When traveling with children, it is very important to make sure they have the appropriate documentation before taking off on your adventures. You may be wondering if your child under two needs a passport or if you should get a baby passport photo taken. The answer is that yes, all children need a passport, even newborns and infants. You do not need a passport to travel domestically, but if you are traveling internationally, you will need a passport for your child.

There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you are traveling to Canada, you will not need a passport for children under 15. However, you will need to bring a copy of their birth certificate as proof of citizenship. This is also true for travel to US territories – you will not need a passport, but you do need a birth certificate or other proof of identity and citizenship. Having a passport for your child can make the process of traveling to US territories easier, because it can be used for these purposes.

You wouldn’t want to take your child’s photo at the same place you get your adult passport photos done, as the environment may be overwhelming for kids. Luckily, there are many places where you can get children’s passport photos taken. Many local businesses that offer passport photos, such as drugstores, have services specifically for taking passport photos for infants and toddlers. During these sessions, you can keep your child calm while the photographer takes pictures. Since not all businesses offer these services for toddlers and infants, it may be helpful to call in ahead of time and ask.

You can also get baby passport photos done online. With these services, you will take a picture of your child yourself according to the guidelines provided. You will then upload it to the site, and once it is approved, you can use it for your child’s passport when applying. This is very convenient for busy parents who are planning international travel. Before heading off on an international trip with a child under two, be sure to get their passport finalized so you can travel stress-free.

Travelling with your baby today is impossible without a passport of their own. While it is relatively easy for you to take a passport photo of yourself or another adult, your baby’s passport photo can prove a little more challenging. Here is a list of places where you can get help.

Local Drugstore

You can get your baby’s passport photo in any of your local drugstores. Take your baby to the store and ask for a professional baby photographer. Normally the photographer will have your baby lie on a white sheet and ask you to stand next to him or her as she takes multiple shots of the baby. By standing there with them, you help in directing the baby’s attention and gaze towards the camera. That will also prevent the baby from falling asleep. The photographer will then check all the pictures and establish whether they meet the standards set by your country. The one that is most appropriate gets picked and printed for submitting during passport application.

Local Department Store

Department stores have multiple businesses running in the same building or area. If you visit your local store chances are high that you will find a good baby photographing agency that is well versed with the standard requirements and regulations for taking and printing your baby’s passport photos.

Online Passport Photos

You can now get your baby’s passport online with very little effort on your part. This is a simple alternative you should try, as it is accessible from the comfort of your home. All you need to do is take pictures of the baby and upload the ones in which the baby:

· is alone

· is looking at the camera

· is not smiling

· does not have toys

Once you upload the pictures to the website, they will be verified to ascertain whether they meet the regulations and requirements for the country you intend to use it in. Once the perfect photo has been identified, you can choose to have it printed and shipped to you.

The best alternative for getting your baby’s passport photo is online. Contact us at Paspic Limited for help on how you can get your pictures today.

Many people don’t realize that you can get good passport photos online. The option to get a good passport photo with PasPic.com can be a lot less hassle and gives you more control over how your photo is taken. To ensure you fully benefit from a faster approval process, follow these guidelines:

Preparation

Preparing to take passport pictures online just requires a little bit of thought on your part. You first want to get a good night’s sleep so you look your best! If your hair is a color that you don’t plan to keep, consider restoring your natural hair color for the online passport picture. Wear clothing that you would wear on a normal daily basis and style your hair and makeup as you normally would.

Choose a Neutral Background

The passport photo must be taken in front of a neutral or very light colored background. If you have a large light-colored wall in your home, that’s a great place to get a good passport photo. If there is artwork on the wall, carefully remove it so there’s nothing in the way.

Choose Your Clothing

When you have your background planned, choose clothing that will stand out from the background. For instance, if you have a beige background avoid wearing beige clothing.

Experiment with Lighting

Lighting is key to get a good passport photo. Too much shadow on the face will be a problem. Set up lamps or other lighting so that the light is evenly hitting your face from both sides.

