Family passport and visa photos: one photo per traveller

Which requirements apply to your family's documents?

Find your document before taking pictures.

UK ETA: Web: face photo file. App: face scan instead. Each traveller needs an ETA, including babies and children.

NZeTA, online form: Separate request for every family or group member. A child endorsed on a parent's passport still needs an NZeTA.

US visa DS-160: Individual application and own photo upload for each applicant. Each family member needs an application, including children.

US passport, under 16: 1 photo per child's application; no other person in the photo. A child's passport cannot be renewed. Apply in person each time.

UK visa: Children must appear alone. Under 6: no need to look at the camera or keep a plain expression. Babies must not hold toys or use dummies.

Schengen visa: Applicant alone, without chair backs, toys or other people. Check a child's picture for these items too.

The NZeTA entry concerns separate requests. For the other documents, distinguish the application requirement from the photo or scan step as you prepare each person's materials.

How do you prepare a family's UK ETA applications?

Choose the application route before preparing photo files:

Using the website: prepare a face photo file for the person applying.

Using the UK ETA app: the app scans the face instead.

Every person travelling needs an ETA, including babies and children. You can apply for other people, so you can handle your child's application on their behalf.

The practical distinction is the capture method. If you are preparing web applications, organise a separate face photo file for each traveller. If you are using the app, plan for its face-scan step rather than treating an uploaded photograph as that scan.

Official source: GOV.UK, UK ETA guidance.

Does each child need a separate NZeTA?

With the online form, request a separate NZeTA for every member of your family or group.

Count each traveller, even if they share a passport. A child endorsed on a parent's passport must still have an NZeTA. That is the detail to check before you decide how many requests your family needs.

Organising the requests together does not turn them into one family request.

Official source: Immigration New Zealand, NZeTA guidance.

How does the DS-160 family option affect photo uploads?

You can start a family/group application from the DS-160 Thank You page. You must still create an individual application for each family member, and each applicant uploads their own photo.

When completing your children's forms, pair each child's photograph with that child's application.

Official source: US Department of State, DS-160 frequently asked questions.

What does a child under 16 need for a US passport photo?

Provide 1 photo with each child's application. No other person can appear in a US passport photo, including a baby's photo.

Take each child's picture separately. A parent or sibling visible beside the child conflicts with the requirement, even if the child's face is clear.

Plan the application as well as the picture: a child's passport cannot be renewed, and you must apply in person each time.

Official sources: US Department of State, child passport guidance and baby passport photo guidance.

What exceptions apply to children's UK visa photos?

Children must be on their own in the picture. For babies, remove toys they are holding and do not use a dummy.

Children under 6 do not need to look at the camera or keep a plain expression. You can use that exception when assessing gaze and expression, but the child must still appear alone.

Official source: GOV.UK, UK visa guidance.

What must stay out of a Schengen visa photo?

The European Commission's ICAO photo guidelines require the applicant to appear alone. Chair backs, toys and other people must not appear.

Check beyond the child's face. A picture can show the child clearly and still include a chair back or toy. Photograph each child separately, then review the whole frame against those restrictions.

Official source: European Commission, ICAO photo guidelines for Schengen visas.

How do you photograph children and babies separately?

Use this short preparation checklist for each traveller.

1. Choose the document and route. Use the comparison above and the relevant official guidance. For a UK ETA, settle the web-photo versus app-scan choice before preparing uploads.

2. Take individual pictures against a plain wall. Photograph one person at a time. Do not start with a family portrait and rely on cropping when other people remain in the frame.

3. Check the child's specific restrictions. UK visa: child alone, babies without held toys or dummies; under 6, gaze and plain-expression exceptions apply. US passport: no other person. Schengen visa: no chair backs, toys or other people.

4. Match the picture to the application. Each DS-160 applicant uploads their own photo. For a US passport application for a child under 16, prepare 1 photo for that child.

5. Review each image separately. You can use pixtidy's free check of each photo in your browser. A check is not a promise of acceptance. pixtidy's family/group option covers digital photos for up to 5 people applying for the same document, with one retake each. The price is shown by country.

Common questions

Can you crop one family photograph into everyone's application photos? Do not use a crop that leaves other people in the frame. Take each person separately against a plain wall instead. For US passport and Schengen visa photos, another person must not appear; UK visa pictures also require children to be alone.

Does sharing a parent's passport remove a child's NZeTA requirement? A child endorsed on a parent's passport still needs an NZeTA. When using the online form, include that child as a separate request, rather than counting only the passports your family holds.

Does the UK visa under-6 exception allow a parent or toy in the picture? The exception concerns looking at the camera and keeping a plain expression. Children must still appear alone, and babies must not hold toys or use dummies.