Japanese passport photo maker

A Japanese passport photo is 45 mm high and 35 mm wide with no border, and your head must measure 34 mm ± 2 mm from the top of the head to the chin. Use a plain background (white is recommended) and a photo taken in the 6 months before you apply. Applying online? Switch to the digital file: a JPG of up to 600 KB for Mynaportal.

Free, no watermark
Photo stays on your device
No retouching
Rules checked 12 November 2026

Paper or online? Choose with the buttons above the tool. For online applications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the app turns the background white automatically and that you adjust the position and size of your face on screen; it does not publish a pixel size. This tool only trims the frame and saves the file. It does not retouch your face, which the Ministry does not allow.

Japanese passport photo requirements

Printed size	45 mm high × 35 mm wide, no border
Head size	34 mm ± 2 mm from the top of the head to the chin
Background	Plain, with nothing behind you; white is recommended
How recent	Taken within 6 months before the application date
Paper application	1 photo, with your name written lightly on the back
Online in Japan (Mynaportal)	JPG, up to 600 KB; larger files are compressed
Online from abroad (ORR-net)	JPG, JPEG, BMP or PNG, 20 KB to 2 MB
Editing	No edits that change the shape or features of your face

Checked against the official source on 12 November 2026. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Passport application (photo standard) · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Photo and signature files for online applications · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Applying online from Japan · Consulate-General of Japan in Sydney: Passport photos. Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the photo must show

Only you, with no hat, facing the camera straight on.
Sharp and in focus, with suitable brightness and contrast, and no shadows.
A clear boundary between you and the background.
Glasses only if there is no reflection on the lenses and the frames do not cover your eyes.
Your usual expression. An open mouth showing more teeth than necessary is not accepted.
Fringe or hair must not hide your eyes or the outline of your face, and no hairband covering your hair.
Remove piercings on your face (ears excepted) before the photo is taken.
For a baby, a parent's fingers supporting the head or body must not appear in the photo.
Printed photos may be in colour or black and white.

Recommended framing: the official rules give no exact head size for this photo, so the examples use our recommendation of about 71 to 80% of the photo height, from chin to the top of the hair. The tool marks it as a recommendation, not a rule.

Why there is no background remover. Official photo rules refuse photos whose background has been changed by software, so this tool never alters your photo. If the check says the background is not plain, retake the photo against a plain, light wall: how to get a plain background at home.

Applying online

Since 24 March 2025, new passports and renewals can be applied for online at every prefecture in Japan and at every embassy and consulate. In Japan you apply through Mynaportal; from abroad, through ORR-net or Mynaportal. You can take the photo with the camera in the app, or upload a photo taken earlier, for example at a photo studio. The app turns the background white and lets you adjust the position and size of your face on screen.

Check the photo carefully before you submit. Once the application is sent, you cannot replace the photo yourself. If the passport office decides it needs a new one, you receive a correction request. If you wear a medical device you cannot remove and the app shows an error, the Ministry says to submit the photo as it is; the passport office may then ask you for supporting documents.

Paper applications

A paper application needs one printed photo, 45 × 35 mm, with no border. Write your name on the back, pressing lightly so the letters do not show through, and take care that the ink does not smudge onto the front. Choose Printed photo above the tool to make a print sheet at the right size.

Why Japanese passport photos are sent back

The head is too small or too large: it must be 32 to 36 mm from the top of the head to the chin.
A retouched face: enlarged eyes, skin whitening, removed moles or wrinkles, or a slimmed face. Online, this means a correction request and a new photo.
A patterned background or dust in the picture. Online, you cannot swap the photo yourself once it is submitted.
Glare on glasses, or frames that cover the eyes.
The photo is more than 6 months old.
Ink from the name on the back showing through or denting the front of the print.

A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall. The background row in the table above gives the exact colour this document asks for.

How to use this tool

Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.

Questions about the Japanese passport photo

What size is a Japanese passport photo?

A Japanese passport photo is 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, with no border. Your head, measured from the top of the head to the chin, must be 34 mm, plus or minus 2 mm.

What file size does the Japanese online passport application accept?

On Mynaportal, a JPG of up to 600 KB; larger files are compressed. On ORR-net, used from abroad, a JPG, JPEG, BMP or PNG file from 20 KB to 2 MB. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not publish a pixel size.

Does a Japanese passport photo need a white background?

The background must be plain with nothing behind you, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends white. In the online application the app turns the background white automatically, so check the result before you submit.

Can I upload my own photo for a Japanese passport online?

Yes. You can take the photo with the camera in the app, or upload an image saved on your device, such as one taken at a photo studio. The photo must not be edited in a way that changes your face.

Can I wear glasses in a Japanese passport photo?

Yes, as long as there is no reflection on the lenses and the frames do not cover your eyes. The same 45 × 35 mm size and 34 ± 2 mm head size apply.