What is different for babies and young children
For babies, lay the child on a plain white sheet and shoot from directly above with the face filling the square and nothing else in frame. Minor applicants attend the Kendra in person where another photo is captured, so the uploaded photo is mainly for the form. Eyes open and mouth closed are expected where possible, but the rules are applied leniently for infants.
Babies may be photographed lying on a white sheet. Minor applicants appear in person at the PSK where a fresh photo is captured; the uploaded photo is for the form.
For children under 5, the India rules relax: eyes may be closed; mouth may be open; they need not look straight at the camera; the eye-line position is applied leniently. Everything else still applies: a plain light background, no shadows, nobody else in the photo, no hands, toys or dummies, and the head inside the 25.4–35 mm band.
How to take a newborn's passport photo at home
- Lay them on a plain sheet. A white or light grey sheet on a bed or the floor, smoothed flat, makes the background. No patterns, no pillows in view.
- Use daylight. Near a window, with the light falling evenly across the face. Avoid flash, which causes red-eye and hard shadows, and overhead lights, which shade the eyes.
- Shoot from directly above. Stand over the baby with the phone parallel to the sheet, so the face is square to the camera. Keep your shadow out of the frame.
- Keep hands out. If you need to steady the head, do it from behind the sheet or tuck a rolled towel under the sheet; no fingers in the photo.
- Take lots of shots. Burst mode helps. Pick the one with the head straight and, for older babies, the eyes open.
- Load it here. Infant mode is already on. The tool crops to 50.8×50.8 mm, measures the head and checks the background; adjust with the head-size and position controls.
For toddlers who will not lie still, sit them in a car seat or high chair draped with a plain white sheet, and have a second adult attract their attention from just behind the camera.
The India specification
| Photo size | 50.8 × 50.8 mm (2 × 2 in) |
|---|---|
| Pixels at 300 / 600 dpi | 600 × 600 px / 1200 × 1200 px |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 25.4–35 mm |
| Eye line from bottom | 28–35 mm |
| Head width | not specified |
| Space above the crown | not specified |
| Background | pure white |
| Background editing | allowed as an opt-in |
| Glasses | allowed only with no glare and frames clear of the eyes |
| Expression | neutral, mouth closed |
| Recency | taken in the last 6 months |
| Print requirements | photo paper, glossy or matte — Photos are captured again at the Passport Seva Kendra for most applicants; printed photos are needed for some categories and for applications at missions abroad. |
| Digital upload | 1200×1200 px JPEG, 0–1 MB (Passport Seva online form (photo upload)); 1200×1200 px JPEG (Printing 2×2 in photos for missions abroad) |
| Self-taken photos | accepted |
| Prints needed | 2 |
| Infant rules | eyes may be closed, mouth may be open (under 5) |
| Official source | Passport Seva – photo specifications |
Check the official source. Some values on this page could not be confirmed from the official page when it was last checked (2026-10-28).
- The Passport Seva photo specification page could not be fetched (404 on the known URL). The 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) white-background photo is the long-standing requirement for applications in India; the 630×810 px / 35×45 mm variant referenced in some Passport Seva forms was not confirmed.
- Upload file-size limit (commonly quoted as up to 1 MB JPEG) is unverified.
Full Indian passport (Passport Seva) requirements · The adult Indian passport (Passport Seva) page
Common reasons baby photos are rejected
- A parent's hand, arm or shoulder visible in the frame.
- A shadow from the person taking the photo, or uneven light across the face.
- A patterned blanket or pillow in the background.
- The head tilted to one side, or turned away from the camera.
- A dummy, toy or bib in view.
- The head too small: babies' heads are easy to under-fill. Use the head-size control until the readout is inside the band.