UK Baby Passport Photo: How to Take It at Home

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are baby passport photo requirements?

   Requirement	Description
   Body and Head Position	A UK child passport photo must include the baby’s head, neck and upper part of their shoulders, all positioned in the centre. Make sure that the child is facing forward and there’s some space left above his or her head.
   Facial Expression and Hair	Children under 6 don’t have to look directly at the camera or keep a neutral facial expression in their photos. As for children under 1, they don’t even have to keep their eyes open.   Also, the baby’s hair cannot cover or obscure his or her face.
   Clothes and Accessories	A head covering is unadvisable for UK baby passport pictures—and is allowed for religious or medical reasons only. Glasses can be left on for medical reasons (no glare or reflections), but the frames can’t cover the kid’s eyes.   As for the infant’s clothing, there aren’t any strict rules—just make sure it makes a clear contrast with the background.
   Picture Background	Note: you can skip this requirement if you’re using our professional service to take a baby passport photo at home—we’ll set the correct background for you.   A newborn baby passport photo background must be of a uniform light grey or plain cream colour. In case you’re taking the picture against a white sheet or a wall, it can’t have marks, creases or patterns.   Also, the backdrop in infant passport photos can’t contain any other people or objects like toys, dummies, blankets or the parent’s supporting hand.
   Correct Size and Ratio	Note: if you’re using our baby passport photo tool, you can skip this rule as well, since we’ll resize your photo and set the below dimensions for you automatically.   A printed picture for a UK baby passport has to be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, while the baby’s head must measure 29–34 mm.   Digital photos must have the same aspect ratio—but they also should measure at least 600×750 in pixels and take up 50KB to 10MB.   Whatever the format, your picture cannot have borders.
   Image Quality	Your passport photo must be clear, properly focused and coloured. It can’t have any heavy editing—don’t apply filters and don’t remove blemishes. The picture must have a true, natural look.   Also, your photo can’t have any shadows or lighting defects like under- or overexposure (i.e. lighting that’s too weak or too strong). As a best practice, use natural light—it’ll be even and help you avoid red-eye.
   Printing Quality	An infant passport photo must be printed out on high-quality plain white photo paper (in our service, we use exactly that kind of paper). The print itself cannot have any damage or marks (unless you need to have it signed).

2. How to take a baby passport photo at home by yourself?

   If you want to do it without the help of our service, you’ll need to make sure that your snapshot meets all baby passport photo requirements.
    
   Follow these guidelines to take a compliant picture:
    

   1. Find a Well-Lit Place: You’ll need smooth and even lighting, and this is where natural light works best—try to find a room that has at least two windows with daylight coming in. If it’s too bright, use curtains to diffuse. Your main goal here is to ensure even lighting without any shadows.
       
   2. Set Up a Light-Coloured Background: Put a non-patterned light grey bed sheet onto a flat surface and then lay your baby on it. If your little one can already sit up straight on their own, you can use a plain wall of the same colour as your background.
       
   3. Make Sure Your Little One is Ready: See that the baby is calm and comfortable. If he or she keeps crying or getting distracted, you can use toys to calm them down (but there can’t be any toys or dummies in the photo).
       
   4. Prepare Your Camera: Your smartphone will do—just open the camera app settings and select the 35×45 aspect ratio. Also, make sure the resolution of your photos is at least 600 x 750 pixels (if you provide a poor-quality image file or prints, your passport application might be rejected).
       
   5. Take Multiple Pictures: As soon as your kid calms down, take photos using your phone camera. Make sure that the head and upper shoulders aren’t tilted and the head is fully visible (also, no hands in the photo, either yours or the baby’s). As for the face, the baby passport photo rules don’t require kids to look directly at the camera or keep a strictly neutral facial expression. In fact, your baby can even smile—just make sure his or her mouth is closed and eyes are open (children aged one or less can even have their eyes closed).
       
   6. Choose the Best Photo: Scroll through the snapshots you’ve just taken and pick the one that meets all the above requirements best.

    
   To be sure your new picture will be accepted, you can upload it here—we’ll double-check it against the rules.

3. How does your service verify pictures?

   Each image is checked against the official baby passport photo requirements listed here—by a trained UK expert. Also, there are rules for all ages from adults to very young children: say, a passport photo must be coloured and focused and can’t be edited or have any shadows or lighting defects—we’ll verify your photo against these standards as well.
    
   This way, we make sure that His Majesty’s Passport Office accepts your photo the first time.
    
   Plus, we give a money-back guarantee: if your picture isn’t accepted (which is very unlikely), you’ll get a full refund.

4. How quickly will we get our photos?

   As for the digital copies, they will be ready almost instantly. You’ll be able to either download them on your device or have them sent to your email within a minute.
    
   In case you order printouts, they should be delivered to your address within 2-3 working days (but the digital copies will be sent to you instantly anyway).

5. What should a baby wear for their passport photo?

   Technically, there aren’t any strict rules, since HMPO doesn’t provide any specific dress code for little ones. Still, you should pay attention to the following:
    

   • Keep the Baby’s Clothes Neutral: Avoid anything too bright. The safest option here is to choose something of plain colour that makes a good contrast to the background.
      
   • Don’t Put on Any Headwear: Whatever the age, hats, bows or other head covers are strictly forbidden (the only exception is made for religious attire).
      
   • No Accessories: No toys, dummies or other similar objects are allowed.
      

6. Where to take a UK baby passport photo near me?

   You should have at least one of these options nearby:
    

   • Chain Store: Many supermarkets and convenience stores have a dedicated photo service—for example, you can get a Morrisons passport photo at some of their branches (it’s best to phone ahead and make sure the place does provide such services).
      
   • Post Office: Whatever the branch, the photography service is only available as part of the Check & Send service (where the employee takes your photo and helps you to apply). This is more convenient but comes at an extra cost.
      
   • Photo Studio: For one, you can try a Jessops passport photo—they will definitely have all the means and conditions needed but can cost you more than the first two options.