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Any Australian going abroad has to be a holder of a valid passport, and the same is true for babies. A parent or legal guardian has to apply in the child's name and provide the necessary documents, among which are 2 (two) identical passport photographs.
When it comes to the requirements for an Australian passport picture, there is a long list. However, does a baby passport photo need to meet all of those as well? What to do if it is still impossible for a baby to keep their head straight and their eyes open, or if they get fussy about having their picture taken?
Read on to find out all you need to know about Australian baby passport pictures and find out how to take one in the comfort of your own home.
Every passport issued in the world has to be biometric, which means that the photo must meet some basic criteria, such as:
There are also rules concerning posing, forbidden items (toys or dummies in the case of babies) and facial expressions.
The Australian passport photo has to be between 35 x 45 mm and 45 x 50 mm and it is the same for babies. From the chin to the top of the hair, the head should take up between 32 and 36 mm. You can always resize your picture with the PhotoAiD app later.
The baby’s whole head and neck has to be in the picture. The upper part of the shoulders can be visible as well but that is not mandatory. To obtain this, the distance between the child and the camera should be between 1.20 and 2 metres.
The face of your baby should be visible with no shadows and evenly lit on both sides. The best trick to obtain this is by using natural light, for example, placing the baby so that they are facing a window. Natural light is better than a flash, since there is no risk of the red eye effect or glare, which could invalidate the photo.
The picture has to be printed in colour, so that the natural skin tone of the baby is reflected.
The background of a baby's passport picture should be off-white or white, with no shadows, patterns or any other objects or people visible in the shot.
The face of your baby or child has to be fully visible, which means it has to be a face-on view and not a side shot. The head has to be in the centre of the photo and the camera should be at eye level. The head should be kept straight, not tilted in any direction and the child should look straight at the camera.
Of course, this sounds easier than it really is, especially because small babies cannot support their own head. The solution is to sit the baby in a carrier or put it in your lap - you can later be erased from the background using our PhotoAiD website and app, available online, so all you need to focus on is maintaining the baby's head and ensuring it is properly positioned.
The rules for taking an Australian passport photo specify that you should maintain a “neutral facial expression”, which means no smiling, frowning, grimacing or crying, and the same applies to children.
For babies and children under 3 (three) years of age, they can keep their mouths open, as long as they look straight at the camera and keep their head still.
A good tip would be to attract the baby’s attention by using a toy or rattle, so that they look towards you. You might not get the perfect shot on the first try, but just continue and later choose the photo you like best to be edited by PhotoAiD.
Basically any outfit for a baby passport photo is fine, as long as their head is left uncovered (unless you cover it for medical reasons). The face of your baby also has to be fully visible, but if the baby has pierced ears, there is no need to remove the earrings when taking the passport picture.
As mentioned before, no toys, dummies, bottles, or other baby accessories can be visible in the picture. The background can be replaced using software, so if anything is visible behind your baby, you can edit the photo later.
Instead of a trip to a photo booth or a photographers studio, use your own home. This will allow your baby or child to relax in a familiar setting and cooperate with you while you take pictures. What you will need is:
The most frequent mistakes people make when taking passport photos of babies and children for an Australian passport are:
If you are wondering where to take your baby's passport photo to ensure it is the correct size, well cropped and has the appropriate background, the answer is: anywhere you want.
By downloading our PhotoAiD app, you can take pictures of your child wherever you like and ask our intelligent software to take care of the rest, cropping, resizing, verifying the validity of your passport picture and equipping it with the required background.
You can take and retake as many pictures as needed without stress and in the comfort of your own home.
Last update: 2/6/23
You need to avoid using Photoshop or filters to make the photo look better or remove spots, as all digitally enhanced pictures will be automatically rejected.
They are identical with the exception that babies under 3 years old may have open mouths in their passport photo.
For children under 16 years old the passport is issued for 5 years.
The head, from the chin to the top of the hair must measure between 32 mm and 36 mm.
Australian passport photos should measure 35 mm to 40 mm wide x 45 mm to 50 mm high.
Of course you can! With Passport Photo Online, it’s easier than ever to take your own passport photo of your baby, and the tool’s AI software, coupled with human inspectors, means you can be confident your photo is going to meet the requirements set by the Australian government.
Your baby must have a neutral facial expression in their passport photo, so the baby should not be smiling as well as crying in the picture.
The Australian law allows for a baby with at least one parent holding Australian citizenship, or being a permanent resident, to automatically acquire Australian citizenship, and by consequence an Australian passport once the birth certificate has been issued.
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