How hard is it to get a passport for a baby!?! Getting the photo was the first major challenge! The parent cannot be in shot at all, even a supporting hand, so that pretty much rules out the booth. A baby can have their eyes shut, a small compromise to the age and difficulty! This led me to the discovery of a service at most photo counters that I never was even aware of and I proudly went to one in my local supermarket where they placed a sleeping Imogen on an especially designed inflatable white cushion to take the photos. Fantastic!I was then organised enough to send the completed forms and photos to a friend for authentication, even remembering to enclose a stamped addressed envelop to receive them back. All well so far.

Then today I went to the post office to have the forms checked and sent and the assistant seemed to take great pleasure in telling me that it was not acceptable. The main reason being that Imogen’s eyes did not fit within the exact diameters of the photo as stipulated by the rules, even though the shot is of a full head and shoulders! I mean this is a 2 month old baby we are talking about here! If she was moved up the cushion, more of her body would be in view which also flouts their rules as well! I have now been round every supermarket / camera retailer / general store in a 10 mile radius and discovered that when a shop has a sign saying they take passport photos, it does not necessarily mean they include babies! Eventually we have taken our own photo and digitally edited to meet the sizing criteria. I decided as well to take the extra cost and go to the passport office in London to ensure we get it processed properly and within a reasonable timescale.