It’s now possible to get Japanese passport photos without the drive to the photo studio—all in 3 minutes start to finish.
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Taking a photo for your ID has never been so easy.
Follow these simple instruction to take the perfect ID photo.
The distance between the face and the camera should be about 40 cm. Ideally the photo should be taken by the other person.
Place your face in front of the lens. Hold the camera at eye level and keep neutral face expression.
Stand facing the light source, for example an exposed window. The background will be cut out, don't worry about it.
Are you living in the US and need a photo for a Japanese passport? Discover all the important information about getting Japanese passport photos in the US, including their requirements, finer details (e.g., Japanese passport photo size in pixels), and where to purchase them in person and online.
Japanese passport photos have requirements that differ from US passport photos.
Readers can find the official guidelines posted in PDF format and available via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Here at Passport Photo Online, we’ve prepared this detailed guide to inform you about all the Japanese passport photo requirements—complete with pictures. This way, you can feel confident your photo meets all the official guidelines mandated by Japanese passport agents.
Don’t have time to study the mandatory specifications in detail? Need a Japanese passport photo that’s guaranteed to comply with all official rules (or double your money back) right now? Download our Passport Photo Booth App for iOS or Passport Photo Maker App for Android and get your photo in only 3 minutes! |
Japanese Passport Photos Explained
Requirement |
Physical Prints & Digital Photos |
Color |
In color and showing natural skin tone |
Recency |
Taken within the last 6 months |
Image clarity |
Clear image of the subject’s face, not blurry, grainy, or pixelated. Lighting must be evenly distributed with no glare or shadows present. |
Filters |
Common social media filters of any kind are strictly prohibited |
Background |
Uniform background with no gradation present; either white, off-white, or light blue in color |
Size |
35mm in width by 45mm in length (1.38” x 1.77”). The head must be between 32mm–36mm (1.26”–1.42”). A 2mm–6mm (0.08”–0.24”) gap from the top of the head to the edge of the photo is also mandatory |
Print Quality |
Printed on photo-quality paper |
Resolution |
Minimum of 600 DPI |
Digital Alterations |
Strictly prohibited |
Note: Digital photos must have a minimum resolution of 827x1063 pixels.
Besides the technical details mentioned above, there are also finer details that must be followed to ensure compliance with official requirements. Check out the following list to make sure your Japanese passport photo doesn’t break the rules:
Negative space: 2mm–6mm (0.08”–0.24”) of space between the top of the subject’s head and the top border of the photo. Does not apply to subjects with voluminous hair
Important! Japanese passport applications require the submission of two passport photos.
Become an expert on Japanese passport photos with these related articles:
Getting Japanese passport photos in the correct size (35x45 millimeters) is extremely important as most in-store photo centers located in the US only provide US-sized passport photos (51x51 mm / 2x2”).
As displayed in the example picture above, Japanese biometric photographs must have a width of 35mm and a length of 45mm (1.38” x 1.77”). Furthermore, the head must be between 32mm–36mm (1.26”–1.42”).
Lastly, the negative space rule, i.e., the 2mm–6mm (0.08”–0.24”) gap from the top of the head to the edge of the photo (unless the subject’s hair has a lot of volume) is an important aspect that cannot go overlooked by readers or passport photo technicians.
National pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS may offer Japanese passport photos at specific locations—but do you want to risk getting non-compliant passport photos with all these confusing sizing requirements?
You also have to spend time and money getting to the stores in addition to the $16.99 price tag—surely, there must be a better way!
Luckily, there is.
Now you can get quality Japanese passport photos with online passport photo apps. Just look at the chart below outlining some of the features offered by five popular providers:
Provider |
User- friendliness |
Essential features |
Large country database |
Compliance guarantee & refund |
Printing service |
Price |
Passport Photo Online |
5/5 |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
$16.95 |
Passport Photo & ID Maker |
5/5 |
❌ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
$6.99 |
ID Photo For Passports And IDs |
4/5 |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
Free |
iVisa Passport Photo |
3/5 |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ |
✅ |
Unclear |
Passport Photo-ID Photo |
4/5 |
❌ |
✅ |
❌ |
❌ |
$6.99 |
In 3 minutes or less, Passport Photo Online delivers two Japanese passport photos directly to your inbox—all done with only a few taps on your smartphone.
Best of all, every biometric photo has an acceptance guarantee, so you can rest easy knowing Japanese passport agents will accept your picture.
Why try your luck with a pharmacy or independent photo studio when you can get quality passport photos from home? Using our highly-rated service, you get your Japanese passport photo appropriately done the first time! Our reviews speak for themselves: |
Last update: 9/30/23
Search “Japanese passport photo near me” in your favorite search engine to find a few local providers offering Japanese passport photos.
Passport Photo Online’s service is another option, as it will deliver Japanese passport photos directly to your inbox in only 3 minutes!
Readers wishing to take Japanese passport photos have several options:
35mm width by 45mm length (1.38” x 1.77”). The subject’s head must be between 32mm–36mm (1.26”–1.42”). A 2mm–6mm (0.08”–0.24”) gap from the top of the head to the edge of the photo is also mandatory.
Japanese passport photo requirements are extensive. For instructions in English, click on the link mentioned earlier. Alternatively, you can visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for a full list of guidelines (in Japanese) with picture examples.