Advice about Passports for Kids
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Advice about Passports for Kids
Sept 2009
There are some old posts from 2004 about infant passport photos
but I'm wondering if anyone has any updated business names that
did a good job with infant photos. Our baby is just 5 weeks old
and we need to rush a passport in the next month for a trip to
Europe at the end of September. It'd probably be best to go to
someone who has experience with newborn passport photos...given
the new stricter guidelines. Thanks!
Katrina
Try epassport.com. You take your own pictures (for such a young
baby, lay her on a white sheet), upload to the site and it will
resize. Tricky part for me was figuring out that the head and
chin had to be within (i.e., touching) the green boxes. You can
pay more to have a human verify the size. You can take it to any
photo shop to print it out.
Epassport worked for us!
I had my infant passport photos taken at Costco (Richmond) for only a couple of
dollars. They knew exactly what they were doing and the photos came out great. I just
had to have a stroller that allowed the infant to sit in an upright position - they put
a
white towel behind him (perhaps you should take a white towel incase they don't have
any in stock).
Happy Travelling Mom!
We got our infant passports done at the UPS Store on Alcatraz
(almost at the corner of College/Alcatraz) - fast and
professional. Go when your baby is fed and rested,and it will be
easy.
Melanie
In 2006 we went to Costco for our infant
anon
Got my infant's passport photos at Costco in El Cerrito/Richmond! They were really
good, knowledgeable, helpful and inexpensive... oh, and fast! My baby was about 8
weeks at the time.
travelin' mam
This isn't exactly a business recommendation, but I wanted to
say that for both our infant sons, we took the pictures
ourselves with no problem. We laid a white towel down on the
ground or bed and used our digital camera, then just took the
pictures to a Kodak kiosk or Ritz to print. We took many
pictures to get the right shot, but think it ended up being
easier because we could attempt as many times as needed, and
our kids were more relaxed laying down instead of squirming in
our arms. So even with the new guidelines, it worked out fine
for us.
Tanya
My baby was 7 weeks and needed passport photos.
I went to CSAA at hilltop, paid $10 for 1 photo (2 copies
provided). Basic criteria: face needs to be about the size of
an adult thumbprint. the background needs to be white.
My baby could sit still for a few seconds while they snapped
the shot. I was next to the photo chair watching to see/catch
the baby if about to tip over.
The back up plan was to have the baby in the carseat with the
white fleece background.
They told me that sometimes an adult wearing a white sheet to
meet the photo background criteria will hold the baby. some
babies can't sit on their own or are needy for their parents'
hold.
bring a big white towel or a sheet to your sitting.
You may be able to do it yourself if you have someone to snap
the shot.
look at the state department website for criteria on the photo
requirements.
for my project I needed more than 2 photos so I scanned and
made duplicates at Walgreens.
Also for my project, I needed 2 gov't issued IDs. One was the
birth certificate. for the other, I made an appt at DMV and
got the baby a CA ID. It was $24. most people don't get one
for their kid, but it has been handy for setting up bank
accounts, getting into my workplace to visit with the baby. It
just makes it more official so folks are not scrutinizing a
birth cert. DMV took the picture while I held the baby up in
the air and getting the thumbprint on the pad was the toughest
part.
Lisa
We did the photos at the Post Office where we also got the passports. We'd heard
many stories from friends who had photos done elsewhere where the cost was lower
but when they got to the PO, they had various reasons why those photos were not
acceptable. Yes, sound like just their way of making the money, but if you're short on
time, you don't have time to fight it.
The post office in downtown Berkeley has a dedicated passport service, and they'll take
the pictures of your baby right there. It's across the YMCA, on Allston Way.
Our first was a month old when we did, and it helps if you have something white, like a
blanket, to use as background for the picture.
Good luck on your trip!
Anna
Not sure anywhere really does this. I did my own by lying my 4
week old son on a white sheet. It took about 20 shots, but as
long as it's a face on shot it's fine. I don't think they're so
worried about baby photo's, give it a week and they look
different anyhow!
Photomama
Feb 2009
Hi,
We will be traveling to Europe (Denmark primarily) this summer when my
son is 6 years old. I've just gone to the US Passport website and it
looks like a crazy annoying process (both parents must be present!) to
get a passport, lots of paperwork and hassle. It also looks like it's
possible to just have a birth certificate for him (i.e. no passport
needed for children under 16 years), although it also looks like there
are some new regulations coming up in June 2009 that might affect
things.
