Japanese passport photos are 35 by 45 mm, the same rectangle used across Europe. What differs is how the face is positioned inside it: Japan specifies head height close to a single figure, with an explicit margin above the head, rather than a wide band.
The specification
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Print size | 35 × 45 mm |
| Head height | About 34 mm, chin to crown, within a small tolerance |
| Margin above head | A few millimetres of clear space |
| Background | Plain, light, no pattern, no shadow |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, facing the camera |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last six months |
| Finish | Sharp, correctly exposed, no retouching |
A tolerance of a couple of millimetres around 34 mm is tighter than the four-millimetre band most countries use, and it is not something anyone can judge by eye. It is the practical argument for measuring rather than estimating.
The margin above the head
Specifying clear space above the crown is a way of pinning vertical position without writing an eye-line rule. The effect is the same: the face is fixed in scale and in place, so a photo with correct head height positioned too high in the frame still fails.
If you are cropping manually, set head height first and then adjust vertical position until the margin is right, checking that head height has not changed.
No shadow, at all
Japanese guidance is direct about shadow - behind the head, under the chin, and across the face. In a photo booth this is handled by flat frontal lighting. At home the equivalent is a window in front of you and a metre of space behind you, which is the same advice that solves background shadow everywhere.
Japanese visas and residence cards
Visa applications and residence card renewals generally use the same 35 by 45 mm format, with their own specifics about recency and, for some, a name written on the reverse. Online applications add their own pixel and file requirements.
As always, the document decides. A photo prepared for a Japanese passport is a good starting point for a Japanese visa and is not automatically valid for it.
What gets refused
- Head height outside the narrow tolerance, in either direction.
- Insufficient margin above the head.
- Any visible shadow on the background or the face.
- Hair covering the eyes or the eyebrows.
- Retouching, including automatic phone beautification.
IDShot carries Japanese presets with the head-height figure and the margin above the crown as measured guides, and flags shadow on the background and across the face separately.
Requirements are changed by the authorities that publish them, and the official page is the only source that settles an argument. Each preset in IDShot links to that page, so you can confirm the current wording before you submit.