Baby and Child Passport Photos

Updated 2026-09-25 ยท 5 min read

Every traveller needs their own passport, including a newborn. The same frame size and background rules apply, but the hard part is practical: getting a baby's eyes open and nothing else in the picture.

What the rules relax for babies

  • Eyes: the UK does not require a baby under one to have their eyes open. The US asks for open eyes, but examiners understand newborns; a sleepy but clearly visible face is often accepted.
  • Expression: a neutral mouth is expected for older children, but small babies are not held to it.
  • Head position: slight tilts are tolerated more for infants than for adults.

What does not relax

  • Plain background, with no toys, blanket pattern or pillow visible.
  • No hands - including a parent's hand supporting the head.
  • No dummy (pacifier) and nothing in the mouth.
  • Face visible from chin to crown, evenly lit, no shadows.
  • The head still has to fit the chin-to-crown range for the document.

How to take it at home

Lay the baby down. Put a plain white or light grey sheet over a car seat or a firm mattress, lay the baby on their back and shoot from directly above. Gravity keeps the head straight, and nobody's hands have to be in the frame.

  • Use daylight from a window, not a flash - the flash will make them close their eyes.
  • Stand over the baby with the phone parallel to the sheet, at a distance where the head and shoulders fill a third of the frame.
  • Take a burst. One frame in twenty will have both eyes open.
  • Right after a feed, when they are awake but calm, is usually the best window.

For toddlers, sit them in a high chair in front of a plain wall, and have someone stand behind the camera to get their attention.

Crop it

In the editor, pick the country and document and add the photo. If the baby was photographed lying down, use Rotate left or Rotate right first. Then remove the background - it also removes creases and shadows in the sheet - and check the head size.

Wrinkles in the sheet?

Background removal takes them away, along with the sheet's colour. It works best when the baby's outline is clear against the sheet, so avoid a sheet the same colour as the baby's clothes.