U.S. Baby Passport Photo

If you want to travel outside the United States with a newborn baby, you need to get them a valid U.S. passport.

Taking the necessary photos for a passport application requires you to follow a series of strict guidelines. Fortunately, these rules are generally more lenient for children, especially when it comes to facial expressions.

However, you still need to pay close attention to all other parameters of a passport photo for the baby, otherwise you risk incurring unwanted delays. To make sure you know everything you need to know about baby passport photo requirements, the following paragraphs give some helpful tips for taking kids' passport photos at home.

U.S. baby passport photo requirements

Just like an adult's picture, a child's passport photo must meet several technical requirements which enable the authorities to gather biometric data. Make sure you follow each of them to the letter to be confident that passport agencies will accept your application.

So without further ado, let's get into the specifics of official U.S. baby passport photo guidelines.

Newborn baby passport photo - size and quality

When it comes to the more technical aspects of a toddler's passport photo, the U.S. State Department requires the following parameters:

• size: 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm);
• in color;
• in sharp focus;
• high definition;
• the baby's face must take up from 70% to 80% of the image;
• good contrast, showing natural colors;
• no photo editing;
• as recent as possible;
• printed on glossy photo quality paper;
• undamaged.

U.S. kids' passport photos - setting

When taking a passport photo of a newborn, the setting is a key element. Official passport photo requirements include these important characteristics:

• a plain white background;
• the baby's face must be fully visible;
• no other objects can be present;
• the lighting must be even.

Keep in mind that, even in a baby's passport photos, the ears need to be visible.

U.S. passport photo for a baby - appearance

In addition to the technical requirements, the State Department has a list of parameters that regulate all the other elements of an infant passport photo:

• the baby's head needs to be centered;
• the newborn needs to face the camera directly;
• no glasses;
• no accessories;
• no toys or pacifiers;
• no hats or berets;
• a toddler does not have to maintain a neutral facial expression;
• an infant's eyes do not have to be entirely open.

How to take a baby passport photo

Taking a passport photo for a newborn is very different from taking an adult's picture. A baby's head will likely need support, which will influence the background and the lighting. Also, taking passport photos for kids requires them to stand still for a while, and we all know that's not always possible!

However, there are a few tricks that can help you get around most of these obstacles and allow you to take your baby's passport photo at home.

Passport photo for kids- background

Something that can prove quite challenging for newborn passport photos is setting up a plain white background while hiding any support for the head.

The best way to take a baby’s photo for a passport is to lay them on their back on any comfortable surface. Use a rolled-up towel in a “U” shape or a small pillow to support the child’s head. You can also use a car seat. Cover it with a white sheet and, if needed, put a small pillow behind the newborn's head.

But if you use our application, there’s no need to set up a uniform white background, because our app will straighten that out for you immediately.

How to take a passport photo of a newborn - lighting

A key element of any kind of photo is the light. To get a perfect baby passport photo you need the light to be evenly spread and balanced in intensity. Usually, the best way to achieve this is to use natural light through a window.

Just choose a well-lit room and wait until the sunlight is not completely direct. If you notice any uneven shadows on the baby's face, try adding an overhead light to balance everything out–or just send the photo to our application to see if the irregularities can be corrected.

Best place to get a passport photo for a baby

To take a newborn passport photo you'll want to place your child in a well-known environment. This will help them be relaxed, and hopefully avoid unwanted movements and facial expressions.

Pick a room the child is familiar with and take your infant passport photos there, following the instructions listed above.

Best time to take your baby's passport photo

The best time to take a good passport photo of your child is in the daytime after they have rested. If they are relaxed, they won’t fidget or cry, making the whole process much smoother.

Remember that newborn babies are allowed to have their eyes closed in a passport picture, so you can take the photo while they are sleeping, avoiding any unwanted movements.

Positioning the camera for a toddler's passport photo

Once everything else is ready, you need to find the right position for a perfect passport photo. In all cases, the camera needs to be squarely in front of the baby's face. So if you are laying your child on a bed, take the picture from above and get the baby's attention. If you decide to put the infant on a car seat, just crouch to the right height, or use a tripod if you have one.

Take a passport photo for a baby with our application 

With our tool, taking a 1 month old baby's passport photo is pure child's play. Our app will help you take a biometric photo conveniently from home, just using your smartphone.

To start with, you don't need to set up a perfect flat white sheet. Thanks to the built-in AI system, the background will be removed and replaced with the required color, according to the specifics of the kids’ passport photo template. The same goes for a car seat, any support or unwanted object will be gone immediately.

Our baby passport photo tool is able to fine-tune small out-of-place elements. We can remove shadows, improve the picture's quality, get rid of small head accessories, and much more.

How does it work? Just take a photo with your smartphone and upload it to our baby passport photo checker app. It gets thoroughly scanned and analyzed. If the hands are in the way, if the baby has their tongue out, if they are not looking at the camera, or if there are other details that can't be fixed, our application will let you know to try again.

If the image is acceptable, your baby passport photo is automatically cropped to the required 2 x 2 baby passport photo U.S. template size, ready for a passport application.

You can take as many photo shots as needed because you only pay for the baby photo you decide to use. So take a few different photos; if anything is out of place, just retake them–there’s no limit.

Our tool is also a great fit for special-needs children. You can snap photos when and where it's most comfortable for you and your child.

The same goes for an autistic child’s passport photo: you can set up a stress-free environment and take all the time you need.

Thanks to our advanced system, you get a 100% guarantee of compliance with official passport photo requirements. If our app gives you the all-clear, you can be confident that you have a valid newborn U.S. passport photo.

You can order your baby's photos for delivery to your home, or simply download the JPEG file, ready to print at your earliest convenience. In either case you'll get your cheap baby passport photo, saving up to 40% on the average price.