If you are not an experienced photographer, take a few photos to be sure that you’ve gotten a good one. Choose the one that best fits the requirements and that you like the most, and upload it. Our service will analyze the photo that you’ve selected and ensure that it meets the requirements of the passport service of the country you’re in. If for some reason the photo that you’ve uploaded is not up to the passport standards, we’ll email you to request a new one.

Read to travel? Get started by ordering your passport photos online through PasPic.com today!

Many parents believe that they need the services of a professional photographer for passport photos since a professional keeps up-to-date with government requirements and owns high-quality equipment. Yet, professional passport photography can become an expensive and time-consuming process when the project involves a baby. Babies often scream, fidget and close their eyes. Modern passport requirements for children and adults aren’t so inflexible that only a career photographer can create and print the photos correctly at the lowest possible cost. Instead, parents can take the images at home and purchase prints online without the irritation and hassles that pop up during an appointment.

To get high-quality, quick passport photos for your baby that fulfill all official passport rules, follow these four simple steps:

Prepare the background

Since babies must usually be held when sitting up and hands aren’t permitted in the picture, cover a tabletop, couch cushion or car seat with a plain white or light pastel sheet or blanket. A light background that doesn’t feature any patterns or dark colors is ideal because it helps your baby show up in the picture better. When you’re finished, set up a light source nearby.

Position your baby

Dress your baby in a dark, solid-colored, pattern-less shirt or nightgown that has a low or open collar. Don’t add any accessories, such as jewelry, a hat or a scarf. These items can reflect flash or other light or hide your baby’s physical features. Place your baby on or in front of the background with their hands away from their face and their hair pushed back from their forehead. Re-position the light that you set up earlier to reduce shadows, as needed.

Take the shot

Stand approximately 5 feet (1.524 meters) away from your baby so that you can center the shot easier. Make certain that your hands and any objects aren’t in the shot, and then take several photographs. If your camera has a continuous shooting Burst Mode, turn it on before you begin so that you don’t have to worry about trying to maintain your position while also clicking the shutter-release button multiple times. If your child becomes cranky or keeps looking away, hold one of your baby’s toys above the center of the camera to draw their attention.

Send the image

Pick the best clear photo that features your baby relaxed and centered on the background with their eyes wide open and looking forward. Go to our home page at Paspic.com. Choose your country and required passport photo size from the drop-down menus, click the “Get My Passport Photo” button and then follow the on-screen instructions to upload and submit the photo. Our system reviews your photo for errors and offers advice to make corrections. Once the photo passes this initial inspection, purchase a set of three or four hard copies at an inexpensive price and wait approximately two business days for delivery.

At Paspic.com, we provide superior passport photo validation services and even offer free packaging and shipping to more than 65 countries. A detail-oriented inspector from our team always reviews a client’s photo before printing it. If we find an error during this secondary manual inspection, we contact you via email immediately with a request for a new image. With so many checks in place, you can be assured that you won’t deal with a rejection of your baby’s photo when applying for their passport.

Traveling with your family, including toddlers, needs a lot of preparation in terms of documentation and packing for the trip. One of the most frustrating things for any traveler is facing delays due to the lack of proper documents. Although it is common knowledge that every adult must have a valid passport to book a flight, the rules are a bit confusing when it comes to children. So, is a passport required for newborn babies?

Domestic travel

Domestic travel is not too demanding for newborns. All you need is some documentation to show the identity of your child. This can be a birth certificate or any other useful document to act as a proof of citizenship. Ensure that you contact the relevant authorities a few days before you travel to confirm the kind of identification needed for your child.

International travel

Unlike domestic travel, where you don’t need a passport for your child to travel from one state to another, you will need a passport for your newborn if you are planning to travel to a different country. It is a requirement for every person, whether an infant, child or adult, to have a valid passport for international travel. The parent or guardian needs to ensure that the infant goes through the process of applying for a passport in plenty of time. The baby’s birth certificate is also required, because it acts as a proof of parentage and the child’s age.

