Church photo and video release forms to hand to your congregation
Printable church photo and video release forms: an adult form with a separate tick box for social media, website, livestream and printed materials, a parent or guardian form for a child, a one-page way to withdraw, a service filming notice with sign wording and a media team checklist. Information, not legal advice.
Free printable PDF
Church photo and video release forms
What is inside
- An adult release with a separate tick box for social media, website, livestream and printed materials, and a clear way to say no
- A parent or guardian release for a child, with no names beside a child's image unless the parent agrees
- A one-page form to withdraw or change permission, and what happens next
- A service filming notice: bulletin, slide and spoken wording, an entrance sign to cut out and out-of-view seating
- A one-page media team checklist and a do-not-photograph list
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What the checklist covers
What the forms ask
- Each use gets its own box: social media, website, livestream and recorded services, printed materials. An empty box means no (for livestream, it means sit in the out-of-view seats), because opt-in is the preferred approach (Episcopal Church Foundation for Virginia Parishes; see Sources).
- The adult form has a plain opt-out and a withdrawal line. The church fills in how long it keeps images, who to contact and how quickly it removes an image.
- The parent or guardian form covers a child, with no name beside the image unless the parent ticks it, and no photos of a child whose parent says no.
Who signs, and what it cannot do
- An insurer says a parent or legal guardian should sign until a youth is 18 (Brotherhood Mutual). Form 2 says under 18; change it if your denomination or province uses another age.
- In some states, courts have found that parents cannot release or waive a child's claims (United Church of Christ). These forms record permission and your promises. They do not shield the church.
- Check with your denomination or insurer before you use them. The “Check before you print” notes at the start of the pack point to what to check in the US, Canada and the UK.
Filming and the media team
- Tell people a service is filmed: a sign on the way in, a line in the bulletin and on the slides, and a spoken welcome. Offer seating out of the camera's view.
- Keep a do-not-photograph list, share it with everyone who takes pictures and check it before posting (Brotherhood Mutual).
- When someone withdraws, add them to the list the same day, remove the image from your own channels and say honestly that copies others made cannot be recalled.
Frequently asked questions
A separate tick box for each use (social media, website, livestream and recordings, printed materials), whether a name may appear beside the image, a plain way to say no, how to withdraw later, what happens when someone withdraws, how long the church keeps images, a church contact, and a name, signature and date. For a child, a parent or guardian signs. The adult and parent forms in this set cover each of these, and the church fills in the retention period because none of the sources we checked set one.
Brotherhood Mutual, a church insurer, says a parent or legal guardian should sign until a youth is 18. In the UK, NSPCC Learning says that for young people under 16 you should also get parental consent, and denominations set their own ages. Form 2 says under 18; change it if your denomination or province uses another age, and check with your insurer.
Not reliably. The United Church of Christ notes that in some states courts have found that parents cannot release or waive a child's claims. Treat the parent form as a record of permission and of what your church promises to do, not as protection from a claim, and ask your insurer or a local professional about your state.
Tell people. The Church of Scotland says visible notices should be placed on the way into the church, and Brotherhood Mutual suggests signs at the entrances and an announcement at the start of the service. The pack has bulletin, slide and spoken wording, a sign to cut out and a way to offer seating out of the camera's view. Use the adult or parent form for anyone you feature in close-ups or name.
Make it as easy as giving it. The Church of England says the process of withdrawing consent must be as easy as providing consent. Form 3 lets a person stop all uses or only some. Add the person to the do-not-photograph list the same day, remove the image from your own website and social accounts, note the date and say that copies others have already shared or downloaded cannot be recalled.
None of the sources we checked sets a period, so the forms leave a blank for the number. Pick a period you will actually keep to, write it on the form, set a reminder to delete, and review the do-not-photograph list each year and ask adults to sign again about every three years if you follow the Church of England's guidance.
One set, with country notes. The forms are opt-in with a separate box for each use, which works in each place. What differs is who signs for a child, which privacy rules apply and how often to renew. The UK Church of England expects consent from people who appear on camera, an insurer in the US says adults should at least be aware, and in Canada whether a privacy law covers a church is something to check. The “Check before you print” notes at the start of the pack say what to check.
Yes. Enter your email, confirm the code we send and the PDF downloads. It is also emailed to you. Marketing email is sent only if you tick the separate box. The forms are information, not legal advice.
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