Baby Passport Photo Rules: Eyes Open? Toys? Dummies? What the UK and Germany Actually Say

Nothing produces more rejected passport photos than a baby who will not cooperate. The good news: passport authorities know it, and the UK rules are noticeably more relaxed for very young children. The catch is that only some rules are relaxed — and the way you get the picture into the system in some countries, like Germany, has its own twist.

What GOV.UK says about children’s passport photos

GOV.UK applies the same core rules to every passport photo — a plain light-coloured background, no shadows on the face or behind the person, a photo taken in the last month, no objects or other people in the picture — and then lists specific rules for children:

• “Children must be on their own in the picture”. No parent’s hands holding the baby up in the frame.
• “Babies must not be holding toys or using dummies”.
• “Children under 6 do not have to be looking directly at the camera or have a plain expression”.
• “Children under one do not have to have their eyes open”.

What stays strict

How parents get a usable photo

1. Lie the baby down. Put a plain light sheet or blanket on the floor or a bed, lay the baby on it and photograph from above. It avoids the need for a wall or a high chair, and the sheet is the background.
2. Use soft, even light. A large window next to the baby, not behind them. Avoid a lamp on one side; it puts a shadow across half the face.
3. No hands, no dummies, no toys. If someone must steady the baby, keep the hands out of the frame and check the picture before you send it.
4. Take a burst. A baby’s head moves, and a few dozen frames give you one where the head is level and the mouth is closed or neutral.
5. Check the background is a light colour with no folds. A creased sheet shows as a shadow.

The German twist: bring a coded photo

Since 1 May 2025, German passports and ID cards take only digital photos. At citizen offices the photo is often taken on a terminal, but the terminals are frequently unsuitable for babies and toddlers. The official information (for example on Berlin’s citizen-service portal) says to bring a photo with a QR-type code from a registered photographer to the appointment in that case. If you are applying in Germany for a baby, ask the office when you book the appointment how they photograph small children.

Common mistakes with baby photos

• A dummy left in the mouth or sitting next to the baby.
• A parent’s hand or sleeve in the corner of the frame.
• A photo taken weeks earlier because it was the “best one”.
• A patterned blanket, a cot bar or a car-seat strap visible in the background.
• A shadow behind the head because the baby is propped against a wall.

If you need a photo for a UK application from your own picture, our UK passport photo tool can fit the frame and background for you.