Any advice out there from international travelers with children? We
do plan to travel internationally a fair amount in the next 10 years,
so I'm just wondering if we should bite the bullet and go through the
passport process (but then do we have to change the photo at regular
intervals, since he'll look quite different as a 15 year old I'm sure)
or go with the easy method. I really don't want any hassles at
airports, so whatever will minimize that possibility would be best for
us.
Ready to blow this popsicle stand
Getting a passport is no big deal. You are making way more of it than it is. Just go to
the passport office at the downtown berkeley post office. Pick up the form and
instructions. When you come back (yes with both parents) you give them the filled out
form, birth certificate and photos. No big deal. I met my husband there and it took us
15 minutes. We had the passport in a week or so.
Not sure why you are so freaked out by this
We have travelled overseas several times, with one US and one
Australian child. Our daughter got her first passport at two weeks!
On the US passport website it says ''All children regardless of
age, including newborns and infants, must have their own passport''.
Birth certificates are not valid - they won't let you travel if
you don't have a passport when you go to the airport.
The passport process is actually not bad at all. You fill out one
form (a couple of pages), get photographs taken, pay a fee and
visit the passport office (there's one at UC Berkeley RSF center,
and one at the downtown Berkeley US post office) - the interview
took about five minutes. It's true that they require both parents
to be present, OR, if only one parent presents, the other one can
provide a notarized letter of consent.
Also note that passport for minors (under 16) are only valid for
5 years - the one bonus is that they cost less than a regular 10
year one!
All that info is listed at the website
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html
Happy Travels!
Penny Boys
To travel to Denmark your child will definitely need to have a
passport -- a birth certificate is not enough. You can apply for
a passport at many post offices and it's not an onerous process.
If both parents cannot be present to apply together with the
child, one parent can fill out form DS 3053 and have it
notarized. The website
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html
states the process clearly. This website also has a link to find
a post office near you which processes passports.
A child's passport is good for five years and the photograph is
kept the same for that period of time.
Make sure you leave lots of time for processing -- while my
daughter's passport was processed in just a few weeks last year,
it can take longer.
traveler
YES GET A PASSPORT!!!
Trust me the time spent getting a passport will be much less than the time spent on
the drama of not having one. In fact, both parents don't have to be present, you
can have your spouse write a letter permitting you to apply and obtain the passport
for your child and have it notarized, the passport agency will accept that.
Have fun and be safe!
sevgi
dont' believe everything you hear -- it's my understanding that
everyone needs a passport to travel now. YOu'd be better off just
biting the bullet and doing it. What if you get somewhere that
insists your kid have a passport? You can't expect other places
to be reasonable because the state department's site may have
suggested your kid doesn't need one.
I took my 10 month old to Australia years ago and got her a
passport. It really wasn't THAT bad. The worst of it was waiting
in line at the County offices to get it so you should plan to get
there first thing in the morning.
You'll need to renew it every five years until the child is over 16.
You'll have more hassles NOT having a passport, in my opinion.
Just get it out of the way.
Kerie
We travel abroad a lot. The process is not so complicated. We do not go to the passport office. We follow the instructions that allow both parents to go into their local city offices and see someone. I go to Albany city, though we do not live there, there is never a line and it never takes more than 5 minutes. Also you do not need an appointment and everyone seems to know exactly what to do. Just make sure you have your I.Ds and pictures, money etc. Childrens passports are only valid for 5 years (at least the 4 times I have had to get them, that was the case). You can pay extra for rush or standard rate for 6 week delivery. I have always opted for 6 weeks and had passports in a month. You get a tracking number and web site so you can track whats going on. Anon
Your 6-year-old absolutely MUST have a passport to go to Denmark.
Absolutely, positively. You will be denied boarding at the
airport if you don't have one. I work in the travel industry and
travel extensively with my children, so I promise, I know what I
am talking about.
Yes, getting the passport is a hassle, but the reason for the
regulations is a valid one - it's to prevent one parent from
getting a passport and taking the child out of the country
without the knowledge or permission of the other parent. Please
try to keep this in mind as you deal with the hassle - think of
the children it's designed to protect.
emma
Bite the bullet and get the passport. International travel is
hard enough without playing games at the airport.
