Japan Passport Photo Size — 35 × 45 mm

You bring a printed photo, 35 × 45 mm. Japan passport photo rules read off the issuing authority's own page, checked 2026-08-27.

You bring a printed photo, 35 × 45 mm.

Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You bring a printed photo and write your name on the back of it.

What gets a Japan photo rejected

This authority publishes in Japanese. Where we have the original wording we quote it; the rest is our English rendering of the same page. These are the reasons applications actually come back — more often than a wrong measurement.

A photo taken more than 6 months before the date of application
A photo with a border
A hat or headband covering the top of the head
A background, including a shadow cast on it
A patterned or textured background, or one where the boundary between hair, clothing and background is unclear
Hair, a mask, glasses, false eyelashes or eyelash extensions — or their shadow — intruding into the area around the eyes
Coloured contact lenses, or tinted glasses and sunglasses
Light reflecting off the lenses of glasses, or frames covering the eyes

How Japan compares, one rule at a time

Each page below takes a single rule and shows what every authority writes about it, in their own words. This is where Japan lands on each.

Can you wear glasses in a passport photo? — Allowed, with conditions
Can you wear a head covering in a passport photo? — Only part of it is written down
Can you wear jewellery or makeup in a passport photo? — Only part of it is written down
How old can a passport photo be? — Allowed, with conditions

Which route applies to you

Ordinary route

You bring a printed photo, 35 × 45 mm.

Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You bring a printed photo and write your name on the back of it.

Print size	35 × 45 mmofficial wording: “35（横）× 45（縦）（単位：㎜）”
Photos required	No official specification
Head height	32–36 mmdoes not follow the ICAO 70–80% rule
Eye line	No official specification
Background	white recommended; the traditional pale blue is also accepted; gradients are not
Resolution	No official specification
Digital file	No official specification

Crop to spec and build a print sheet

You hand printed photos over the counter.

Open the tool with this standard loaded →

Can you just use the ICAO standard?

No. The rule is given in millimetres (32–36 mm), not as an ICAO ratio. Deriving the head size from ICAO can land outside the accepted range.

The 70–80% figure comes from one paragraph of ICAO Doc 9303 Part 3, and it is measured against the passport page rather than your print — what Doc 9303 actually says, quoted in full.

Sources and what we could not verify

パスポート申請用写真の規格（令和7年3月3日更新） — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan www.mofa.go.jp checked 2026-08-27

also: www.mofa.go.jp · www.mofa.go.jp

not verified: the number of photos required · print resolution · the eye line · the digital file limits for online applications

Questions people actually ask

Do I need to bring a photo for a Japan passport application?

Yes. You bring a printed photo, 35 × 45 mm. Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You bring a printed photo and write your name on the back of it.

What size is a Japan passport photo?

35 × 45 mm — official wording: “35（横）× 45（縦）（単位：㎜）”.

What background colour is required?

white recommended; the traditional pale blue is also accepted; gradients are not