I am travelling back home on Tuesday after having FFS overseas. By then it will be 15 days of healing and my bruising has all pretty much disappeared. I'm just a tiny but swollen in places but it's not very noticeable.

I have anxiety about looking different to my Passport now, for when I go through border control. I looked on the airport website and unfortunately I won't get to use the smartgates/automatic border control (facial recognition) due to not having an EU passport. This is annoying in itself, the smartgates in my country are open to pretty much everyone.

So I know my passport is going to be manually checked. I have a letter from my surgeon ready to go, but I can't help but feel nervous. What if I get a transphobic border officer or something? My eyebrows are higher now (I had forehead reconstruction type III as well) and I have a different nose..not to mention the chin and jaw. I still think I'm somewhat recogniseable by looking at features like my eyes and mouth..

Has anyone else been through this? Can you put my mind at ease? I know they probably deal with people who have had plastic surgery often but I'm an anxious person I guess..

I am traveling quite a bit between the US, Canada and sometimes Europe (also have done India) - each time presenting female with a male passport (skirt, makeup etc). For India, I did present androgynously. In most cases, I did not even get a second look. One time coming back to the US and one time entering Germany, they took a closer look.

I am not sure how being bruised after surgery would affect things, based on a former girlfriend who played american football, bruising rarely got noticed.

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on September 07, 2018, 01:46:15 PM
I am travelling back home on Tuesday after having FFS overseas. By then it will be 15 days of healing and my bruising has all pretty much disappeared. I'm just a tiny but swollen in places but it's not very noticeable.

I have anxiety about looking different to my Passport now, for when I go through border control. I looked on the airport website and unfortunately I won't get to use the smartgates/automatic border control (facial recognition) due to not having an EU passport. This is annoying in itself, the smartgates in my country are open to pretty much everyone.

So I know my passport is going to be manually checked. I have a letter from my surgeon ready to go, but I can't help but feel nervous. What if I get a transphobic border officer or something? My eyebrows are higher now (I had forehead reconstruction type III as well) and I have a different nose..not to mention the chin and jaw. I still think I'm somewhat recogniseable by looking at features like my eyes and mouth..

Has anyone else been through this? Can you put my mind at ease? I know they probably deal with people who have had plastic surgery often but I'm an anxious person I guess..

Quote from: MissyMay2.0 on September 07, 2018, 02:20:29 PM
I assume that as long as there is a strong resemblance with your passport photo, along with a letter from your surgeon, you should be ok, but just to be on the safe side you may want to present in male mode without makeup just to make it easier for the security personnel to confirm your identity.

I plan to be in boy mode. But the passport picture I have is from before hormones with super short boy hair. I don't know how much of a resemblance there is. I'm very fair/pale now too, I had quite a tan the day the passport photo was taken.

On the way into the country the border officer said "You look different" and my parents and I laughed (nervously). Then he let me through and it was okay. I guess I'm just thinking if I got a comment like that before the surgery, what's gonna happen now that I've had it?

I am kinda wishing I updated my passport photo before the trip.. hindsight is 20/20.

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on September 07, 2018, 02:30:42 PM
I plan to be in boy mode. But the passport picture I have is from before hormones with super short boy hair. I don't know how much of a resemblance there is. I'm very fair/pale now too, I had quite a tan the day the passport photo was taken.

Sorry, I don't have a definitive answer for you, which is why I deleted my original post.

With a letter from surgeon I wouldn't worry about this at all. 

After enough time when swelling is gone and you update your passport photo, you'll be glad you waited.