We were able to do this for our two kids on a Saturday. There
was a special session at the Oakland post office near the
airport. We had all of the paperwork done, money ready and
pictures ready...then got there about 30 mins before the doors
opened...and it wasn't all that bad. I think we were 2nd or
3rd in line.
Once you get the passport, then you can just renew in future
years by sending it back in with the fee and a new picture. I
can't remember how long they last for little kids...either 3 or
5 years.
Nikki
Get the passport. It actually is easy. Fill out the application
on-line, print it out, don't sign it until you get to the
post-office. Bring your checkbook for the fees, your spouse, and
a photo ID. Get a copy of your child's birth certificate and two
passport photos. The website also lets you search for your local
post office that takes passport applications. Some post offices
require an appointment others are just walk in during certain
hours. At the post office it only takes a few minutes to sign
and complete the process.
Children's passports expire every 5 years, but renewing is much
easier. You just fill out the renewal form on-line, print it
out, sign. Get 2 new passport photos, write out the check and
send it off in the mail.
Both of my kids have their passports.
crystal
Get the passport! It's easy. Here's what I did: print out
application form online. Photo taken at AG Photo (near corner
of Claremont and College, across from Shell Station). Then go
to the passport office. This can be the hard part - the website
indicated that a couple of post offices near my home accepted
applications on weekends, but that info turned out to be
incorrect as the surly postal workers gleefully informed me
after my husband and I waited in long lines. We ended up going
to the passport office at UC Berkeley, which is near the gym.
Longer drive from our house but otherwise painless. Staffed by
a non-surly student. No line. A few weeks later, passport
arrived in the mail. I think we paid extra for 'rush' service
and got it very quickly, although the student thought it would
not be necessary and it probably would not have been.
Fran
You mis-read the website.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html
It clearly states:
Minors under age 16 must apply in person
All children regardless of age, including newborns and infants,
must have their own passport
There is no ''easy'' way. It's the post 9-11 world, post
international kidnappings, post messy divorces, etc.
Ellen
I just applied for a passport for my 6 year old and it was very
easy. Your child needs a passport to go to Europe and it must
be renewed every 5 years. Here's what I did:
The ALBANY CITY CLERK is located at 405 KAINS AVENUE and is
open from 8:30-6:30 on Mondays. There are other passport
offices in other cities, but this one was open latest...but
only on Mondays (call for additional hours 528-5710).
You will need to bring the following with you:
the child
checkbook
both parent's driver's licenses (and both parents)
2 passport photos
child's birth certificate (certified copy)
child's old passport (if they have one)
form DS-11:
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/79955.pdf
Happy Travels
Signed: jk
We got a passport for our (then) five month old this past summer since we were
considering going to Canada for vacation. It was not a big deal. We got the forms on
line, then went to the RSF (Recreational Sports Facility) on the U.C. Berkeley Campus
for
pictures and to turn the forms in. Yes, both parents had to be there, but they are
open
for a few hours on Saturday (or at least they were then..call to check the hours), so
it
wasn't a problem. It's certainly worth an hour or two of work to have a passport if
you
are going to do all the traveling you mentioned.
mom of passport-bearing baby
I'm pretty sure you must have a passport for your child. We got
ours at the Piedmont Post Office on a Saturday morning -- be the
first there to avoid a long line. Going on Saturday makes the
both-parents-must-be-present rule a little easier. Children's
passports are only good for 5 years, because of the photo going
out of date. You cannot change the photo on an existing
passport. We had lots of immigration people give us a good laugh
when they saw our kids at ages 3 or 4 or 5 for example, while
comparing to a photo of a fat-faced baby!
