Infant Passport Photo for Babies and Newborns

Babies follow the standard U.S. passport photo rules, with three relaxations written into the Foreign Affairs Manual (8 FAM 402.1). Eyes may be closed, the head may tilt a little, and the head may be discreetly supported. Everything else, from size to background, stays the same.

The table compares the infant rules with the rules for older children and adults. Use it as a checklist before you print.

The easiest newborn passport photo is taken from above while the baby lies on a white sheet. Babies who can sit up do better in a car seat or high chair with a white blanket behind them.

The white sheet method (0 to 6 months)

Spread a plain white or off-white sheet on a bed or the floor and smooth out the wrinkles. Lay your baby on their back in the middle. Stand over them with the phone held flat and parallel to their face, so the camera looks straight down at the nose. Keep your own head and shoulders out of the light so you do not cast a shadow.

The car seat trick (any age)

Drape a white blanket over the car seat so it covers the seat behind the head and shoulders. Buckle the baby in, recline slightly, and shoot straight on at eye level. If the head flops to one side, you can support it from behind or under the blanket, as long as no hand or finger shows in the photo.

Light and timing

• Use daylight from a window. A direct flash can cause red-eye, which is not allowed.
• Try right after a feed or a nap, when babies are calm and more likely to look up.
• Have a second adult stand behind the photographer and make a sound to catch the baby's gaze.
• Use burst mode and pick the sharpest frame.

Clothes and extras

Dress your baby in a plain, colored top so their outline stands out against the white. Remove hats, hoods, bibs, pacifiers and toys. If your baby wears a head covering daily for religious reasons, it must not cover the face.

Baby photos usually fail for practical reasons, not because the baby moved or cried. Check your photo against this list before you print.

• A parent is visible. A hand under the chin, fingers on the head or an arm at the edge of the frame. Retake the photo; do not try to edit it out, because altered photos are not allowed.
• Shadows. Leaning over the baby blocks the window light and leaves a dark patch on the face or the sheet.
• Busy background. A patterned blanket, visible car seat straps behind the head, or toys at the edge of the sheet.
• Face turned away. A slight tilt is fine for infants, but the face must still point toward the camera.
• Something covering the face. Pacifiers, bottles, hands in the mouth, bibs pulled up high.
• Head too small. Shooting from too far away leaves the head under 1 inch on the final print.
• Blur and red-eye. Movement blur and flash reflections in the eyes.
• Filters. Beauty or skin smoothing filters count as retouching, even on a baby.

The passport photo rejection guide covers the reasons that apply to all ages.

Children under 16 cannot renew a passport online or by mail. Every application for a child goes in person on Form DS-11, with one printed 2 x 2 inch photo.

Parental consent

Both parents or guardians usually need to appear in person with the child. If one parent cannot come, they can usually give consent in writing on Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent. This is not a photo rule, but it is the step that most often surprises parents, so check the full document list on travel.state.gov before your appointment.

Printing the photo

The photo must be printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper. A standard 4x6 sheet fits six 2 x 2 photos when printed borderless, or two photos with cut guides. You can print our sheet at CVS, Walgreens or Walmart photo counters, or at home on photo paper. Cut one photo neatly along the edges and do not sign it. Our print guide walks through each option.

PhotoForPass is built to handle the awkward parts of a baby photo: the off-center shot, the cream blanket that is not quite white and the head that fills too little of the frame.

• Checks before you pay. The checks run in your browser and the photo stays on your device. They look at face size, centering, tilt, lighting, shadows, blur and background. If a check flags closed eyes on a newborn, remember the rules allow it for infants.
• Crop and background. After payment, our editing tool crops to 2 x 2 inches, places the head inside the 1 to 1 3/8 inch range, sets the eye line and replaces the background with plain white. It never retouches your baby's face.
• Print-ready sheet. The Photo + print sheet package at $18.95 is the right choice for DS-11, since you need a print. You get the digital JPG plus a 4x6 sheet as JPG and PDF.
• Whole family. Family packs cover photo + print sheet for 2 people at $29.95 or 3 people at $39.95.

Each person gets up to 5 photo checks and 3 free redos included. You are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked, and a full refund if the agency rejects the photo. Final acceptance is up to the U.S. Department of State.