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Baby photo rules · Passport · Italy

Italian passport photo for your baby.

An Italian passport photo is 35 × 45 mm, with the head 31.5–36 mm from chin to crown, on a plain white or off-white background. Up to 5 months, eyes may be closed. You hand in 2 identical printed photos. Official source: Polizia di Stato.

What this document requires

Print size
35×45 mm
Background
  • White recommended
  • Off-white
Submission
Printed
Official source
All documents

We don't replace the background — shoot on one of these.

Each row links to the authority's own page. TotShot is independent of every authority listed.

Rules for babies and children

Up to 5 months

  • Eyes may be closed

At every age

  • Looking straight at the camera
  • Neutral expression
  • Mouth closed
  • Head 31.5–36 mm from chin to crown
  • No smaller head size is published for babies, so a newborn's head has to fill the adult size.
  • Alone in the photo
  • No hands, arms or supports in the frame
  • No dummy, bottle or toys
  • Taken in the last 6 months

A frame in the document's proportions, with the head outline where the rules put it. Where the head should sit for this document.

  1. How old is your child?

    Some authorities relax the rules for young children, so the age decides which rules apply.

    Without an age we apply the strictest rules.

  2. Any photo of your child, straight on. It is resized on your device, measured on our servers, and not kept.

What we check here

  • Head height, crown to chin
  • Eye line
  • Head turned, tilted or leaning
  • Eyes, mouth and gaze, by the age rules for this document
  • Face centred in the frame
  • Even light on the face
  • Too dark or too bright
  • Sharpness
  • Background: colour, shadows, creases

What we don't check here

  • Other objects in the frame
  • Print format

The app checks these when you shoot.

How to take an Italian passport photo at home

  1. Spread a smooth, plain white or off-white sheet on the floor or a firm bed, close to a window with soft daylight — no flash, no overhead light.
  2. Lay your baby on their back and shoot from directly above, phone parallel to the floor, so the photo reads as a straight-on portrait with no shadow on the sheet. Keep every hand out of the frame.
  3. Check the photo before you print: TotShot measures the head, eye line, pose and background against the Italian passport rules.
Read the full guide

Questions parents ask

Can my baby's eyes be closed in an Italian passport photo?

Yes, up to 5 months. After that, the eyes must be open.

What size is an Italian passport photo?

35 × 45 mm, with the head 31.5–36 mm from chin to crown. A baby's head has to fill the same share of the photo as an adult's — the hardest part of a baby photo to get right.

Can I take an Italian passport photo of my baby at home?

Yes. A photo you take yourself is accepted as long as it meets every rule — the final decision is always the authority's. You hand in 2 identical printed photos.

Can I hold my baby for the photo?

Not in the frame — no hands, arms or supports may show. Lay your baby on a plain sheet and shoot from above instead: holding a baby up pushes the shoulders up and tilts the head, and a hand that slips into the frame gets the photo refused.

Does my baby have to look at the camera?

Yes, at every age. A baby's glance lasts about half a second, which is why TotShot plays a sound to catch it and takes the shot itself.

What background does an Italian passport photo need?

Plain white or off-white, evenly lit, with no shadows, creases or pattern. White is the safest choice. TotShot doesn't replace backgrounds — authorities refuse a photo whose background was replaced — so shoot on a sheet of the right colour.

Final acceptance is always the authority's decision.