Australian Baby Passport Photos — Guaranteed to Pass
Take it at home on your phone. We check every rule the passport office publishes and crop it to the millimetre. Express delivery to you for free, tracking included.
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An Australian Baby Passport photo must measure 35–40 mm wide by 45–50 mm high, on a plain white or light grey background. The face, measured from chin to crown, must be 32–36 mm. Under-3s may have their mouth open, but nobody else may be in shot.
Checked against passports.gov.au on 11 August 2026. Read the official guidance.
Requirements enforced, exactly as the passport office mandates
Every figure on this page is read from the Australian Passport Office's own guidance and carries the date we last checked it. We do not round them, restate them in our own words, or publish a house version. That sounds like a low bar until you compare online passport photo services and find one page giving three different head heights, one of them outside the legal range.
Australia accepts a range rather than one exact size, which is why two photo shops can hand you different prints and both be right. The photo must be 35–40 mm wide by 45–50 mm high. Within that frame the baby's face must measure 32–36 mm from the chin to the crown.
The crown is the top of the head — not the top of the hair. That distinction is worth more than it sounds. Measure to the top of a full head of hair and you will get a larger number, crop to it, and end up with a face outside the legal range. Some services state the rule that way. The passport office does not.
The background must be plain white or light grey that contrasts with the face; no shadows, reflections or pattern, with no shadow falling on it. The photo must be in colour, in focus, evenly lit, and taken within the last six months.
👶 Babies under 3 may have their mouth open
Adults may not — this is the one rule Australia relaxes for infants, and it is the one parents worry about most. A broad grin still counts as smiling, and nobody else may be in the shot, not even a hand steadying the head.
| Photo size | 35–40 mm × 45–50 mm |
|---|---|
| Face height, chin to crown | 32–36 mm |
| Background | Plain white or light grey that contrasts with the face; no shadows, reflections or pattern |
| Expression | Neutral — mouth may be open under 3 |
| Eyes | Open and looking at the camera (over 3) |
| Anyone else in shot | Not permitted — including a supporting hand |
| Glasses | Not permitted, except for medical reasons |
| Head covering | Religious only, and plain — no patterns at all |
| Hearing aid | Permitted. Wireless earbuds are not |
| Age of photo | Less than 6 months old |
| Paper | Glossy, 200 gsm minimum, dye sublimation (not inkjet) |
| Retouching | Not permitted at all |
We check for every reason your photo would be rejected
The passport office lists its own examples of unacceptable photos. It is a long list, and it is the list we built our checks from. Smiling. Camera too close, which distorts the face. Glasses. An object in frame. A parent's hand. A background that isn't plain, or has been edited. Head turned. Head tilted up or down. Hair over the eyes. A patterned head covering. Face partly covered. Looking away. Reduced resolution. Uneven lighting. Blur. Grain. Framing too close, and framing too far. A hat. Wireless earbuds.
Every one of those runs on every photo, along with the measurements — size, face height to the millimetre, background, exposure, shadow across the face, glare and lens distortion. A minute of a person's attention could not cover that list, which is why we don't sell it as a feature, and why some services charge extra for it.
Then, if you have ordered prints, a person checks the printed photo before it goes in the envelope. Not the file — the paper. It happens on every order and it costs nothing, because a print we were not confident in is not one we would post.
Three things the other online services do not do
The rules we check are Australia's. The passport office states the face must measure 32–36 mm from the chin to the crown. At least one service selling Australian passport photos publishes a larger figure than that for the same document, and describes the measurement as running from the chin to the top of the hair — which is the American convention, not the Australian one. Another cites United States State Department requirements on the same site it sells Australian photos from. Follow either and your photo has been measured by the wrong country's rule.
Eight prints, delivered free, and cheaper per photo than any service we compared. The prints are included rather than added at checkout — the two nearest services charge extra on top of their headline price for the same eight.
And a tracking number, on every order. None of the services we compared advertises tracking; they post regular mail. We have put every price and every claim side by side, with the date each was read, so none of this has to be taken on trust.
Digital
High-resolution file, correctly cropped, ready to upload or print.
8 printed photos, delivered
Not available yet in Australia. The digital photo is ready to download the moment it passes; printing and postage are coming.
How to take it at home
Lay the baby down
Lay the baby on their back on a plain white or light-grey sheet, with no pattern and nothing else in frame, and photograph straight down from above. Nobody has to hold the head up, and there is no shadow on the wall because there is no wall.
