Getting a usable passport photo of a baby or young child is, without question, one of the most difficult parts of a child passport application. The requirements are largely the same as for adults, but the practicalities are very different. A baby who will not stay still, a toddler who refuses to stop grinning, or an infant who simply cannot keep their eyes open at the right moment — these are real challenges. This guide covers the requirements and the practical strategies that actually work.

Are the requirements different for children?

Most requirements are identical to adult passport photos. The dimensions, background colour, and lighting rules are the same. However, HMPO makes several concessions for very young children:

  • Babies under 6 months:They do not need to look directly at the camera. Their eyes do not need to be open — HMPO acknowledges that it is impossible to guarantee a baby's eye position. The mouth may be open. The expression does not need to be neutral.
  • Children under 6 years: They do not need to have a perfectly neutral expression. Some leeway is given, although extreme expressions (crying, eyes closed, pulling faces) will still likely result in rejection.
  • All children: The head-size requirement (29–34mm chin to crown in the 45mm frame) applies. The background, lighting, and dimensions are the same as for adults.

Dimensions and framing

Child passport photos must be exactly 45mm tall and 35mm wide— identical to adult photos. The head must occupy between 29mm and 34mm of the 45mm height, measured from chin to crown (not including hair). This can be surprisingly hard to achieve with a child who keeps moving, which is why taking many shots and cropping precisely afterwards is better than trying to get the framing right in-camera.

Background

The background must be plain cream or light grey, without shadows, texture, or pattern. No other person — including a parent or guardian — should be visible in the photo, even partially. Not a hand, not a shoulder, not a finger. The child must appear alone against the plain background.

This is one of the hardest requirements to meet with a baby, since babies cannot sit unsupported and someone typically has to hold them. The techniques for working around this are covered below.

How to photograph a newborn or young baby

For babies who cannot yet sit unsupported, the most reliable method is to lay them on a plain white or cream sheet. Lay a plain sheet flat on the floor or a bed, place the baby on their back on the sheet, and photograph from directly above — the camera must be parallel to the baby's face, not angled.

Use natural daylight from a window or a room light above the baby. Do not use flash — it causes red-eye and can startle the baby, making the next shot harder. Take photos during a period when the baby is calm and alert rather than just after a feed (they tend to fall asleep) or just before one (they are likely to be unsettled).

When shooting from above, zoom in digitally or step closer so the head fills the frame appropriately. Review the shots on a larger screen — phone screens make it very hard to assess whether the eyes are open and the expression is acceptable.

Take far more shots than you think you need — 30 to 50 shots is not unusual for a newborn passport session. You need one good frame out of many.

How to photograph a toddler or young child

Toddlers and young children present a different set of challenges. They can sit up and look at the camera, but they rarely hold an expression for long and frequently refuse to co-operate when asked. Some strategies that help:

  • Use a toy or object to direct their gaze. Hold a small toy or their favourite object just above the camera lens. This often gets the child to look in the right direction while keeping a relatively neutral expression of concentration.
  • Take photos during snack time. Children sitting still with a snack are easier to photograph than children who are actively moving. Take a few shots in the brief window before they start moving again.
  • Shoot rapid bursts.Use your phone's burst mode to take 20–30 shots in quick succession. Review them all — the right expression often appears in a frame you would never have planned for.
  • Use a plain wall. Seat the child against a plain light wall or hang a sheet behind them. A chair against a wall works well for children who can sit independently.
  • Keep the session short. Ten minutes of focused shooting is more productive than an hour of increasingly frustrated attempts. If the child is tired or unco-operative, stop and try again later.

No other people in the photo

This requirement is firm: no part of another person can appear in the photo. Even holding the child from behind and cropping your hands out will sometimes show visible fingers or shoulders at the edge of the frame.

For babies, the lying-on-a-sheet method described above is the most reliable way to avoid any body part of the parent appearing in frame. For sitting children, seat them independently or use a car seat, a bouncy chair, or a bumbo seat positioned against the background, and crop the seat out during editing.

Countersigning child passport photos

Child passport applications almost always require a countersignatory. The countersignatory must sign the back of one of the printed photos and also complete a section of the application form confirming the child's identity. The countersignatory must have known the child (or their parents) personally for at least two years and must not be related to the child or live at the same address.

The signed photo must be one of the two printed photographs submitted with the application — not the digital file. If printing at home, print two copies and have the countersignatory sign one.

Printing child passport photos at home

Once you have a usable photo, the printing process is the same as for adult photos. Use our free ID photo tool, select the UK Passport size (35 × 45mm), choose A4 paper, and download the 300 DPI PDF. Print on standard bond paper at "Actual size" — not "Fit to page". Cut along the L-shaped crop marks. The result is the same as a high-street photo booth, at a fraction of the cost.