Japanese Driving Licence Photo

Japanese Driver’s Licence Photo

If you want to get a Japanese driver’s licence, you must pass the written and practical exam and then submit required documents and two passport-style photos for a learner’s licence and one photo for a regular licence.

But it is not exactly the same photo as for a Japanese passport. Its dimensions should be different, so you must attach a photo meeting specific requirements. Do you know them all? If not, don’t worry! We have prepared for you a short but comprehensive guide about how to take a photo of the Japanese driver’s licence. Read it, benefit from the special Japan driving licence photo App and prepare a 100% correct photo.

Japan driving licence photo specs

Before capturing a picture of your Japanese driver’s licence you need to know something about the rules. In a nutshell, the photo must be:

• sized 24 mm x 30 mm
• well cropped
• taken on the plain, blue background
• properly exposed
• correct in terms of composition, head position and some other details

You need to know also about forbidden items which can not be seen in the picture and what to do in order to properly illuminate your face. We give you some advice and tips so that you will be able to create your picture quickly and without an effort. We also provide you with an easy to use Driving Licence Photo Maker which helps thousands of users worldwide to resize, crop, exchange the background and verify their photos.

The validity of the Japanese driving licence photo

Your photo for a Japanese driving licence must reflect your current appearance. That is why it must not be older than 6 months. So, attach to your driving licence form only a photo taken within 6 months, otherwise, it will be not valid. If you have recently had facial surgery and your facial features changed significantly, you are also obliged to submit a new picture of yourself.

How to take a photo of a Japanese driver’s licence at home?

The Japanese driving licence photo requirements list is not long but specific and you may think that it must be so hard to create a good photograph for this document by yourself. But trust us: you don’t need to go to a professional photography studio, waste your time and spend big money if you want to have a professional-quality photo. If you have some knowledge and use the smart photo App, it is more than easy! What is this App? This is the best photo assistant for you - the intelligent photo generator available to download from the AppStore and Google Play Store.

All you need to do is to find a convenient moment and some free space. It can be in your apartment or any other place. Don’t worry about the background and take a picture with no rush. You will need:

• a smartphone, tablet or a digital camera
• a helpful person or a tripod as selfies are not acceptable
• detailed photo requirements list (follow next paragraphs)
• photo app helping properly resize, crop and adjust your picture

Driving licence in Japan - photo required size and crop

Requirements for the size of the Japanese driving licence are width: 24 mm and height: 30 mm.

Head’s image t (up to the top of the hair) must cover 75% and the distance from the top of the photo to the top of the hair should be 4% of the whole image. In the photo, all your head, neck and the upper part of your shoulders must be seen. Do not use the zoom function in your camera or phone and don’t take a selfie. 

Sounds complicated?

To obtain this effect, just keep the distance between you and a photographer (or tripod if you are taking the photo on your own). The recommended distance is between 1,20 and 2 metres.

Still complicated?

There is a better option! Just take a photo following the rules about composition, the position of the head and the expression of the face. If you have downloaded our photo resizing and cropping app - you have it done! This App is based on artificial intelligence and you do not even need to know which are required dimensions of the photo you want to produce. This tool will automatically resize and crop your image and send the ready photo to your email address. Interested? Read more.

Background’s color and style in a Japanese driving licence photo

In order to get your Japanese driver’s licence, you must provide one color photo of your face. The photo must be taken on the light-blue background which must also be plain, clear and free of shadows and items behind you. No other people must be visible in the picture with you.

But it does not mean that you need to hang up a blue sheet or paint the wall. You are completely free to take your picture in the street, a park or on the beach if you wish.

Moreover, you don’t have to even think about the background in the Japan driving licence photo! All you have to do is to upload your picture to the background remover photo app. This tool corrects the background in one second and the picture looks like it was taken in a studio!

Colors in a Japanese driving licence picture

The photo dedicated to a driver’s licence in Japan must show your natural skin tones and the real color of your eyes. So it obviously must be in color. This last part is also important because the “red eyes” effect caused by the flash lamp disqualifies the picture. Do not use any color filters, do not attach a black and white picture. Instead of using a flash lamp, capture a picture during the day facing the window as the daylight is the best to illuminate your face correctly and evenly what is also required.

