How can a child be included in a parent’s passport in 2021?

From the first day of life, a child is a full member of society, and therefore has equal rights with adults. Including the right to a foreign travel document.

When applying for a passport for a child under one year old, parents are faced with difficulties in photographing their newborn child. After all, the photo must meet strict requirements.

Later in the article you will learn in detail about the requirements for photography, and we will also give practical recommendations.

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Do newborns and children under one year old need photography?

Parents can enter their newborn child into their old-style international passport.
But for this you need to paste a photo of the baby. Or you can prepare a full-fledged document for your child. With this option, you also need to prepare photographs of the baby. Thus, it is impossible to produce a passport without photographs of the child at all:

if a document is issued for a period of 5 years (old sample), then 4 photographs will be needed;
if a biometric document is produced, the photograph is taken by a specialist from the migration service right when submitting the application.

Read about how to get a foreign passport for a baby through State Services and the MFC in a separate article, and find out what the procedure is for applying here.

Is it worth making a record about children?

First of all, you should find out whether it is necessary to enter information about the child in the parent’s passport. This question is dictated by the fact that, according to the Administrative Regulations of the Migration Service, which came into force in the spring of 2021, the purpose of having information about children in the parent’s passport is simply to confirm the relationship. However, the record itself does not give minor citizens of the Russian Federation the right to leave the country using a parental document.

And although service employees do not have the right to ignore citizens’ requests to include relevant information in their passports, they do not miss the opportunity to focus on the purpose of this mark.

According to Federal Law No. 114-FZ, which regulates the procedure for the movement of citizens across the border of the Russian Federation, each traveler must have with him a document proving his identity abroad - a passport (regular, diplomatic or official) or a sailor's identity card. Therefore, we cannot exclude the risk that border guards simply will not let a minor tourist out of the country, and therefore the entire family will have to interrupt their vacation.

Find out more about how to apply for a passport for a child.

In addition, it should be borne in mind that if for some reason one of the parents has to return home earlier than the rest of the family, the child entered in his passport will have to return with him. Considering this fact, it would probably be better if the child is included in the mother’s passport.

Conditions for making a record about children

There are three conditions under which parents can initiate the entry of information about children into their foreign passport:

The son/daughter is no older than 14 years old - otherwise they need their own foreign passport;
The passport in which the entry is made is issued for 5 years (paper book).
The baby has Russian citizenship.

Thus, the legislation of the Russian Federation gives a positive answer to the question of whether it is possible to include a child in an old-style international passport.

What should the pictures be like?

There are requirements for image proportions:

The height of the photo is 4.5 cm.
Photo width – 3.5 cm.
Color or black and white printing.
Matte paper.
Natural colors, no photo filters.
Minimum 2mm from the top edge of the photo to the top of the head.
The face occupies at least 2.9 cm of the entire photograph.

It is also important how exactly the newborn is captured in the picture:

The head and shoulders are level. Without bending, in a full-face position.
Eyes open.
The mouth is closed, lips are closed.
Minimum ruffles and frills on clothes.
No hat or bonnet.
No shadows on the face.
The oval of the face and ears are clearly captured.
There is no red-eye effect.
Only one child is photographed.
There are no foreign objects in the background.
The background is light and monochromatic.

Practical recommendations for parents

Let’s look at the main points that allow parents of an infant to take good photos for their child’s foreign document:

Place the baby on a white diaper and attract his attention with a bright toy or rattle.
You can blow into the child’s face so that he “freezes” for a while and opens his eyes.
The parent can put on white clothes and have the child sit on top of them. Then replace the background yourself in the editor or seek help from a professional photographer.
The parent can support the child under the armpits. Or under the head. At the same time, “disguising” the hands with light-colored clothing and a diaper.
If the child is crying, you need to take a break and calm the baby down.
Recording white noise (the sound of a heartbeat, the noise of a hair dryer, etc.) helps calm babies.
Hold the camera at baby's eye level.
Do not use flash (can be scary), but use natural daylight.
Wrap the baby in a swaddle so that he does not jerk his arms and legs.

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Now you know how to photograph a newborn on a foreign passport, below you can see suitable photos of the baby:

Required documents

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To obtain a passport

For the child it is necessary to submit:

civil passport of the applicant (parent, adoptive parent or guardian) with copies of all pages attached;
child's birth certificate (original and copy);
a document confirming citizenship (insert, issued upon registration of the baby at the place of residence);
3 photographs for an old-style passport;
receipt of payment of state duty;
application in the prescribed form.

If the surname of the legal representative and the child do not match, it is necessary to submit a document confirming the change of the parent’s surname (certificate of marriage or divorce, change of name.

