UK Baby Passport Photo

UK passport for a baby or child

The UK child passport is a travel document that confirms both a minor's identity and their British citizenship. Every baby passport needs a baby passport photo in order to prove your child’s identity. This photo needs to be 35 x 45 mm (if it’s a paper version) or a minimum of 600 x 750 px (if a digital version).

Baby passport photo requirements – UK

If you want to travel abroad, and plan on taking your baby or child with you, then you will need to ensure their passports are prepared. Babies and children need to hold their own passports and passport photos, which are only valid for 5 (years) – half the duration of an adult passport. Additionally, a child or baby passport photo carries rules unique to them, which do not apply to adult passports. It’s therefore important to learn what is acceptable in a baby passport photo in advance.

Read on to discover what a UK baby passport photo should look like. 

British baby passport photo requirements 

When you’re preparing your baby’s passport photo, it’s important to be familiar with the passport photo standards. Here are the criteria your baby passport photo needs to meet if the application is to be accepted: 

• Your baby passport photos must be printed on plain, high-quality photographic paper.
• Parents will need to provide 2 (two) identical coloured pictures of their baby, if they want to submit a paper application.
• Your baby passport photo is required to be less than a 1 (one) month old.
• One of the printed pictures needs to be verified by a countersignatory, to confirm the baby’s identity. The image needs to be good quality and in focus, without any rips, tears or creases.
• You must ensure that any baby or child passport photo you use in an application is not doctored with any graphic software such as Canva or Photoshop.
• Using filters is not allowed.
• In the photo, the child needs to be alone, with no parents or anyone else in the frame.
• The standard UK child passport photo size is 35 mm wide x 45 mm high (printed photos).
• If you wish to make an online application, you must submit a digital copy of your newborn baby passport photo. The digital child passport photo requirements are as follows: the size is min. 600 x 750 pixels.

How to take a UK baby passport photo

If you’re asking yourself how to take a baby photo for a UK passport, then you’ve come to the right place! We understand passport photos, and we know the rules you need to follow to get your UK baby passport photo accepted.

When you’re reminding yourself how to get a baby passport photo, these are the important rules you need to follow:

• You need to make sure that there are no toys, blankets or any other objects in the shot.
• You must ensure your child does not have a dummy in the photo.
• Children under 6 (six) do not need to look directly at the camera or keep their heads pointing straight ahead.
• When taking a newborn passport photo, for a baby under 1 (one) year old, they don’t have to keep their eyes open.
• You are allowed to hold your baby’s head, but make sure your own hands are out of the frame.
• The image must be taken against a plain background in either light grey, cream or white.
• You should remove any head covering your baby might be wearing.
• The frame has to show your baby’s entire head, neck and upper shoulders.
• The figure in the picture needs to be centred.
• Avoid taking a photo with any “red-eye” effect, or the photo will not be accepted.

Follow these rules, and you’ll have an acceptable baby or toddler passport photo in no time! 

The list of rules you need to follow is long, but there are ways you can make the process easier for yourself. Passport Photo Online comes with a variety of helpful tools, so you can take a photo with no stress!

• Our AI editor can erase any background, all you need is the right light. 
• Our tool can resize your photo, to fit the size specifications.
• If you need to use your hand to support your baby’s head, we can remove it from the picture.
• In some cases, our editor can remove toys, dummies, etc.
• We can edit the photo so it only shows your child’s face, neck and shoulders.
• Passport Photo Online reformats your photos to put your child’s face in the centre.

All this, and more, in a package that fits on your phone, so you don’t even need to leave your house to get a great baby passport photo! Perfect for busy parents.

Digital infant passport photo - size

The digital baby passport photo UK size rules specify that your photo must be a minimum of 600 x 750 pixels (width x height) in size. However, the Passport Office says that 900 x 1200 px size is preferred, to ensure that your pictures meet the resolution requirements.

The photo file size needs to be a minimum of 50 KB and a maximum of 10MB. If the Passport Office finds that your baby's photo does not meet the required criteria, your application for a UK infant passport will be rejected.

Digital baby passport photo guidelines

A digital infant passport photo for the UK needs to be included when parents are applying online for a new British passport for their child. When filling out the online application form, there is no need to provide a printed version of the baby's passport pictures. When you apply online, only 1 (one) digital photo will be required. If you decide to apply using a printed form, you will need to attach 2 (two) pictures. 

