How to take a newborn passport photo

How to take a newborn passport photo with success on the first try

We spent several hours trying to take JL’s newborn passport photo. I had done research online some DIY methods that turned out not to be useful. This post is designed to save you that time!

Passport Appointment with Photo Services

For best success, I recommend booking a passport appointment with photo services as they have experience taking a newborn passport photo that meets requirements. This can be hard to do especially since both parents needed to be present unless you have a notarized document.

Passport Photo at Neighborhood Pharmacy

The next best option is to go have your newborn’s passport photo taken at a pharmacy close to a passport office. This is what we did. We tried to visit the pharmacy closest to our house the morning of our passport appointment. This was a bad idea to wait until right before the appointment. The guy had clearly never taken a newborn passport photo and none of the photos he took met the requirements. He told us we just had to wait until our son was older. That was not going to work.

We showed up to our appointment without a photo hoping they could take one there. That service was unavailable at our location. They sent us to the pharmacy a few doors down. This pharmacy employee had experience taking newborn passport photos. She laid a blank sheet of white poster board down on the floor and we laid JL on it. The system accepted the first photo she took! Luckily the passport office let us come back later than our appointment. We were able to turn in our application that day.

Taking a newborn passport photo can be stressful since newborns cannot follow instructions. Save your time and go to a photo site experienced with taken newborn passport photos!

Getting your newborn passport photo on the passport

Schedule a passport appointment!

We opted to pay for the expedited service and got JL’s passport in 4 weeks but times can vary based on volume.

Need ideas on where to take your baby on his or her first international trip? Check out my London with a baby itinerary!