven’t travelled with Ryanair myself, but having tried to do similar things with passports and driving licences on other websites, I would imagine it’s either a web browser issue (i.e. the form is not being rendered properly by the browser), or else it’s failing because there isn’t enough light on the passport to get a good picture. PC webcams can be a bit crap unless they get plenty of light!
It could be worth trying with a tablet or phone browser and camera instead of a PC, in a well-lit place.
I agree with @ChrisMann - I’ve also had big problems with that sort of verification using a PC camera (since I don’t have a smartphone which is what they all seem to expect you to use) The fact that you’re missing the bottom of the yellow box also says to me that their system is set up for a portrait screen not the usual landscape on a PC has. It may also mean that you are missing other stuff at the bottom of the screen, like an OK button?
If you can possibly use another device that is much more likely to be successful. Also, as Chris suggests, a change of browser may help. I normally use Firefox but did slightly better with Chrome. Good luck!
We both have Ryanair accounts and use the website and app. We’ve been asked for passport details etc, but have never been asked for a photo of the passport. Is this a UK passport ?
Ryanair’s website says this:
If you made your flight booking via a third party agent (OTAs) and not directly through Ryanair.com or the Ryanair app then you must verify your booking before travel. Verification is required because some Third Party Agents (OTAs) often send Ryanair fake contact and/or payment details that do not belong to our customer.
So perhaps starting from scratch with a new account on Ryanair’s website would avoid the issue?
Just looked now at the Ryanair website about account creation. Crikey, what a palaver as my mum would say. We’ve had our account a few years now and so didn’t go through this. Looks like there is no getting around doing this just to create an account.
I think it’s an increasingly common security measure. I seem to recall having to take a photo of myself with my phone when I signed up for Coinbase (a crypto currency admin service), and uploading a scan of a form of ID happens all over the place.
Bit silly of Ryanair not to allow the uploading of a scanned image, but I suppose they are bothered that people might use Photoshopped fakes.
Yes, I’ve done similar for various online exchanges. I think that sort of thing is mandatory for online financial transactions due to financial regulation. Just to book a flight on Ryanair though is a bit OTT.
Whilst not necessary for a DFDS booking, up loading API (advanced passenger information) via a photo of the passport from a smart phone works well. Maybe find someone with a smart phone? I agree a desktop could allow photoshoping of the image hence why a camera is asked for. Framing the shot and lighting without shadows cast can be very tricky, I gave up with my passport pic and went to a booth for a digita version I could use.
Disclaimer: I am a professional photographer so know how to do such things, but it’s not all that hard if you have a tripod and a camera with a flip-out screen - they pretty much all have a self-timer function so you have time to press the shutter and get into position.
Putting the camera on a tripod also has the benefit of allowing you to use a lower ISO (“film speed”) setting and shutter speed without getting camera shake, and the lower ISO gives better less grainy picture quality.
It can also be done with a phone if you get a friend or family member to take the photo.
As regards lighting the easiest way is to do it outdoors on an overcast day - the clouds act as a diffuser and give you soft and almost shadowless light. Otherwise if you have to do it indoors you can stand facing a window - a north-facing window works best so as to avoid hard shadows from direct sun.
You will need a plain background, but an A3 sized piece of white card from an art supply shop works for that.
I appreciate this may be too much faff, in which case head to the railway station and find a photo booth!
Ah yes Chris but like many others we think we can take a photograph
Next time we have a Survive France get-together I shall hold a portrait workshop.
My sister did not have to do any such thing when she booked recently through their official website. She also printed her tickets out for her and my sister but never asked for anything else.
UK docs now seem to have thicker layer of shiny plastic than previously. On a recent occasion I found only @ChrisMann 'sadvice of overcast day outdoors but still with light in the air worked. After many rejections due glare on sunny days.
But very tired of this new selfie-with–passport overkill
Plus all the holograms because the UK Govt is deliberately making it more difficult to produce fraudulent copies. Well that’s helpful!
Thanks for replies,i will give it a try from a fresh browser,i was trying to book from a page that i had bookmarked months ago,maybe that makes a difference for some reason,i still don,t understand why they are making it so long winded just to book some tickets,other flight companies that i have flown with ask for your name and payment and that,s it.Ryanair want name,dob,sex,and now photo of passport?
Because it puts the effort on you and they have automated another process that previously took staff at the airport. Win win for them.
Have tried again on another pc,same stupid carry on,won,t let me book any tickets without verifying id with trying to dangle a passport in front of the pc camera,i have now given up and looking at other travel options.
It is indeed a real headbanger.
The problem is the booking being not with RyanAir direct but some other seller. I had exactly the same issue when I booked R/Air tix with Opodo. It took many, many attempts before the image I uploaded was accepted by the R/Air system.
Having bought the tix and having the associated RdVs - conclusion of dental treatment in Valencia interrupted by 1] Covid 2] moving to FR - I just had to keep going till finally it worked.
The OP was trying to book direct with Ryanair, which is why I thought it ridiculous. I didn’t have to do this when I created my account, but that was some time ago. I looked this up on the Ryanair website, and it’s now mandatory to do this when you create an account, and you need an account to book a flight.