Keep everyone else out of frame
The rule for under-3s says it outright: no one else can be visible. A supporting hand at the edge of the frame is one of the most common reasons an infant photo is rejected. Use a rolled towel under the sheet rather than a hand in shot.
Use daylight, and stand back
Photograph near a window with the light on the baby's face rather than behind them. No flash — it makes a hard shadow and red-eye. Keep the camera back and zoom rather than moving close, because a camera too close quietly changes the shape of a face.
Frequently asked questions
Can my baby's passport photo be rejected?
Any photo can be rejected. The question is what happens next. Most online services offer a refund — some a double refund — which returns your money and leaves you without a passport, at the back of the queue. That is a promise about what happens after it goes wrong. Ours is about it not going wrong: your photo is measured against every rule before you are asked to pay, so a photo that cannot pass never reaches checkout. On the rare occasion the office still says no, we refund you in full and without argument.
Can a baby smile in an Australian passport photo?
The rule is a neutral expression, and the passport office lists smiling among its examples of unacceptable photos. But for children under 3 an open mouth is expressly allowed — and an open mouth is not the same thing as a smile. A relaxed, slightly open mouth is fine; a broad grin that changes the shape of the face is not.
How big must my baby's head be in the Australian passport photo?
Between 32–36 mm, measured from the chin to the crown — the top of the head, not the top of the hair. The distinction matters on a baby with a lot of hair: measure to the hair and you will crop to a face that falls outside the range.
What size is an Australian baby passport photo?
An Australian baby passport photo is 35–40 mm wide by 45–50 mm high — the same specification as an adult's. Australia does not publish a separate size for infants.
Are Australian passport photo requirements the same for adults and babies?
Almost identically, with one relaxation. The requirement to face the camera straight on with eyes open and a neutral expression is written as applying to anyone over 3. For children under 3, the mouth may be open. Size, face height, background, lighting and the ban on glasses apply exactly as they do to an adult.
Can my baby wear glasses in an Australian passport photo?
No — glasses are not permitted at any age, and the passport office is explicit that poor vision on its own is not a reason to keep them on. The only exception is a medical one, where you cannot remove them; then the frames must not obscure the eyes and the lenses must not reflect.
Can I wear a hijab in a passport photo in Australia?
Yes. If you usually cover your head for religious reasons you can wear the covering in your photo. Two conditions: it must be plain, with no pattern at all — not even a small one — and your whole face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead, with the edges of your face showing on both sides.
Should Australian passport photos be glossy or matte?
Glossy. The passport office asks for heavy-weight glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, printed by dye sublimation rather than an inkjet. That is why a photo printed at home on an office printer can be rejected even when the image itself is perfect.
Where can I get passport photos printed?
Officeworks, Kmart, Big W and Australia Post will all print photos you bring in, and their machines are the right kind. Printing at home usually is not — an inkjet does not meet the standard. Or skip it entirely: we print yours and send them, eight photos with free express delivery and tracking, anywhere in Australia.
Why won't Australia Post take my baby's passport photo?
Most Post Office branches will not photograph infants who cannot sit unsupported. Getting a compliant shot means positioning a baby's head, and that is a risk their staff are not insured to take, so parents are usually turned away at the counter. At home there is no queue and no limit on attempts, which is exactly what photographing a baby needs.
Why won't Officeworks take my baby's passport photo?
The same reason. Officeworks photo counters generally decline babies who cannot sit up on their own, for the same handling reason as Australia Post. Take it at home instead — lay the baby on a plain sheet, photograph from directly above, and we check it against the official specification before you pay anything.
Can you take Australian baby passport photos yourself?
Yes, and for an infant it is usually easier than any alternative. There is no rule requiring a professional photographer — only that the finished photo meets the specification.
Can I retouch an Australian baby passport photo?
No. Retouching is explicitly not permitted — the passport office names removing moles, wrinkles or scars, and lists skin smoothing among its examples of unacceptable photos. Editing the background is on that list too. We correct exposure and crop to the required dimensions; we never change a background, a face, or clothing.
How old can an Australian passport photo be?
Less than six months. A baby's appearance changes fast enough that this rarely binds in practice, but it is a stated requirement and worth knowing before you use a photo you already have.
Can my baby wear a hearing aid in a passport photo?
Yes. Hearing aids may be worn, and the passport office says so for adults, children and infants alike. Wireless earbuds are not hearing aids and must be taken out.
How long does an Australian child's passport last?
Five years for children under 16, rather than the ten an adult passport runs for.