- international traveler with kids
Get the passport by all means! We got one for our daughter at
age 5 when she began traveling to Japan several times each
year. I believe it was good for 10 years despite the picture on
it. We just got her a new one at age 15 and she got a new
picture. You need one now for Mexico and Canada as well and
while a birth certificate may be acceptable in some instances
you are asking for trouble. I also found both parents do not
have to be present if you have a notarized statement from the
parent that does not appear with the child. The Berkeley main
post office across from the YMCA has a passport office and they
are pros at dealing with kid's passports all the time so we go
there. Just do it and be done with it for 10 years. It is also
a super nice keepsake as it documents your child's life of
travel from age 6 on!
anon
The process is not complicated at all - fill out the form
according to instructions, have an original birth certificate
available and go together with your spouse to a postal office or
government center where to file it. Postal offices can take the
picture as well. There are reasons for asking both parents to be
present - making sure one parent does not secretly get the
passport and take the child abroad without the other parent's
consent. It will have an expiration date of 5 years or so, so do
not worry about the picture getting outdated. It is only
reasonable to think that since you will be doing a lot
international traveling a passport would be needed for your son.
If your child will be traveling with one parent only make sure
you have a consent letter from the other parent. Google ''consent
letter for traveling abroad'' and you will get a lot of examples.
z
The passport process is really easy. There's just one paper, which they have there
and you fill it out in the office. You have to take your kid to get 2 passport photos
(go to a photo store), bring 2 copies of the birth certificate, and yes, both parents
have to be present, which is a hassle, but it's pretty painless. We did it last year,
and
went to the Berkeley post office and were in and out in 30 minutes, including
standing in the P.O. line to get the money order to pay for the passport. Granted,
we went in the middle of the day, which is easy, although I'm sure weekends are
pretty crowded. When our 4 year old was born and we lived in SF, we went to City
Hall, and again, very easy and quick.
At this age, the passport lasts for 5 years. I think it's really good to have a
passport
handy at all times for everyone - you just never know when you might need it, and
it's a good, easy form of id that we bring for domestic travel for the kids as well.
Good luck!
Ready to travel!
Oh geez, it's really not that complicated! And yes, you need one
to go anywhere outside of the US now. We just did it 2 weeks ago
for our 10 year old son. Go here:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html
Fill out the application online and then print 2 copies of it
(just in case one gets messed up somehow), DON'T SIGN IT (you do
that in person when you go to submit it).
Take your checkbook, your husband/partner, both of you bring your
drivers licenses with you, your son's birth certificate, and go
to a post office that processes these things. We went to the one
on 41st st in Oakland just off Piedmont Ave - it's open for
passport applications on Saturday mornings. Took a half hour
max. They have a camera there to take photos of your child so
you don't have to worry about it.
Children's passports are good for 5 years because they grow and
change so you have to renew in 5 years.
Seriously - it's easier than doing taxes!
(Editor Note: many more responses were received that repeated
the information above!)
March 2007
I want to apply for a passport renewal for my child, but I have
been unable to locate the father for some time. The father is on
the birth certificate and there is no legal custody arrangement,
so technically I need either for him to sign the form or I can
fill in the form explaining that I can't reach him. My question
is: has anyone had success (or failure) in filling out the
explanation box? I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to write.
Not planning to travel, but just keeping all the ducks in a row
If you can't reach the father, have you thought about filing for sole
custody? I am not
sure about the legal ramifications, but think it might be wise.
Good luck
I just got my son's passport last week, so I am fresh to this
answer! My son's father lives in Germany and we have no idea
where. I just filled out his name on the form and then on a
seperate piece of paper, I typed a short but sweet letter
stating that his father (whose name is on the birth certificate,
but my son has my last name) was not in our lives nor does he
support us in any way and that I have been the provider for my
child 100% since his birth.
I then went and had it notarized, just in case. I processed my
application at the Berkeley post office, they were really nice
and helpful. Note, pics at the post office are $15, and they can
be easily done at home against a light (white) background. I
spent $30 for a job I could have easily done for free at home.
Just a little money saving tip from one single mom to another!
Traveling Single Mom
June 2004
I will be traveling in july with my 4 month old, and need to get
passport photos and citizenship photos taken. Does any one have
any experience or recommendations for a good place to get these
taken?
margie
I just got passport photos at Costco, about $5. Check the state
government website to download the application and instructions. You
will need your child's birth certificate and if only one parent is going with
the kid you will need a letter from the other parent authorizing you to
apply for the passport on behalf of your child. I just applied for my
passport renewal and a first time passport for my kid at the Albany City
Hall. No appointment needed. They do charge $30 per person to
process the application. As we are traveling in July, I paid $60 per
person to expedite the application process. It cost $275 total for the
passport , expedite and City processing fees for 2 passports. Next time
I'll apply much earlier to save the extra fee! Have a good trip!
barbara
There was a discussion a while ago and some people mentioned
taking a digital photo and printing it was the cheapest option,
but this was not a good choice for me.
