What Are the Regulations for Baby Passport Photos?

Typical regulations for baby passport photos detail how the baby’s hair, eyes, and mouth should look. There are several exceptions that allow guardians to bypass some of the rules, for example, infant disabilities or the relatively lax regulations of some countries. On the other hand, baby passport photos must follow the same regulations as adults in regard to photo quality. Blurriness or too-small subjects are generally considered unacceptable by most passport facilities.

The baby’s hair should be out of his or her face and, if long enough, tucked behind the ears. His or her mouth should be closed, with the eyes open and looking straight at the camera. Some passport-issuing facilities are very strict on these regulations, and it might take patience and persistence to get appropriate baby passport photos.

Some countries are relatively lax on baby passport photo regulations. They do not require the mouth to be closed, nor do they care if the baby is looking straight into the camera. The photo should still strongly resemble the baby, but the regulations basically require only a likeness. It is safest to get the best baby passport photos possible simply to avoid airline or other travel security potentially being unable to identify the child in the photo.

Another exception to baby passport photos comes into play if the baby has a mental or physical disability. As long as his or her guardian has proper documentation proving the disability, the baby will not need to meet all the photo regulations. For example, if a child has a severe cleft lip and cannot close his or her mouth, he or she should still be allowed to travel.

Commonly recommended methods of positioning a baby for a passport photo keep the baby’s head supported without another person being in the picture. For example, positioning a baby in a car seat and lying a baby on his or her back are a couple suggested methods of keeping the head supported. While quality requirements are sometimes relaxed for babies, the visibility of the baby’s features is still very important.

Baby passport photos must still follow standard regulations when it comes to background color and photo quality. The acceptable background color depends on the country, but white and off white are widely accepted. In addition, baby passport photos cannot be blurry, pixelated, or otherwise of poor quality. Many people choose to hire professionals who guarantee the acceptance of their photographs as passport photos to avoid the hassle of taking photos themselves.