Guide
How to take a baby passport photo at home
Babies need their own passport, and photographing a newborn is easier at home than in a studio. The rules are a little more relaxed for babies, but a few of them still catch parents out.
The rules for babies
| United States | United Kingdom | |
| Eyes | It's OK if a baby's eyes aren't fully open | Under 1: eyes don't have to be open |
| Looking at the camera | Face must be fully visible, neutral expression | Under 6: doesn't have to look at the camera or have a plain expression |
| Being held | No other person can be in the photo | You can support the head, but your hand must not show |
| Dummy or toys | No pacifier: the full face must be visible | No toys or dummies |
| Background | Plain white or off-white | Plain cream or light grey |
| Photo size | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm), head 25–35 mm | 35 × 45 mm, head 29–34 mm |
Everything else (no filters, no editing, a recent photo, in focus and in colour) applies to babies as well.
The easiest way: lay your baby down
- Spread a plain white sheet (UK: cream or very light grey) on a bed or the floor, with no creases near the head. The US State Department suggests exactly this, or covering a car seat with the sheet.
- Lay your baby on their back on the sheet, in bright daylight from a window. Avoid the flash, which causes shadows and red eyes.
- Stand over them and hold the phone straight above the face, parallel to the floor, so the head isn't tilted in the picture.
- Use burst mode and take lots of photos. Pick one where the face is straight on, with no hands, blanket or dummy in view.
Tips from parents who've done it
- Pick the right moment: just after a feed and a nap, when your baby is calm and alert.
- Work as a team: one person takes the photo while the other gets the baby's attention from just behind the camera with a rattle or a voice.
- Car seat option: for babies who hate lying flat, cover a reclined car seat with the sheet so it surrounds the head.
- No hats or headbands: the whole head and face must be visible.
- Check the shadows: the sheet around the head should be evenly lit. If one side is darker, turn the baby so the window light falls on the face.
Crop and print it
Open the passport photo maker, choose your country and pick the photo. It crops it to the official size, checks the head size and background, and gives you a 4×6 in print sheet with several copies to print at any photo lab. Babies' heads are measured the same way as adults': from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
A photo lying down is fine as long as it looks like a normal upright passport photo after cropping: face straight on, no shadows and nothing else in the frame. The automatic check may warn about a baby's face; use your judgement against the rules above.
Sources
Rules were checked in October 2026. Governments update them from time to time, so always confirm on the official page before you apply.
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