Every single person needs a passport if they’re to enter or leave the country – even those who are just a few days old! This means that you’ll need to get a baby passport photo to support your child’s passport application. While it’s quite possible that over the years you will have mastered the skill of taking your own passport photo, you might be at a loss with where to start when it comes to your son’s or daughter’s. Your first question will probably be: can my baby sit on my lap for their passport photo? Here’s everything you need to know.
Is it allowed?
It would, admittedly, be much easier for mums and dads to sit their baby on their laps when taking a child’s passport photo. Unfortunately this isn’t allowed. The guidelines are clear that ‘children must be on their own in the picture’. Of course, if your child is sat on your lap then your body will be visible on the photo. Instead, you should have your baby lie on a plain light-coloured sheet for the picture.
What can you do?
Don’t worry, you can actually offer your baby a degree of support to ensure that it’s possible to take a satisfactory picture. The guidelines outline that ‘you can support their head with your hand, but your hand must not be visible in the photo’. This should hopefully make the process run a little smoother.
What else should you know?
The rules aren’t as stringent for babies as they are for adults. Take, for instance, the eyes. Whereas for adults you must hold a neutral expression and be looking directly at the camera, this isn’t expected for children under one. Not only are they allowed to not be looking directly at the camera, but they can also have their eyes closed on the image.
Good luck!
It can be a bit of a struggle attaining satisfactory passport photo of your baby. Luckily, you don’t have to meander through the experience alone. Paspic are here to help and can give you guidance on whether the photo meets all the guidelines if you send the image through to the team and take advantage of our service.
