Getting Your Baby’s First Passport: Photo Rules, Documents and Timing

A first passport is one of those small milestones that turns a newborn into a traveller on paper, and it is also one of the easier pieces of holiday admin to get wrong if you leave it late. This guide sticks to the practical side: what GOV.UK says about who applies, what the application needs, and how to take a baby photo that the Passport Office will accept. It covers a British child passport applied for through HM Passport Office; other countries’ passports follow their own rules.

Who applies, and what it costs

GOV.UK says a child passport is for anyone under 16, and that someone with parental responsibility must make the application. You give both parents’ details, or explain why you cannot (for example, because you are the only parent named on the birth certificate). At the time of writing GOV.UK lists a fee of £66.50 to apply online and £80 on a paper form from the Post Office, and says a child passport is valid for five years. The child must have British nationality to be eligible for a British passport.

Sort the passport before you book the trip

GOV.UK’s advice is short and worth taking seriously: do not book travel until you have a valid passport. It also points you to its page on how long an application currently takes, which is worth checking before you set a date for anything. A baby’s first passport is a good job to tick off while you are still at home with a rare quiet afternoon, rather than the week before a family wedding abroad.

Applying online

For the online route you need a digital photo of your child (or a device that can take one), your supporting documents and a credit or debit card. GOV.UK says that once you have paid and submitted the application, you ask someone to confirm your child’s identity. That person receives an email from HM Passport Office and confirms the identity online; GOV.UK says they do not need to sign a printed photo. It is worth telling your chosen person to expect the email so it does not get lost.

Applying by post

If you prefer paper, you can pick up a form from a Post Office that offers the Passport Check and Send service, or ask the Passport Adviceline to post one. On this route GOV.UK says a countersignatory completes a section of the form and certifies your child’s photo. For a first child passport by post, the list of things to send is:

• two new photos of your child;
• the child’s full birth or adoption certificate (the version showing the parents’ details);
• proof of British nationality, such as a British registration certificate, a parent’s passport details or the parents’ birth certificates;
• any valid passports from another country that the child holds;
• any court orders relating to the child.

GOV.UK is firm that you must send original documents or official copies. Photocopies are not accepted, even certified ones, and laminated documents cannot be sent. Documents that are not in English or Welsh need certified translations alongside the originals. Your documents come back by normal post, or you can pay an extra £5 for secure delivery. The new passport arrives by courier or Royal Mail, and GOV.UK notes that a delivery card or letter will not say the package is a passport, so do not be puzzled by a vague note through the door.

Taking the photo of a baby

This is the part most parents dread, and GOV.UK has clear rules for it. For babies and children it says:

• the child must be on their own in the picture;
• babies must not be holding toys or using dummies;
• children under six do not have to look directly at the camera or keep a plain expression;
• children under one do not have to have their eyes open, and you can support their head with your hand as long as your hand is not visible in the photo;
• children under one should lie on a plain, light-coloured sheet, with the photo taken from above.

The general digital-photo rules still apply. The photo must be taken within the last month, in colour, clear, in focus and unaltered by software, against a plain light background with good contrast and no red-eye. It must be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, and between 50KB and 10MB. GOV.UK says photos from a booth or shop are more likely to be approved than ones taken on your own device, and that you can ask for a code with your photos and enter it during the application. If you use your own device, you will need someone to help you take it, and GOV.UK warns that a photo which breaks the rules will delay the application.

A few practical thoughts of our own, none of which come from GOV.UK: a plain pale sheet or cot sheet on a bed or floor, by a bright window, is an easy set-up; a second adult to keep the baby settled while you shoot from above helps enormously; and taking a good batch of shots gives you something to choose from.

A simple order of play

1. Confirm your child has British nationality and gather the documents.
2. Take or buy the photo, and keep the code if you choose the booth route.
3. Apply online, or collect a paper form.
4. Tell your identity-confirming person to watch for the HM Passport Office email.
5. Track the application, then book the trip.

The bottom line

A child’s first passport is mostly a matter of paperwork done in the right order: documents and photo first, application second, holiday booking last. Follow GOV.UK’s baby-photo rules, allow time for the application, and the whole thing can be over before the first suitcase comes down from the loft.

Sources

• GOV.UK, “Get a passport for your child”
• GOV.UK, “Get a passport photo”