Japan passport photo size & requirements
Japanese passport photos are 35 x 45 mm with a plain light background and a face height of about 34 mm.
Japan uses the standard 35 x 45 mm format, but with a very specific head positioning rule that differs slightly from the generic EU standard: the face from chin to crown should be approximately 34 mm, leaving roughly 3–4 mm of space above the head to the top edge of the photo. This is tighter than the "32–36 mm range" most biometric standards describe and is explicitly stated in guidance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA).
Japan also requires that photos show no border — a thin white border from the print process is a common rejection cause. The background should be plain and light (white or very light blue are both acceptable), and the photo must be taken within the last six months. Japan's biometric passport system is one of the most sophisticated in Asia and uses iris and facial recognition data stored on the IC chip — which means the photo quality standards at the application stage are enforced strictly, as the photo is used to seed the biometric data.
- Photo size
- 35 x 45 mm
- Resolution
- 300 DPI
- Head height
- Face from chin to crown of 34 ± 2 mm
- Background
- Plain white or light blue
Japan passport photo requirements
- Photo must be 35 x 45 mm.
- Face height (chin to crown) of about 34 mm with ~4 mm of space above the head.
- Plain, light background with no border.
- Neutral expression, facing forward, no shadows.
- Taken within the last 6 months.
- No hats or coloured contact lenses.
Common reasons Japan passport photos get rejected
Even a technically correct photo can be turned away for these issues. They come up repeatedly in official rejection notices.
- Head size outside the 34 mm ± 2 mm range — this is the single most common reason Japanese passport photos are rejected, as the tolerance is narrower than most applicants expect.
- Visible border on the printed photo — the print must extend to the edge with no white frame around it.
- Background that is not uniformly plain — any texture, gradient, or shadow behind the subject.
- Coloured contact lenses — MOFA guidance explicitly bans lenses that change the apparent colour of the iris.
- Head coverings that are not for documented religious or medical reasons.
- Photo taken within a highly compressed JPEG with visible artefacts around the face edges — Japan's biometric system checks image quality.
Make your Japan passport photo
The tool below is preset to 35 x 45 mm. Crop, fix the background, and download — free and private.
Your photo never leaves your device.
Drag to reposition · pinch with two fingers to zoom on touch devices.
Drag the lines or corners to set the crop area, then apply.
Photo settings
High-resolution export at 300 DPI. No watermark, no signup.
Other countries
United States 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) 
Albania 35 x 45 mm 
Australia 35 x 45 mm 
Brazil 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm); US visa applications use 2 x 2 in 
Canada 50 x 70 mm 
China 33 x 48 mm 
France 35 x 45 mm 
Germany 35 x 45 mm 
Iceland 35 x 45 mm 
India 35 x 45 mm (Indian visa & many applications use 51 x 51 mm / 2 x 2 in) 
Ireland 35 x 45 mm 
Italy 35 x 45 mm 
Luxembourg 35 x 45 mm 
Malaysia 35 x 50 mm 
Netherlands 35 x 45 mm 
New Zealand 35 x 45 mm 
Nigeria 35 x 45 mm 
Norway 35 x 45 mm 
Pakistan 35 x 45 mm 
Philippines 35 x 45 mm (Philippine visa applications often use 2 x 2 in) 
Russia 35 x 45 mm 
Saudi Arabia 2 x 2 in (51 x 51 mm) 
Schengen / EU 35 x 45 mm 
Singapore 35 x 45 mm 
South Africa 35 x 45 mm 
South Korea 35 x 45 mm 
Spain 32 x 26 mm (Spanish ID/passport); EU visas use 35 x 45 mm 
Switzerland 35 x 45 mm 
Thailand 35 x 45 mm 
Turkey 50 x 60 mm 
United Arab Emirates 43 x 55 mm 
United Kingdom 35 x 45 mm 
Vietnam 4 x 6 cm (40 x 60 mm)