Berkeley Parents Network: Passport Photos

Berkeley Parents Network

Passport Photos

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Services & Businesses > Photographers > Passport Photos

Infant Passport Photo

Infant Passport Photo

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

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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