Yes. For a UK passport you can take your baby's photo at home with a phone, and for a newborn it's usually easier than a booth, where a baby has to sit alone on the stool. GOV.UK relaxes some rules for babies and children, but not all of them. Below are the rules, a method that works, and the mistakes that get baby photos sent back.
Rules checked on GOV.UK on 24 October 2026. GOV.UK also says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than one taken on your own device (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo), so take your time and check the photo carefully.
An example made with AI, not a real child: head straight, plain light background, nothing else in the frame.
Pick the moment. Just after a feed or a nap, when your baby is calm. Daylight is best, so plan for the morning or early afternoon.
Lay out a plain sheet. Spread a plain white or light-coloured sheet, with no pattern or texture, on a bed or the floor near a window. GOV.UK says babies under one should lie on a plain light-coloured sheet and the photo is taken from above (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo). Smooth out the creases: folds show up as shadows.
Lay your baby on their back. Head straight, in the middle of the sheet, with the top of the shoulders showing. Take off hats, hair clips and bibs. A rolled towel under the sheet can keep the head straight, and you can steady the head with your hand as long as your hand doesn't show.
Stand over them with the phone flat. Hold the phone parallel to your baby, about an arm's length away, so the whole head and shoulders fill the middle of the screen. Don't zoom right in. Keep the window to the side of you, not behind you, so your own shadow doesn't fall on the baby.
Take a burst. Take lots of photos and choose later. A helper standing behind you can make a sound or hold a toy just above the camera, so your baby looks up towards the lens. The toy must not be in the photo.
Check the photo before you use it. Look for hands, toys, dummies or blanket edges in the frame, shadows behind the head, a tilted head, and blur. If any of these show, take another: it costs nothing at home.
Save it the right way. For an online application, upload the file. It must be in colour, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 tall, between 50 KB and 10 MB, and taken in the last month (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo). For a paper form you need 2 identical 45×35 mm prints, printed to a professional standard (GOV.UK: Printed photos), so print a sheet at a photo kiosk rather than at home.
Why baby photos get rejected
Problem
How to avoid it
A parent's hand or fingers in the frame
Steady the head from behind or with a rolled towel under the sheet, and check the edges of the photo.
Shadow behind the head or across the face
Light from a window to the side, no overhead ceiling light, and keep your own shadow off the sheet.
Creased, patterned or coloured blanket
A plain white or light sheet, pulled flat.
Head tilted or turned
Line the head up with the middle of the sheet; take a burst and keep the straightest one.
Blurred
Good light and a steady phone. Take several and zoom in to check before you use one.
Dummy, toy or bib showing
Take them away for the photo; hold the toy above the camera instead.
The rules for babies differ. The US lets you lay your baby on a plain white or off-white sheet or cover a car seat with one (travel.state.gov: Passport photos); see the US baby passport photo page. Canada accepts a newborn in a car seat with a white blanket behind the head and no shadows (canada.ca: Passport photos). Check the document's own page before you take the photo.
Online upload or printed photos
To apply online, upload the file: in colour, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 tall, between 50 KB and 10 MB (GOV.UK: Get a passport photo). For a paper form you need 2 identical 45×35 mm prints, printed to a professional standard (GOV.UK: Printed photos), so print a sheet at a photo kiosk rather than at home.
Where Picproved helps
Turn on Baby mode on the UK baby passport photo page. The checks then allow closed eyes and a relaxed expression, and still look for hands, shadows, the background, the head size and blur. It makes the upload file and a 6×4 print sheet from the same photo. The Passport Office still makes the final decision.
Or make it at home. Picproved costs £5.99 (free while we launch) for one person's photo in every size you need, and it checks the size, background, head size and face rules before you save. The office still makes the final decision. Make your United Kingdom Baby and child passport (online) photo
Baby passport photo questions
Can I take my baby's passport photo at home?
Yes. For a UK passport GOV.UK accepts a digital photo taken on your own device, as long as it follows the rules. Lay a baby under one on a plain light-coloured sheet and take the photo from above.
Do my baby's eyes need to be open?
Not for a UK passport if your baby is under 1. GOV.UK says children under 1 don't have to have their eyes open.
Can I hold my baby for the passport photo?
You can support their head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible in the photo. Nobody else can be in the picture.
Does my baby need a neutral expression?
No, not if they are under 6. GOV.UK says children under 6 don't have to look straight at the camera or have a plain expression.
Can I use a car seat for a UK baby passport photo?
GOV.UK asks for babies under one to lie on a plain light-coloured sheet, photographed from above. The US and Canada allow a car seat covered with a white blanket, but follow GOV.UK's sheet method for a UK passport.
How recent does the photo need to be?
Taken in the last month, says GOV.UK. Take it close to when you apply.
Can I take a UK baby passport photo in a car seat?
GOV.UK asks for babies under one to lie on a plain light-coloured sheet, photographed from above, so use a sheet rather than a car seat.
Can my baby wear a hat or headband?
No. GOV.UK doesn't allow a head covering unless it's worn for religious or medical reasons.
How recent does a baby passport photo need to be?
It must be taken in the last month. Babies change fast, so take it close to when you apply.
Can I edit out a hand or a shadow?
No. GOV.UK doesn't allow effects or changes to a passport photo, so take a new one instead. At home that costs nothing.