Face expression in a driving licence photo in Japan

Do you know that you must not smile while capturing the photo for a Japanese driving licence? A neutral facial expression is required. So relax your facial muscles and look straight at the camera lens with open eyes and closed mouths. Smiling, frowning and making grimaces in photos dedicated to documents such as passports, visas, ID cards and driving licences is not allowed and causes a rejection of the application.

Composition and the head’s position in a Japan driving licence photo

The photograph must be taken as an en-face view. No profile or side shots are accepted. Your head must be centred in the picture and the camera lens must be positioned on the level of your eyes. You are obliged to look straightly at the camera and not tilt your head in any direction.

Head coverings in a Japanese driving permit photos

Generally speaking, you must uncover your head for the moment of capturing a driving licence photo in Japan. But there are some exceptions. For example, if you wear a head covering because it is a part of your religious attire (like a yarmulke, hijab etc.) you may wear it in your picture too. But there is a rule here: the headgear cannot obscure your face under the eyebrows line or drop shadows on the skin.

You are also allowed to keep you head covered for medical reasons.

However, you cannot pose with fashion headgears, for example, headbands, hats or caps. Avoid massive hair decorations and big earrings as they can obscure your face too.

Eyeglasses in Japanese driving licence photo

There are no special rules about eyeglasses in Japanese driver’s licence but the recommendation is to take them off for the moment of capturing the picture. The glasses may give a glare and their frames may obscure or drop shadows on your face and for one of these reasons your picture in glasses can be rejected. If you absolutely must stay in eyeglasses for medical reasons, you can but make sure that your eyes are clearly visible, that the glasses are not tinted and your face is not obscured.

Piercing and jewellery in driving licence photos in Japan

There are no rules about jewellery and facial piercing in Japanese driving licence photos but the general rule is that any item can obscure your face. So even jewellery and facial piercing are not prohibited and you are not obliged to remove it before capturing a picture for a Japanese driver’s licence, they must not obscure your facial features. Moreover, piercing must not give glares to your skin. If you see that it does, repeat a photo shot without piercing.

Technical requirements for a Japanese driver’s licence photo

Your photo for a formal document such as a Japanese driving licence must comply with some set standards to be accepted. It must be:

• printed on matt photo-quality paper
• in resolution 600 dpi
• not scratched or damaged
• properly exposed (not overlit or underlit)
• focused and sharp
• not altered by any computer software or filters
• not retouched

Remember not to print your driving licence photo on a home printer. Devices such as inkjet printers are not able to produce an enough-quality picture. You need to look for a photo store or a photo booth to print your photos. Usually, there is a possibility to send a photo in JPEG format to a for example photo store or one-hour photo service. If you use our Driving Licence Photo Maker your photo will be ready to print without any additional procedures. 

7 biggest mistakes people do in their Japanese driving licence photos

The list of requirements for a driving licence photo in Japan is very strict. If your photo does not satisfy these requirements, it will be rejected during the process of application. Take a look at the most common mistakes committed during capturing photos and avoid them!

1. Wrong size
2. Wrong crop - head too big or too small
3. Smile and making grimaces in the picture
4. Non-en-face view
5. Tilted head
6. Sight directed aside, not at the camera lens
7. Face obscured by the head covering or hair

Intelligent driver’s licence photo generator - All In One

Have you already checked the most useful tool to produce a passport/ ID card/driving licence/visa/any other official document photo?

You can download it from the AppStore for iOS operating devices or from the Google Play Store for Samsung, Nokia and many other smartphones.

This Photo Maker is able to resize properly, crop accurately, remove and exchange a background and verify the photo in 3 seconds! All your job is to upload a chosen picture to the App! You do not need to worry about the right size or crop because this tool will do it instead of you!

Japan driver’s licence photo Maker - save time and money!

If you do not feel like tracking down the photography studio or a photo booth and spend money on just one or two shots, do it yourself! You can be your own photographer and with the professional photo generator, you are able to create a perfect photo for any document you wish. You can do it whenever you want, without leaving your place, driving anywhere and waiting in a line! And you save money because with us you pay only for what you want to order. You can upload an unlimited number of shots for free and see which one you like the most. Moreover, we offer you the best prices - it is always just a part of a price you would pay in a studio. But you do not need to take our word for it - check our comments and opinions from clients from all over the world!

Last update: 9/22/23