There is a small place in Berkeley Square that charges about $10
for 2 pictures. They are good and fast, and if the picture
doesn't come right they are willing to re-take it.
Now, advice where NOT to go. I went to Abby Photo, on Claremont
near College. I asked for passport photos for my infant child,
but din't ask the price since I assumed it was going to be about
$10 (what I had just paid a few weeks earlier for my older
child). When the lady was going to take the pictures, I said I
would like two sets. She then said that it would be better to
do them digitally, since she would only have to take one shot of
not-yet-able-to-sit-by-himself infant and could print multiple
copies in one page. I said OK and she changed cameras and took
the picture. When I went to pay, she charged me $50!! When I
told her since she suggested the change she should have also
informed me of the difference in price, her rationale was that I
had not asked for a price in the first place.(!) By the way,
the price IS $9.50 for 2 passport polaroid pictures...
Unhappy customer
Go to EASY GOING, the travel store at Rose and Shattuck in Berkeley.
We had both of our children's pictures taken there as infants. Our
daughter was less than 2 months old when we needed a passport photo
taken. They were extremely patient while we tried to get her to open her
eyes. We had the same positive experience with our son's infant
passport photos just a month ago. They told us that if the photos were
not accepted by the passport agency that we could come back and
they'd take them again for no cost. Fortunately, both times the photos
were accepted.
Shoshana
We did this with one infant in LA and it was really hard to get
an acceptable shot. With the second baby I laid her down on a
white sheet and took a close up photo of her by standing over
her. This worked fine. Just make sure that you get it pretty
close up so that there isn't a lot of extra white showing. Amy
PS-You can get all of the necessary forms to get the passport on
the web. Note that now if only one parent goes to get the
passport the other parent must fill out a form giving permission.
Also, bring a check with you.
Sarber's Cameras at 1958 Mountain Blvd. in Montclair (tel. 339-
8545) recently took some great digital photos for my infant
daughter's passport. We lined her car seat with a white sheet
(which they had on hand), sat her down, then started shooting.
The photographer/clerk willingly took several shots so I could
choose the one I liked best, then printed and cut them down to
the right size -- all in about 20 minutes. The digital photos
are far superior to the Polaroid film used by other places,
especially when you have a squirmy baby. Sarber's has a 2nd
store on Solano Ave.; I imagine they'd do the same there. Have
a great trip! --
Ann S.
My husband was born in Germany (on a military base) and had to
have a passport photo taken at 2 weeks old (in case they needed
to evacuate on short notice - it was the Cold War period).
Apparently the photo was very funny because his father had to
hold his head up but remain off camera, so the picture was of a
tiny baby's head with a man's hand wrapped around the back of
it. I don't know if that's helpful, but I always thought it
sounded funny.
Andrea
Jan 2004
Anyone know where we can get passport photos done cheaply? We
live in Berkeley.
Pauline
If you have a digital camera, you can do your own passport
photos through Ofoto. We've made our own, and it was very easy
and cheap.
Carol
We had our photos taken at Costco for $5-6, I think. Even
cheaper- find someone with a digital camera to take your
picture, and you can crop and size it and have it printed at a
photo store or do-it-yourself kiosk.
Jim
Costco has cheap passport pix available at the one-hour
photo counter. There's also a place in downtown Berkeley.
anon
I've always used EastBay Photo and found them both inexpensive
and experienced. It's a little place on Shattuck, in the island
where Shattuck divides in two, in between Addison and University
(or is it Center and Addison?). Anyway, small place, but nice
people. They also keep negatives on file so you can go back and
year or two later and get more copies if you need them for visas
or whatever.
Dianna
If you are willing to make the trek to San Leandro, Costco
offers the cheapest passport photos we've seen (I'm afraid I
can't remember the exact dollar amount though).
Got my passport
Walgreens.
Patty
The two best options for cheap passort photos are
1. Take them yourself with a digital camera. You only need a
neutral background, so stand against a plain wall, size them
appropriately on your computer, and you can take as many as you
like. Worked like a charm when it was time for my husband to
renew his passport.
