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A minor photo release form is a parent’s signed permission for photos. This page gives you a free template to fill out online or download as a PDF. Parents, guardians, schools, camps and photographers use it, especially before a child’s photos go public.
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A photo release form for minors is a written permission in which a parent or legal guardian lets a named person or organization take and use pictures of a child. It is the version of our general photo release form for pictures of children.
When signing this photo release form, a parent or guardian confirms that they are not going to receive money for the use of the pictures.
A minor photo release form includes the child’s name, the adult giving permission, the person or organization receiving it, the signature and the date. On our template, those details appear as:
| Document Name | Minor Photo Release Form |
| Other Names | Model Release for Minors, Photo Release for Minors |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 8 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 19 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
Use a child photo release form before you take or publish pictures of a child, so you hold the written permission of a parent or legal guardian. A parent can also use it to say who may photograph the child and to put conditions on paper.
Common uses include:
The blank on our template names the person or studio taking the photos. If a school, advertiser, publisher or website will use the pictures, write that user’s name and the use on the signed form too, because a permission naming only the photographer may not reach them.
This page does not answer that for your location, because the sources behind it hold no rule on using a child’s image. A local attorney can answer it for your project and your planned use of the pictures.
This release form is easy to complete as it contains only one page and does not require extensive answers. Make sure you use our form-building software to download the correct template. The steps below follow that template, so you can see what goes in each part.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Minor Photo Release template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
On page 1, write the name of the parent or legal guardian in the opening line. Then list each child’s name and date of birth, one child per line. The form has room for four children, so leave any unused lines blank.
Fill in the contact block with the name of the parent or guardian, your address, your e-mail address and your telephone number.
Next, find the permission paragraph below it and write the name of the person or studio taking the photos on the blank line.
Check who the photographer is before you write the name down, since this blank names the person or studio you are giving permission to.
Read the release again before signing, then write the date and sign on the first signature line. The form has a second dated signature line for another parent or guardian who signs too.
An unsigned copy shows no permission at all, so finish this part before you hand the form over.
Signing the minor photo release goes best when the parent and the photographer first agree on the period, the uses and the kinds of pictures, then check identity and keep a copy.
Minor release forms vary with how the child appears: the photo release covers still pictures, the appearance release covers a film, and the video or audio release covers footage or voice. Each is a variation of the release of liability form family on this site.
A minor photo release form is the right choice when only photos of minors are involved, and it is the template on this page. Some parents object to videos or voice capture as well as photos, so check that the form matches what will actually happen.
A minor appearance release form is usually used when a child takes part in shooting a film, and it covers the child’s image and actions in that film plus their use in promotion and advertising. Besides the universal details listed above, it adds the working title of the film, the date of the release and the location of the production.
A video or audio release form for minors, sometimes called a media release form for minors, applies when an event or project captures a child’s voice or likeness. It can be used separately, or together with a photo release.
A minor photo release gives permission for pictures, while an injury waiver is meant to give up some of a child’s claims against someone like an activity provider, and neither document does the other’s job. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-22-107, Fla. Stat. § 744.301 and Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.5109 are examples of parent waiver rules: they cover injury claims, not photos, and the list below is not complete.
How far a waiver reaches depends on the state: Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.5109 limits a release to injury or death that results solely from the inherent risks of a recreational activity sponsored or organized by a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization, and Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-22-107 does not permit a parent to waive a child’s claim for a willful and wanton, reckless or grossly negligent act or omission.
| State | What a parent or guardian may release | Limits and conditions | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | A parent may, on behalf of the child, release or waive the child’s prospective claim for negligence. | This section does not permit a parent to waive the child’s claim for a willful and wanton, reckless or grossly negligent act or omission. | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-22-107 |
| Florida | Natural guardians may waive and release, in advance, a minor child’s claims against a commercial activity provider for personal injury, including death, and property damage resulting from an inherent risk in the activity. | To be enforceable, the waiver or release must include a set statement in uppercase type at least 5 points larger than the rest of its text. | Fla. Stat. § 744.301 |
| Michigan | Before a minor participates in recreational activity, a parent or guardian may release a person from liability for economic or noneconomic damages for personal injury sustained by the minor during the specific recreational activity for which the release is provided. | Only for an activity sponsored or organized by a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization, and only for injury or death that results solely from the inherent risks of the activity. The release must be in writing and does not limit liability for the released person’s own negligence. | Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.5109 |
If your event involves a physical activity as well as pictures, look at each document for its own purpose, starting with our release of liability form page.
The template has room for four children. Write each child’s name and date of birth on its own line, and leave any extra lines blank. If you need to cover more than four children, use another copy of the form.
The template has two dated signature lines, so a second parent or legal guardian can sign as well. If only one adult signs, use the first line.
Download the PDF, then open it in the FormsPal PDF editor to type in your details. Print the finished form afterward and sign it by hand.
Yes, the screenshots in the filling-out section show the FormsPal template with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. Those entries are examples only, so replace each with your own details.
A photo consent form, a picture release form and a photo release form for minors ask for the same thing: a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission for pictures of a child. Our template uses the word release, and the details table above lists its other names.
The form does not specify the period during which the permission remains valid, so agree on a period with the other party before signing. Write the agreed period and any other condition on the form itself, or on an attachment both sides sign, because a note beside the form may not be part of what was signed. This page does not say how long an open permission lasts or how it is withdrawn, so ask a local attorney about either.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