Requirements when applying for a newborn’s passport

When applying for the passport for your newborn, be ready to provide the following documents:

• Two passport photos of your newborn
• Proof of the child’s citizenship (birth certificate, previous passport, certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate)
• Photocopy of the parents’ or guardian’s ID
• The person applying for the newborn’s passport is required to fill in Form DS-11
• If one parent is absent, the one applying for the child’s passport must provide a written letter that shows approval from the other parent. This letter must not exceed three months from the time it was written

Ensure that you get the right documents to avoid last minute inconveniences. If you are wondering how to go about taking the right passport photos for your newborn, visit paspic.com (https://www.paspic.com/us/) for professional assistance.

Finding a convenient location to take a Chinese passport photo in the U.S. is not a straightforward process. While it’s easy to find all sorts of places offering American passport photo services, you’ll have to be a bit more patient when looking for a location to take your Chinese passport photo.

In this post, we highlight a few places to check out if you’re searching for such services.

Retail stores

If you’re looking for a reliable location to have your Chinese passport taken, you can check out major retail locations like Costco. Don’t waste time searching for such services in small retail locations though. Other than Costco, you can also pop into a large retailer like Walmart and have your passport photo needs sorted.

Visa agencies

Visa agencies are also dependable locations where you can take your Chinese passport photo. However, it is important to note that most visa agencies will ask for your US passport photo first before they process your request. Rather than taking a new photo, they normally resize your existing U.S. Passport to Chinese dimensions.

Online visa photo websites

Online visa websites are a game changer when it comes to taking passport photos. If you’re looking to take a Chinese passport photo, you no longer need to make a trip to a professional photo booth downtown or retail store just to have your passport photo taken.

Online passport photo services make the job easier as all you have to do is take a photo with your Smartphone and upload it to their website. Once they receive your photo, they’ll resize it to Chinese dimensions and send it over to CSV for printing. You can pick up your printed Chinese photo from CSV anytime you want even on the same day.

Talk to us

As you can clearly see, if you’re looking to have your Chinese photo taken the options above are more than enough. However, the most convenient way to have your passport photo taken is to utilize online photo services like Paspic.

Get in touch with us today to get quality Chinese passport taken quickly and efficiently.

It may sound easy, but creating a passport online can be a daunting process. Many have filed all the documentation required, only for their visits out of the country to be delayed because they did not meet the parameters set out by the government. There are some strict guidelines, especially when rendering passport photos, that must be followed else the photos are rejected. Some of the scenarios where a passport photo might be rejected include:

Subject not facing front

Passport photos will be rejected if the subjects are not front facing, have shadows falling on the face and background, or show expressions that are not neutral. The government has set rules that the passports must have the person looking directly into the camera and be well composed. It is mandatory that the photo submitted must clearly show all the features from the tip of your head to just below the clavicle. Photos taken too close or too far away will not be accepted because they will distort your appearance.

Wearing glasses

If the subject is wearing glasses in the passport photo, then it will be rejected. The only exception is when the photo is accompanied by a medical report from a qualified and certified doctor declaring that you have a medical reason to wear them. This is one of the recent changes to the regulations, made because glasses often cast shadows on the face or may be tinted.

Objects in the background

Having objects present in the background, patterned or colored backgrounds will lead to a red light in your passport. The only acceptable background is white, uniform and with zero shadows. The lighting must be precise in that it shows your skin tones exactly as they appear in natural light conditions.

Size of the passport photo

Size parameters can also lead to photos not being accepted. The photo cannot be blurred, pixelated, unfocused, in motion or have printer dots and patterns. One can make passport photos at home, but they must strictly follow the guidelines. To ensure that the process of taking a passport photo is done correctly, visit a passport acceptance agent at a government passport agency. You can also go to a business that specializes in government passports for guidance.

Passport photos have to meet specific requirements that often seem over the top, such as making sure the person’s head doesn’t exceed a certain size in the photo. These requirements aren’t arbitrary, though; without them, it would be much harder to identify people trying to cross a border in an efficient manner.