2. Go to the photo shop on Solano, just above Colusa Ave (Ritz
camera?). They will take the photo digitally for a resonable
cost. We did this for my daughter when she was 1 year old. Easy
going on Rose @ Cedar took her photo 4 times and it was still
fuzzy. Sarbers on Solano tried to take her photo and out of a ton
of smiles they caught her when she looked like she had just
sneezed - again the focus was not good. At the photo shop on
Solano just above Colusa the took 6 or 8 photos of her - we got
to pick the best photo and they charged us for the ''sitting'' that
comes with two photos (since they only actually printed two
copies and could just erase the others). I think it was $15 or
$18 - Well worth getting a good photo
Lois
If you or a friend has a membership, passport photos are $4.99
at Costco. They take a digital photo, so the photographer was
nice enough to let me look at it before it was printed and ask
if it was ok.
They weren't able to take pictures of my 1 year old son who
isn't able to stand up and not squiggle, so we took our own.
You can find the exact measurements on the web. I believe it
is 2''x2'' with the face between 1 and 1 3/8''. The background has
to be white or off-white. If you can get the proportions
rights, you can just trim any recent photo. In our case, I
happened to have the Kinko's passport photo template from my
last photo, so I scanned it in and adjusted the size of a
digital photo that someone had taken.
Anita
Passport photos that are inexpensive AND well done can be taken
at Easy Going travel store at Rose Street and Shattuck in
Berkeley. The ones I had done there recently were much better
than those I got elsewhere. Easy Going also has many travel-
related items like luggage, packs, travel clothing and books.
This really great store also has travel slide shows and book
presentations from time to time.
Christine V
Try Costco-it's only about $5 for two color photos, done while
you wait.
anon
March 2003
Hello: I will be traveling with my infant son to Spain in June and need to
get him a passport. I was wondering how/where one takes a photo of an
infant for the passport application. Can anyone recommend a photo
store that can do it, or suggest the best way to do it myself? Thanks very
much.
Elizabeth
I tried half a dozen times to get my 6 week old son's passport
photo taken at various locations. Either he was crying or
sleeping or would not relinquish his pacifier every time. None
of the situations would yield a photo acceptable by the passport
authorities. The way most passport photo places work with
infants is to have the baby in your arms as the photo is taken.
What finally worked for me was to take the photo myself of the
baby lying on a bed with a white blanket underneath him. I
found a time when he was in a happy, playful mood and got a
great shot. I had the smallest possible prints made and then
cropped the photos to the correct size for passport photos.
These were accepted by the passport office.
Nowadays you could probably even print them yourself on a color
printer.
-- Travelling mom
I just had to get a passport for my baby and had a difficult time
finding a passport photo place that would agree to do a baby.
(apparently a lot of them set it up so you have to stand
in front of a white background that they roll down from
the ceiling... they told me that the passport people are
really picky about baby pictures and they wouldn't accept
one where I was holding him...he needed to be ''floating''
on a white background).
Finally I went to Easy Going, the travel store at the end of
Shattuck where it meets Rose, just past Longs. They were great,
really nice. I got a great picture of my son. They even took a
second one for free because he moved in the first one. They
will drape a sheet over you and have the baby on your lap. They
were also a few dollars cheaper than the other places. I highly
recommend them.
Also, when I went to go get the passport I thought I had all the
necessary paperwork (birth certificate, SS#) but it turned out
that they needed a ''statement of consent'' from my husband. He
could either write a letter ''I _____ give my consent to the
issuance of a United States passport to my minor child named on
this statement.'' Then sign and date. Put chlld's name, date of
birth and relationship to child on there. Alternatively (and a
safer bet), they have a form the other parent can fill out, but
that takes an extra trip to pick it up from the office that is
only open till 3:30pm M-F in downtown Berkeley. Probably the
easiest is for both parents to go together if that's possible.
Hope that helps.
have fun in Spain
Anywhere where they take passport photos should be fine. We had
the our baby's passport picture taken in the post office where
they processed her passport application (you have to go in person
for a child's first passport). She was 6 months at the time, so
she could sit up (I kneeled next to her and held her so she
wouldn't fall).
anon
used Ritz (Wolf) Camera on Solano. They were very patient and
accomodating.