Baby photo

When applying for a passport through the government services website, regardless of the type of passport chosen, you must attach a photograph of the baby to the application.

A photograph of a child under one year old must be taken without a flash; the camera must be held at the child’s eye level.

The hands of the parent holding the baby should not be included in the frame. If the child is at an age when he cannot be seated, you can put him on a white diaper.

The child's eyes should be open and his mouth closed. The baby should look straight, without turning or tilting the head.

Rice. 2. How to photograph a baby

If the baby is unrecognizable

But in reality the situation is a little different. Border guards are good at recognizing people by matching them with the image in the documents. But sometimes it is difficult to compare a child with a photograph of a baby in an old-style foreign bag. And the border service officer has the right to issue an order to change the document.

There should be no such problems with a biometric passport, since the photograph in it contains information about the retina of the eye and a chip with the individual’s individual data. But as time shows, cases of orders to replace a passport before its expiration date exist regardless of the type of document.

Important Details

The child’s head is positioned strictly vertically in the frame, without tilting or turning, the eyes look into the lens;
Arrange the frame so that the child is waist-deep in it, no less is needed.

If you followed our advice exactly, then your part of the job has been successfully completed. Now it's our turn. You can bring the image to the Fotosphere Center or send it to us by email. mail. We will process the photographs in the shortest possible time in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Migration Service and return them in a form convenient for you: printing the photo on paper, electronically on a flash drive, or sending it to you by e-mail. Contact us, we will be happy to help make your dream come true - a wonderful trip with the whole family.

General photo requirements

Apart from the difference in the required number of photographs, there are no differences in creating a photo of a child for an old-style international passport and a photograph for a biometric passport.

Height/width – 4.5/3.5 cm;
The head occupies 2.9-3.4 cm in the vertical plane;
Between the crown and the top edge of the photo is 0.3-0.5 cm.

Oval shading of the image at the bottom of the photo is not allowed (except for cases when a child’s photo has to be pasted into the international passport of one of the parents). The paper should be matte. Color (24 bit) or black and white (8 bit) gamma. Light homogeneous background. Saving photos on electronic media (if necessary) in JPEG, PNG, BMP (size 10 KB – 5 MB).

For an old-style passport, you should prepare 4 photographs. A biometric passport requires 1 self-made photo. It is pasted into the form filled out when applying for a document at the Main Department of Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For the passport itself, the photo is taken by a site employee.

The baby has grown (changed) - what to do?

Of course, during the validity period of the passport (5-10 years), the child may change beyond recognition. Therefore, a border guard officer can warn you about the need to replace the document. At the same time, he makes a note in the child’s passport.

Reference!

According to

Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated November 27, 2017 N 889

, if there is a significant change in the appearance of the owner of a new generation passport, the applicant, upon his application, is issued a new passport of a new generation in the manner established by the Administrative Regulations.

Holders of old-style passports will also have to change the child’s document if his appearance is unrecognizable to border guards. This is stated in Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated November 16, 2017 N 864.

Summing up the article, we can conclude that taking a photo of a child on a foreign passport is possible in any way . The main thing is a positive attitude and patience.

Each parent will decide individually what type of passport to issue for their child. Although the old-style passport is simpler in a number of points, it is valid for only 5 years.

Does anyone have any real experience?

When he can’t hold his head up, his eyes are closed and he sleeps all the time?

And what better way... In place of the photo (new sample)

Or a photo from a studio (old style)???

What is unacceptable in a photograph

Headgear, toys, foreign objects in the mouth. Ruffles and frills on clothing are allowed in small quantities;
Dark glasses (possibly transparent, glare-free glasses or contact lenses);
Closed or squinted eyes, open mouth, grimaces;
Tilt or turn of the head (the face is depicted only from the front);
Full or partial (fragments of hands, face, torso) presence of strangers;
Shadows on the face.

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Tips for parents for self-filming

If you need to photograph a small child who is not aware of the seriousness of the undertaking, you should resort to certain tricks.

How to remove a baby

The baby should be placed in the crib on his back with a small pillow (10-15 cm thick) under his head. Full swaddling is effective for additional reassurance. Bed linen color – white, light beige, without pattern;
After fixing the baby in the desired position, one of the adults picks up the prepared camera (Portrait or Moving Objects modes (for maximum clarity), the flash is turned off), the other takes the child’s favorite toy;
Having positioned the camera strictly opposite the face of the person being photographed (the lens looks from top to bottom, the distance is no more than a meter), you should slowly bring the toy close to the camera, thus moving the child’s gaze to the correct (frontal) position, and then press the start button of the camera.

