What is different for babies and young children
Lay your baby on a plain, light-coloured sheet and take the photo from above. The photo should show the baby's entire face with their eyes open, and no other people or objects may be visible, which means no supporting hand in the frame. Babies' expressions are treated leniently but eyes open is still expected, so take several frames and pick the best.
Lay the baby on a plain light-coloured sheet and photograph from above. The whole face must show with eyes open; nobody else and no objects in the frame.
For children under one, the New Zealand rules relax: 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 32–36 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 35×46.7 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 New Zealand specification
| Photo size | 35 × 46.7 mm (1.38 × 1.84 in) |
|---|---|
| Pixels at 300 / 600 dpi | 413 × 552 px / 827 × 1103 px |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 32–36 mm |
| Eye line from bottom | not specified |
| Head width | not specified |
| Space above the crown | not specified |
| Background | plain and light |
| Background editing | not allowed (retake instead) |
| 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, good quality print — Printed photos are only needed for a paper application. Scans of printed photos are not accepted online. |
| Digital upload | 1800×2400 px JPEG, 250–5 MB (NZ Passports online application); 827×1102 px JPEG (Printing for a paper application) |
| Self-taken photos | accepted |
| Prints needed | 2 |
| Infant rules | eyes open, mouth may be open (under 1) |
| Official source | Te Tari Taiwhenua – Passport photos |
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).
- Digital rules verified: 3:4 ratio, JPEG, 250 KB–5 MB, 900–4500 px wide, 1200–6000 px high, under 6 months old. Head-height band for the printed 35×45 mm photo (32–36 mm) was not on the page fetched.
Full New Zealand passport requirements · The adult New Zealand passport 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.