What a baby’s ID photo has to show
There is no special rule for minors. The photo for a baby’s DNI, for a passport and for the TIE all follow the same Royal Decree 1553/2005: 26 × 32 mm, colour, plain uniform white background, front-facing and with the head uncovered. On top of that come two conditions that in practice cause nearly every rejection:
- Eyes open, looking at the camera. Even at two weeks old.
- Nobody else in the frame. No hands, no arms, no silhouette behind.
- Nothing on the head: no dummy, hat, headband, ribbon or clips.
- Forehead and ears clear, head straight, not tipped to one side.
- Mouth closed and a neutral expression, without a broad smile.
The method that works: lying on a white sheet
Sitting up a baby who cannot hold themselves and supporting them from behind is the fastest route to a hand appearing in the photo. The alternative studios use is to lay them down:
- Pick the moment. Awake, recently fed, freshly changed. An uncomfortable baby will not open their eyes or look anywhere.
- Spread a plain white sheet over the bed or changing table, pulled flat. No patterns, no lace, no big creases: creases cast shadows.
- Lay them on their back, face clear and head straight. If they tip their head, turn their whole body rather than moving their head.
- Shoot from directly above, perpendicular, about half a metre away. Never at an angle: the face distorts and the framing stops being frontal.
- Window light, never flash. Flash gives hard shadows and red eye, and above all it startles the baby — and then the session is over.
- Take thirty or forty shots in a row. It is a game of probability: you only need one with the eyes open and the mouth closed.
With a baby who can already sit, the variation is a highchair with a white cloth hung behind, or the car seat covered with the sheet. Someone can get their attention from behind the camera, as long as they stay out of the frame.
What we fix, and what we cannot
Upload your best shot and we take it from there: we cut the baby out of the background — it does not matter if the sheet has shadows or a warm tint — make it plain white, measure the head from crown to chin, correct the tilt and crop to 26 × 32 mm at 600 dpi.
What cannot be fixed is what is not in the photo: closed eyes, a turned face or a dummy still in place. And if the person holding the baby appears in the image, the system detects it and tells you before processing, so you can retake the shot. There is no charge for that warning: you only pay when there is a result and you like it.
How many photos you need, and for which procedure
For a child’s first DNI one photograph is requested, but it is worth bringing two. For a baby’s passport, the photo is normally taken at the comisaría itself, although many offices accept the one you bring if it meets the format. For the TIE of a foreign minor, the requirement is identical to an adult’s. Your download includes a 10 × 15 cm sheet with eleven copies: enough for the procedure, for nursery and for the health card.
Frequently asked questions
My baby never opens their eyes in photos — is there an exception?
Not a formal one for the Spanish DNI and passport. Some comisarías are flexible with newborns a few days old, but do not count on it: try photographing right after a feed, when they are most awake and calm.
Should the body be visible, or only the face?
The final crop is head and shoulders, and that part is our job. You just send a photo with plenty of margin around the head.
What if their hands are in front of their face?
That will not do: the face has to be fully visible. Retake the shot with the baby’s arms out to the sides or covered by the cloth itself.
How often does a child’s photo need renewing?
A Spanish DNI for under-fives expires after two years, and from five to thirty, after five. The photo must be recent at each renewal: a child changes a lot in a year.