Kids’ passport photo - quality of digital photos

Your baby passport photo needs to be in colour, in focus, and well-lit. You need to make sure that your image has not been modified with any graphic design software. 

When taking a digital photo of your baby for their UK passport, make sure there are no shadows on their face or shoulders, as well as none in the background. 

Passport Photo Online can help you by removing shadows from both your child’s face and the background.

Where to take a baby passport photo

If you’re looking to answer the question of where to take a passport photo for your baby, there are many options for you to choose from. You could get a baby passport photo from a local store, a photo booth, or even a private photographer. However, what you might not have ever considered before is that you don’t need to go anywhere at all. 

Passport Photo Online allows you to take a biometric photo for your child’s passport wherever you are. It lets you focus on making a comfortable and familiar environment for your child, so they can be in the best possible frame of mind to take their picture. You can also take as many pictures as you like until you’ve found the right one – you’ll only pay for the one you use!

How can I take a passport photo at home for my baby?

It is now possible to learn how to take a UK baby passport photo at home using your smartphone, with Passport Photo Online. The main advantage of this system is the flexibility it offers. Passport Photo Online works no matter where you are, and we’re active 24/7, making it easy to fit taking a passport photo for your baby into your schedule. Additionally, you can save up to 54% through our service - now that’s a good deal by anyone’s standards.

There’s plenty of advantages to this method:

• Passport Photo Online is active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• The savings are enormous – 54% on average.
•  You can also take as many photo shots as you need to get the perfect new photo for your child’s passport. 
• In the unlikely event that your child passport application is rejected by the Passport Office because of a photo we edited, we will refund you 200% of what you paid.

We guarantee that you’ll be happy with your photo. You can have as many attempts as you need to, all completely free of charge, so you can get the best passport photo for your child. All it takes is 3 (three) simple steps:

1. Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download our app.
2. Find a good setting, one that has the right lighting and a comfortable spot for your baby.
3. Take and upload a photo, wait 3 (three) seconds and our AI software will check your photo against the official specifications for baby passport photos. Our human inspectors can double-check for you too, so you can submit your application with confidence! 

We’ll also edit your photo shots to make them the correct size and even edit lighting and shadows where we can, to guarantee a valid passport photo. If your image still requires changes, we’ll give you all the advice you need to get your photo application-ready.

How to take a passport photo of a newborn baby?

Photographing babies, toddlers and very young children can present challenges. Luckily, we’ve studied how to do a baby passport photo so you don’t have to! Here are some helpful tips for getting a perfect child’s biometric photo conveniently and easily: 

• Photograph your newborn baby lying down on a white sheet at a minimum distance of 1.5 m from above.
• Position the high chair, covered with a white sheet at a distance of around 0.5 m from the wall. Place the child in the chair, entertain them and take a photo from a minimum distance of 1.5 m. 
• If you can, ensure that your baby's face and body are facing straight ahead, although this is not essential for children under 6 (six) years of age.
• Where possible, you must take the photo with natural light e.g. morning light, but artificial light, evenly spread, will also work.
• If possible, take the picture in a room with natural light coming in through the windows on both sides. You can use a white curtain to help diffuse light and avoid shadows.
• Children under 6 (six) years old don’t need to look directly at the camera, keep their heads straight or maintain a neutral facial expression.
• Children under 1 (one) year old will not be required to keep their eyes open.
• Make sure that there will be no dummies, toys or other objects in the photo.
• The frame must provide a picture of the child’s entire head, neck and upper shoulders of the baby.
• You should make sure there are no shadows on your child’s shoulders and face, or in the background. Make sure there are no objects in the background, too
• When dressing your baby for a passport photo use colours that aren't black and white.
• You are allowed to use your hand to prop up your baby or toddler’s head to hold their attention for a photo session. However, you must keep your hand out of the shot.

Using Passport Photo Online can make this process a lot easier for you. If you’re taking your picture from home, your baby will be a lot more relaxed, making for a more enjoyable experience for both of you. Over 25% of our 1 million users take photos of babies, so you can be confident our service can be trusted.

Last update: 30/09/2022