Baby Passport Photo

A newborn can't sit up, so the easiest photo is taken with your baby lying down and the camera above them. The UK asks for exactly this setup for babies under 1, and it works for US, Indian and OCI photos too. For Canada, a commercial photographer must take the photo.

Step by step

1. Spread a plain white sheet, with no pattern or creases, on a bed or the floor near a window.
2. Lay your baby on their back in the middle of it, in plain clothes that aren't white.
3. Stand over your baby and hold the phone flat and level, straight above the face. Turn off the flash.
4. Have a second person get the baby's attention from behind you, so the baby looks up at the camera.
5. Take several photos in a row. Babies move; one of them will be sharp and straight.
6. Choose the best one in the tool with Baby or toddler turned on.

If it doesn't work

• Shadow on the sheet: you're blocking the light. Move so the window is beside you, not behind you.
• Head turned to one side: wait for the baby to look up, or gently center the head, then take your hands away before the photo.
• Blurry: tap the screen on the baby's face to focus, and hold still with your elbows against your body.

Once your baby holds their head up, a car seat is often easier than lying down. Canada's rules allow a newborn to sit in a car seat as long as a white blanket is placed over the seat behind the head. The US rules also suggest covering a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet.

Setting it up

1. Put the car seat on the floor facing a window.
2. Drape a plain white blanket over the back of the seat so nothing of the seat shows behind the head.
3. Make sure the straps and the blanket's edges are below the shoulders.
4. Hold the phone at your baby's eye level, straight on, not from above.

If it doesn't work

• Seat shows at the sides: step back a little; the crop removes the edges, but the background right around the head must be plain.
• Head tilts: babies may tilt their head in a US photo, but a level head passes more checks everywhere. Wait for a moment when they're upright.

Toddlers are old enough to need open eyes on every document, and young enough to make that hard. Speed matters more than perfect setup.

What works

1. Seat your child on a chair or a parent's lap in front of a plain light wall. If you hold them, keep your hands and arms below the frame.
2. Put a helper right behind the phone holding a toy, so your child looks at the lens.
3. Take a burst of photos. Check a few, not just the first.
4. Say your child's name just before you shoot. A surprised, neutral face is better than a big grin.

In the UK, children under 6 don't have to look straight at the camera or keep a plain expression. Other countries are stricter, so aim for eyes open and mouth closed.

If it doesn't work

• Mouth open or smiling: try again later; tired toddlers hold a neutral face more easily than excited ones.
• Someone else in the frame: the check flags hands and other people. Crop doesn't help here, so take the photo again.

The rules below are the ones that matter most when your child has medical needs: the full face visible, eyes open where the country asks for it, and nothing else in the frame that can be avoided.

What the rules say

• Glasses: the US doesn't accept glasses unless you include a signed note from a doctor explaining why they can't be removed.
• Support: a baby's head may be supported in a US photo, as long as it's done discreetly, for example with a car seat and a white blanket. In the UK your hand may support the head but must not show in the photo.
• Anything behind the head: cover a headrest, pillow or seat with a plain white sheet so it reads as background. For a US photo, part of a wheelchair's head support may show if you include a note with the application explaining that the background isn't completely white because of the wheelchair.

Tips

1. Take the photo where your child is most comfortable, even if it's in bed. A white sheet can go behind them anywhere.
2. Take many photos and pick the best in the tool. If a check fails because of a medical device, the report tells you what it saw; the passport office decides what it accepts.
3. Ask your passport office before you apply if you're unsure. They can tell you what to include with the application.

After the free check passes, one credit unlocks the digital file and a 4x6 inch print sheet for that photo.

How to print

1. Download the 4x6 print sheet.
2. Order it as a standard 4x6 print at a drugstore or photo kiosk, or print it at home on photo paper at 100% scale with no borders.
3. Cut out the copies along the gray lines.

For an Indian passport, use a photo lab: India doesn't accept photos printed on a computer printer.