What is different for babies and young children
Children must be alone in the picture with nothing else visible. Under six they do not need to look at the camera or hold a plain expression. Under one they do not need their eyes open; lay the baby on a plain light-coloured sheet and photograph from above. You may support the head, but your hand must not be visible, and no dummies or toys.
Under 6: no need for a plain expression or to look at the camera. Under 1: eyes need not be open; you may support the head but your hand must not show.
For children under 6, the United Kingdom 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 29–34 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 35×45 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 United Kingdom specification
| Photo size | 35 × 45 mm (1.38 × 1.77 in) |
|---|---|
| Pixels at 300 / 600 dpi | 413 × 531 px / 827 × 1063 px |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 29–34 mm |
| Eye line from bottom | not specified |
| Head width | not specified |
| Space above the crown | not specified |
| Background | white or light grey |
| 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 month |
| Print requirements | photo-quality paper, no creases or marks — Printed photos are only needed for paper applications. Online applications use the digital file. |
| Digital upload | 1050×1350 px JPEG, 50–10 MB (GOV.UK online passport application (HMPO)); 827×1063 px JPEG (Printing 35×45 mm photos for a paper application) |
| Self-taken photos | accepted |
| Prints needed | 2 |
| Infant rules | eyes may be closed, mouth may be open (under 6) |
| Official source | GOV.UK – Get a passport photo |
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 on GOV.UK: at least 600×750 px, 50 KB to 10 MB, taken in the last month, unaltered. The printed-photo page (35×45 mm, head 29–34 mm) was not reachable and is from the long-standing HMPO guidance.
Full UK passport requirements · The adult UK 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.