Baby & Child Passport Photos — How to Do It at Home

Getting a baby photo that fits official requirements feels impossible — they move, they look away, they cry. It's still very doable at home if you use the right setup and exploit the relaxed rules for infants.

Rules that relax for babies and small children

• Eyes open: the UK waives this for children under one year; the US allows it for babies too. All other children must have their eyes open.
• Expression: the UK waives the "neutral expression / looking at the camera" requirement for children under six; the US and most countries are lenient for babies.
• Mouth open: several countries (UK, Australia) accept an open mouth for children under three.
• Support: you may support the baby's head with your hand — as long as your hand is not visible in the photo.

Everything else still applies: plain light background, even lighting, no toys or dummies, no other people in the frame, and the correct size/head proportions.

The setup that works

1. Lay the baby flat. The UK's official tip: lay them on a plain white sheet (or cover a car seat with one) and shoot from above, straight down. This is far easier than trying to prop them up.
2. Light evenly. Bright, indirect daylight from a window; avoid direct sun and avoid flash (red-eye + harsh shadows).
3. Shoot lots, fast. Take 20–30 photos in bursts and pick the best one. This is the actual secret — not perfect technique.
4. No dummies, no toys, no hands. Take the dummy out right before the shot; keep your supporting hand out of frame (support from behind or below, then quickly move it).
5. Someone else helps. One person holds/soothes, the other shoots.
6. Watch the scale. Baby heads are proportionally large — after cropping, run the photo through the maker and check the head-guide fit for your country.

For older children (2–6)

• Sit them on a stool against a plain wall — an adult's knees are invisible if they sit back.
• A quick distraction (a phone playing a video behind the camera) gets a straight-on gaze.
• Neutral expression isn't required under 6 in the UK; a slightly serious face is fine everywhere.

After the shoot

Open the free in-browser maker:

• the tool detects the face and fits the head to the official guide for your country,
• live checks cover head height, centering, resolution, and background,
• download the digital file and the 4×6″ print sheet (which conveniently gives you several identical copies — toddlers go through applications too).

Privacy note: baby photos are among the most sensitive images people make. Our tools process everything locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded to any server.

Two identical printed photos are required by most countries (US, Canada, Australia); the print sheet gives you that in one go.