We just put our infant son on a white bedspread (since you need
a white background) and took his picture many times on a digital
camera. Then my husband cropped in on the computer and we cut
it to the specified size. It was actually pretty easy.
--Looking at his baby passport
We did this with both our kids when they were infants. We just went to Walgreens and had them taken there. The secret is to have two grown-ups with the baby, one to hold the child in the position and the other to stand next to the photo clerk with the camera to make silly faces, jump up and down, and otherwise get the infant to look in the right direction with a smile.
As I recall, it took a couple tries with their special passport polaroid, but the clerk had such fun that we only got charged for one.
Rhabyt
I did this recently with my 12-month old and found it was harder
than I thought! I finally walked in to a photo development place
on Shattuck, I can't remember the name but it is close to Center
Street on the same side as Walgreens. There is another photo
place further up on Shattuck, on the ''island'' between Center and
Addison. Anyway, the issue is that you need to find a place with
a fancy enough camera that will be able to get a close-up picture
of the baby. I had gone to AAA and to another photo place and
they used a polaroid camera, but their camera couldn't take a
picture that would result in the baby's face being large enough
to meet the requirements for passport photos (I believe it has to
be 1'' long or something like that?) So check the measurement
requirements and then check the picture when they hand it to you.
anon
You can get infant passport photos done at the camera department
in most Walgreens. Just call first to confirm that they offer
the service at your local Walgreens.
Patty
The Easygoing Travel Bookstore (across from Long's on the
corner of Shattuck and Rose) does passport photos and they've
been extremely patient and good-humored with my twins. 843-3533
Ann
When I needed a passport photo for my 1 month old I had an awful
time with several places (it didn't help that my 1 month old was
sleeping most of the time). Sarber's in Montclair did a great
job with my daughter then and again a month ago when we had to
do the renewal. They were right on the money with the size of
the head on the photo which is REALLY critical for passport
pictures.
Make sure that you attach an original certified copy of your
child's birth certificate (they'll return it with the
passport). A copy won't do. And you also need an affadavit
from the parent who is not directly applying for the passport
that they consent to the passport. The rules are much stricter
now for getting a passport for a minor now then they were 5
years ago when I went through it the first time!!
Hope that helps.
There is a passport office at the Berkeley Main Post Office. We
had passport photos taken on-site w/ an instant camera (my
husband held our babies in front of his chest for the photos - he
was wearing a solid grey t-shirt and the pics turned out fine)
filled out the apps and paid for the service all at once - it was
very easy. Just so you know, you have to bring a notorised copy
of the baby's birth certificate which they keep and then mail
back to you along w/ baby's passport. I don't remember their hours
but I'm sure you can get them if you call the P.O.
Anna
I had my baby's passport photo taken at three months in San
Francisco around the immigration office while I was getting my
visa. There are a lot of photo places there with a lot of
experience. What they did with my daughter was photograph her
in her baby carrier on the floor. I would recommend that you
call the passport photo place ahead of time to make sure that
they know how to photograph infants.
Anon
I took my then 3-month-old daughter to the Ritz Camera store on
Solano in Berkeley (I think it is called Presto Prints) and was
pleased with the process and results. Requirements for
passport photos are very stringent, so you might have trouble
doing it yourself.
Liz O.
When our son was 6 months old I got him a passport for a trip to
England. I took the photo at Kinko's by holding him up in the
air for the head shot so he was the only one in the photo. It
was hilarious and a very cute photo!
Maya
I got my son's passport photograph taken just last week at the
portrait studio closest to JC Penny at the Hilltop Mall. I liked
the way the guy handled my 3 mth old baby and am happy with the
way the photographs turned out.
FYI almost any studio will do it for you, but keep in mind that
the requirements ask for it to be taken against a white or an
off white background.
Shil
In the past, we were able to take passport pictures of our 2-
month-old by holding her in an elevated position with one hand
(from underneath) and the other hand went behind her body and
supported her head from behind. This way I was completely
invisible and the picture came out just fine.
Last time we renewed our passports though (a couple of months
ago), we decided to take our own pictures. We did it with a
digital camera, at home where we could choose a good moment for
the girls to cooperate, in front of a white wall, and then we
were able to adjust the images to the size we needed and print
them out. We did it for both kids and for ourselves. The clerk
in the passport office said: Good photos! Where did you take
them? We said - in Chinatown.
Maria
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