Japan residence card (alien registration) photo requirements
The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by Immigration Services Agency of Japan for the Japan residence card (alien registration), with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Japan residence card (alien registration) photo?
Applications that lead to a Japanese residence card need a photo 30 mm wide and 40 mm high (3 x 4 cm), showing the applicant alone, facing forward, without a hat and with no background or shadow. The face, from the top of the head including the hair to the chin, is 25 mm ± 3 mm. It must be sharp and taken within 6 months. The online system takes a 4:3 JPEG.
The residence card (zairyu card) is the identity card Japan's Immigration Services Agency (ISA) issues to foreign nationals living in the country for the mid to long term. It replaced the alien registration certificate: the new residence management system started on 9 July 2012, and the Alien Registration Act was abolished the same day. Anyone still looking for an alien registration photo needs the residence card photo described here.
You do not apply for the card on its own. It is issued with permissions such as landing permission, a change of status of residence or an extension of the period of stay. ISA states that every application or notification that involves issuing a residence card needs a photo meeting its standard. That includes extending your period of stay and changing your status of residence, whether you apply at a regional immigration office or online.
The card changed on 14 June 2026, when a revised Immigration Control Act took effect. It has a new design, and children aged 1 to 15 now have a face photo on it as well.
Japan residence card (alien registration) photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Immigration Services Agency of Japan:[1]
| Print size | 30 x 40 mm (3 x 4 cm), width x height, measured without any border |
|---|---|
| Digital size | Online system: JPEG with a 4:3 aspect ratio; no pixel size published |
| Head height | 25 mm ± 3 mm (22 to 28 mm), from the top of the head including hair to the chin |
| Background | No background and no shadows; ISA's accepted examples are on plain white |
| Photo age | Taken within 6 months before submission |
| File format | Online system: .jpeg or .jpg |
| Print quality | Sharp print of the applicant alone; name written on the back |
| Pixels when printed | 354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Face 22 to 28 mm
ISA's diagram gives a face length of 25 mm ± 3 mm, measured from the top of the head including the hair down to the chin. It leaves 5 mm ± 3 mm between the top of the head and the upper edge, and puts the centre of the face 15 mm ± 2 mm from the left edge. Photos that are off-centre, or where the face is turned or the body tilted, are unsuitable.
- Nothing hiding the face
Glasses frames that cross the eyes, very thick frames, reflections on the lenses, a mask over part of the face, a fringe that hides the eyes and cloth that casts a shadow on the face all make the photo unsuitable.
- Appearance must not be edited
ISA says it is unsuitable in every case to change how you look through image editing, for example by enlarging the eyes, whitening the skin or retouching facial features, moles or wrinkles. A photo reversed left to right is also unsuitable.
- Easy to identify
An expression far from your usual one, a dark background that makes your outline hard to see, blur from poor focus or camera shake, and shadows on the face or the background all lead to a request to retake the photo.
- Name on the back
Write your name on the back of the print. This is not needed when a procedure lets you print the photo directly into the photo field of the application form; each procedure page says whether that is allowed.
- Online: a 4:3 JPEG
In the Online Residence Application System you register the face photo as a .jpeg or .jpg file with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The user manual repeats the content rules: the applicant alone, facing forward without a hat, no background or shadows, sharp and taken within six months.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Check the face is 22 to 28 mm from the top of the hair to the chin
- Leave 2 to 8 mm between the top of your head and the upper edge
- Use a plain white wall with no shadows behind you
- Write your name on the back of the print
- Save the online photo as a .jpg with a 4:3 shape
- Hand in a written statement if you cover your head for religious or medical reasons
Don't
- Do not reuse a 35 x 45 mm passport photo without resizing it
- Do not wear glasses with thick frames or glare on the lenses
- Do not let your fringe cover your eyes
- Do not wear a mask
- Do not enlarge your eyes or smooth your skin with an app
- Do not use a photo older than 6 months
Sample photos
How a Japan residence card (alien registration) photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 40 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Glasses are not banned, but ISA shows three ways they make a photo unsuitable: the frame crosses the eyes, the frame is very thick, or light reflects in the lenses. Thin frames that sit clear of the eyes, with no glare, avoid all three. Taking them off for the photo removes the risk.
Headwear and religious dress
Take the photo bareheaded and facing forward. Cloth over the head is acceptable when your face is clearly visible, but not when it covers part of the face or casts a shadow on it. If you cover your head or face for religious or medical reasons, ISA asks you to hand in a written statement (chinjutsusho) in any format with your application.
Babies and children
Until June 2026, residence cards for children under 16 carried no photo. Since the revised Immigration Control Act took effect on 14 June 2026, children aged 1 or older also have a face photo on the card, so applications for them need one too.
