How to Take a Passport Photo for a Baby

Baby passport photos reject at a higher rate than adult photos, almost always for the same three reasons: a parent's hand visible in the frame, a background that isn't plain, and the baby's head measured wrong. The rules themselves are not harder — most countries actually relax them for infants — but the execution under a squirming newborn is.

The lying-down method

For newborns who can't hold their head up, the accepted technique in the US, UK and Canada is to lay the baby on a plain white sheet, viewed from directly above. The US State Department explicitly permits this. Two things matter: the camera must be straight overhead (not angled), and no hands, blankets bunched behind the head, or toys may appear in the frame. The full head — chin to top of the head — must be visible and centred.

Eyes open, expression neutral

The strict rule is both eyes open and clearly visible. The US allows closed eyes for infants as an exception, since a newborn can't be told to keep them open. The UK is stricter — HMPO requires both eyes open and clearly visible. The practical trick: feed the baby first, and shoot during the drowsy window after a feed when eyes are calm and open.

Country rules for baby photos

• US: 2×2 inch, same head size as adults (1–1⅜ in); eyes may be closed; no glasses; white background; taken within 6 months.
• UK: 35×45 mm, head 29–34 mm; both eyes open; light grey background; no smiling (a relaxed neutral face is fine — crying photos are rejected).
• Canada: 50×70 mm, head 31–36 mm; white background; taken within 6 months; the guarantor stamp applies to baby photos too.

Step-by-step: newborn photo at home

1. Wait for a calm, drowsy moment — after a feed works best.
2. Lay the baby on a plain white sheet on the floor, away from direct sun.
3. Undress to the diaper — no bibs, collars or white-on-white clothing.
4. Photograph straight from above with the full head centred in frame.
5. Crop to your country's spec, checking head height — this is where most baby photos fail.

What gets baby photos rejected

A visible parent hand or arm (extremely common), a shadowed or non-plain background, the head tilted or cut off at the top, clothing blending into the white background, and blurry shots from movement. Cropping the existing photo correctly fixes head size and framing — but a hand in the frame means retaking the shot.