Good Contrast

A passport picture needs to show the person’s face against a light background in good lighting. This ensures the person’s face isn’t accidentally obscured by background colors or objects. If part of the face isn’t visible, the passport agency would have to reject it, delaying your application. Or, if somehow the photo was accepted, it could create problems at the border if a guard can’t properly tell whether the photo is really you.

Reasonable Visibility

Just as you want good contrast between your face and the background behind you in the picture, so too do you want good visibility of your face itself. This means having the face be within a certain size so that it’s large enough for the border guards to see clearly and easily. You also want to ensure you don’t look like you’re wearing a disguise, which is why glasses and other accessories are not allowed. Passport photo requirements have the person in the photo looking straight at the camera, too, because changing the angle at which you look at the camera can often change how you look by a noticeable amount.

Standardization

And of course, there’s standardization. If everyone has the same size of passport photo, no one will have trouble fitting that photo inside the space allotted to it in the passport book. No part of the picture will have to be cut down, and no part of the text in the book will be covered up.

Want an easy way to get a passport photo that meets application requirements? Paspic can help. When you upload your own digital picture, Paspic will check that it meets requirements and format it into a real passport photo that you include with your application. This simple procedure is your ticket to easier travel.

If you’re a Europe-U.S. dual citizen living in the United States, or you’re a U.S. permanent resident with citizenship in a European country, you may one day face having to renew your European passport from the United States. European countries know that sometimes people have to apply from outside Europe and make forms available online and at consulates. However, you’ll also need to provide a photo that meets the standards of the country you’re dealing with. Thankfully, that’s easy to do even in the U.S.

Varied Requirements

A few countries accept U.S.-formatted passport photos for their own passports. For example, the Austrian Embassy in Washington notes that a U.S.-format photo is acceptable for Austrians renewing an Austrian passport in the U.S. (Be aware that regulations can change at any time, so always double-check this with a nearby consulate.)

Other countries, though, have specific requirements. The U.K. has a specific photo format, so you’d need to provide a photo that meets that standard even though it is different from what the U.S. requires, and thus it’s different from what you could get at a typical U.S. passport photo storefront.

You need to seek out photo companies that provide different formats of photos. These could be storefronts with the option to have different sizes of photos issued, or they could be online companies where you upload a photo and have the company format it for you before shipping it back to you.

Note that simply cutting down an existing photo may not work. You are much better off getting a new photo made, rather than risking having your passport renewal denied. A delay like that is unwelcome.

Paspic is one such company. It has locations in both the U.S. and the U.K., and if you’re unsure of how to get a U.K.-style photo made, you can contact a U.K. branch and see about getting a U.K.-formatted photo. Your passport is a crucial document and shouldn’t have anything that violates standards even by a little bit. Paspic can help you create the best renewal experience possible with a picture that meets all standards.

Passport photos have to meet a certain standard so that they fit inside the passport’s allowed area and so that they let border guards identify you easily. For U.S. passports, photos need to be 2 inches by 2 inches total, and the head in the picture needs to fit within a vertical range of 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches, or 25 mm to 35 mm from chin to top of head.

That is the best size because it not only fits inside the passport while still allowing all the text on the same page to be readable, but also because that size is best for the detailed attention the border guards have to give your photo. They have to get a clear view of the picture in the most efficient manner, and that size is what works best.

Additional requirements include having both eyes open, no glasses on (there are medical exceptions for this that require further documentation), white or off-white background, bright light, neutral expression or natural smile, and it must be no more than 6 months old. The photo itself must be in color and printed on photo-quality paper, not printed on plain paper. However, the photo can be glossy or matte. You can find more details on the U.S. State Department’s website in the section for the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Note that one country’s passport photos may be slightly different from another. For example, if you are a dual citizen of the U.S. and U.K., and you have extra passport photos that you got for your U.K. passport, those may be too small for the U.S. passport.

If you want to get passport photos, you could go to a retail establishment and have ones taken specifically for your application. However, you also have the choice of contacting an online company that lets you upload your own photos that meet the visual standards. Then you’ll get true passport photos sent back. Paspic allows you get quality passport photos quickly for a low fee. Whether you or your children need them, Paspic can format the photos correctly.