Online, a legal representative or a relative such as a parent can apply for a child under 16, and children under 15 cannot use the system themselves. During the changeover, children aged 1 to 15 who applied online before 14 June 2026 but received their card afterwards had to send the photo as a PDF named face photo in the attachment field, because the photo field did not yet accept it for them.
Printed and digital photos
At a regional immigration office you hand in a print 4 cm high and 3 cm wide, with the face meeting ISA's measurements inside any border. In the Online Residence Application System you register the photo as a JPEG instead. The user manual asks for a 4:3 aspect ratio and the same content rules as a print, and refers to ISA's photo standards page for details. It gives no pixel dimensions.
A digital photo taken against a plain wall can be cropped to that upright shape for upload, or printed at 30 x 40 mm. Make sure the head stays within the 22 to 28 mm range when you print: a crop made for a passport photo leaves the face too large.
Where to submit the photo
Applications go to the regional immigration services bureau with jurisdiction over your place of residence, or through the Online Residence Application System. Extensions of the period of stay, changes of status and certificates of eligibility, among others, can be filed online.
The online system can be used by mid to long-term residents themselves, by legal representatives, and by relatives in limited cases, as well as by approved employers, lawyers and administrative scriveners. Applicants filing themselves log in with a My Number Card. The residence card is issued when the permission is granted.
How to get your Japan residence card (alien registration) photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Japan residence card (alien registration): 30 × 40 mm print, no background and no shadows background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: face 22 to 28 mm; nothing hiding the face; appearance must not be edited; easy to identify.
- Prepare a print or digital file. At a regional immigration office you hand in a print 4 cm high and 3 cm wide, with the face meeting ISA's measurements inside any border. In the Online Residence Application System you register the photo as a JPEG instead.
- Submit the photo with your application. Applications go to the regional immigration services bureau with jurisdiction over your place of residence, or through the Online Residence Application System.
Japan residence card (alien registration) photo FAQ
It is 3 cm wide and 4 cm high (30 x 40 mm). The face, measured from the top of the head including the hair to the chin, should be 25 mm with a tolerance of 3 mm, so 22 to 28 mm, with 5 mm ± 3 mm above the head. These figures come from the Immigration Services Agency's photo standards.
No. The Alien Registration Act was abolished on 9 July 2012, when the new residence management system began. Mid to long-term residents now receive a residence card from the Immigration Services Agency, and special permanent residents receive a special permanent resident certificate instead.
Yes, from age 1. Since the revised Immigration Control Act took effect on 14 June 2026, residence cards for children aged 1 to 15 show a face photo, which they did not before. Applications that lead to a card for a child of that age therefore need a photo meeting the standard.
The Online Residence Application System accepts face photos as .jpeg or .jpg files with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The manual gives no pixel size or separate file limit for the photo. The photo must show only you, facing forward without a hat, with no background or shadows, and be taken within six months.
Yes, if your face is clearly visible and the cloth does not cast a shadow on it. When you cover your head or face for religious or medical reasons, the Immigration Services Agency asks you to submit a written statement, in any format, explaining why.
Not as it is. A residence card photo is 30 x 40 mm with a face of 22 to 28 mm, while passport photos are usually larger, such as 35 x 45 mm with a bigger face. Print or crop a photo specifically for the 3 x 4 cm format and check the face size.
Related photo specifications
Other Japan documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 24 × 30 mm
- International driving permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- APEC business travel card photo 35 × 45 mm
Residence and work permits nearby
- China foreign Permanent Resident ID Card photo 33 × 48 mm
- China residence permit for foreigners photo 33 × 48 mm
- Mongolia residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- South Korea alien registration photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 30 × 40 mm
- Armenia ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan passport photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan visa photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Belarus citizenship photo 30 × 40 mm
- Bolivia safe conduct photo 30 × 40 mm
- Botswana residence permit photo 30 × 40 mm
- Brazil ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Brazil SPTrans Bilhete Único photo 30 × 40 mm
- Brazil employment record book photo 30 × 40 mm
- All Japan photo specifications
- Residence and work permits: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 30 × 40 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Photo standards for submission (提出写真の規格) moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Residence card Q&A (在留カード) moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Online Residence Application System User Manual (PDF) moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Online residence applications (在留申請のオンライン手続) moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Residence card changes from 14 June 2026 moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Face photos for applicants aged 1 to 15 in online applications moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Application for extension of period of stay moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Justice of Japan. The new residence management system (Akarenga vol. 39) moj.go.jp. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Immigration Services Agency of Japan before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Japan residence card (alien registration) photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/japan/alien-registration-professional-photo