If the filming is carried out at the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs by an employee in a special booth, one of the adults sits or lies on the floor, holding the child above him (one hand under the buttocks, the other behind the neck).

The second adult talks to the child in a soothing tone and, if the booth is stuffy, periodically fans him with a sheet of paper (you can use a pocket fan or simply blow in the direction of the baby’s face). With the consent of the department employee, a toy should be used to attract the attention of the person being photographed.

Shooting in a photo studio allows for both options.

How to photograph children 3-5 years old

Children who are often photographed with a photo or video camera will easily and happily endure a document photography session. During filming, it is useful to invite a stranger into the house - with him the child will behave more seriously. It is better to take pictures in the morning (good sunlight and neutral emotional state of the child).

You should not use unusual or uncomfortable clothes as a child's outfit. It is better to conduct the session unexpectedly before a meal, when the child sits still waiting for a treat (you should arrange the necessary background (a light, flat surface without foreign objects) and light (choose a sunny day) in advance).

International passports for adults and children have their own characteristics. The list of requirements for each document is approved by legislative acts. One of the most important documents is a photograph. It can be done independently or directly during an appointment with an employee of the migration department of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Photography for an adult is not difficult. A photo of a child on a foreign passport has its own characteristics. Ignorance of them will lead to delays in the procedure for obtaining a foreign passport.

When to take photos

Photos for a foreign passport are required for both adult citizens and children. If a minor requires his own document, he will be photographed. The old version of a foreign passport provides for pasting photographs of the owner’s children. A biometric passport does not provide this opportunity. When visiting the migration department of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you should clarify the list of documents for obtaining a foreign passport and the size of the photo for an old-style international passport for a child under 14 years old, if necessary.

Old style international passport

An old sample of a foreign passport allows its owner to enter information about his own children into it. You will need a photograph of the minor. This photo is taken in a photo studio. In this case, you should clarify in advance the list of studios that provide such services. You can take a photograph yourself, subject to the requirements for it.

You can add your child to your passport by pasting his photo and writing down the data. In addition, 2 photos will be needed to paste into the application form for traveling abroad. The presence of the child himself during the procedure for obtaining a foreign certificate is not necessary. The questionnaire is submitted by the legal representative of the minor. An individual foreigner also requires the submission of a separate photograph. In total, 4 photographs must be submitted to obtain a child’s foreign passport.

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Biometric

Before taking a photo of your child for a passport, it is important to find out the entire list of requirements. Many migration offices do not require photographs to be included in the biometric passport. They have equipment with which the required photographs are taken on site.

You are allowed to bring a separate photo for the application form. If the photograph is taken at the department, it is printed for the application form. If documents for a child’s passport are submitted online, it is important to submit photographs in advance for the application form. The requirements are indicated on the State Services portal.

A photograph for a biometric document must meet generally accepted European standards. This is an additional way to check for accuracy. In each image, the distance between the pupils is read. This approach allows you to avoid mistakes and violations. A person will not be able to use the foreign passport of another citizen similar to him.

The photo is applied to a new international passport using a laser. A paper sample is pasted onto the form. To apply, you must submit 2 photographs of the minor.

The photo size for the biometric option remains 35*45mm. The child must be calm. The background of the photograph should be light. Black and white and color images are accepted. The face should be pointed directly at the camera. The child should not have any foreign objects. There should be no third parties in the photo. Hats and tinted glasses are also not allowed.

Children's passport: Video

Biometric passport and children's information

Another question that family tourists ask is how to include a child in the parent’s new passport. After all, it may happen that a young mother, who just a couple of years ago received a biometric foreign document, wants it to contain information about the newborn - not to issue an expensive identity card for the baby!

Speaking about whether it is possible to enter a child into a biometric passport when submitting an application for its registration, the answer should be unequivocal: no, it is not possible. And this is despite the fact that such a record could be important when crossing the border if parents and minor children have different surnames. This information would also make it possible to prove that the child was not taken out of the country without the consent of the second parent. However, this is only possible if the parents have an old-style “paper” international document.

It is impossible to enter a child into a new international passport through State Services, since it is technologically impossible to make any changes to biometric passport and visa documents. And if it’s impossible to simply enter additional data, then what can we say about pasting in photographs.

What can parents who already have foreign passports count on? Unfortunately, those who are interested in whether it is possible to include a child in a new international passport will have to be disappointed. The only way out is to get an individual identity card for the baby to travel outside the state. However, due to the rapid changes in its appearance, it is advisable to opt for the paper version of the document.