Japan driving licence photo requirements
The 24 × 30 mm photo rules set by e-Gov, Government of Japan for the Japan driving licence, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Japan driving licence photo?
The application photo for a Japanese driving licence is 24 mm wide and 30 mm high (3.0 x 2.4 cm). It must be taken within 6 months, bareheaded, facing forward and framed from the chest up, with no background, and have your name and the date taken written on the back. The face photo printed on the licence itself is usually taken by staff at the licence centre, and some renewal counters need no photo at all.
Japanese driving licences are issued by the public safety commission of the prefecture where you live, and the prefectural police handle the paperwork at driving licence centres, test centres and some police stations. The photo rules are national. They are written into the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Regulations, and the National Police Agency (NPA) repeats them in its guidance. Its English Q&A describes the photo as a hatless, frontal and background-free image with the upper part of the chest showing.
Two different photos are involved. The application photo, 3.0 cm high and 2.4 cm wide, is attached to the form, and the regulations require it for every licence application, including the conversion of a foreign licence. For renewals, reissues and recording a licence on a My Number Card it is required unless prefectural rules waive it, which is why the NPA warns that some renewal counters need no photo. The face photo on the card is a separate image that most centres take on the spot.
Since 24 March 2025 a licence can also be recorded on a My Number Card, known as a My Number licence. The licence details, including a monochrome licence face photo, are stored on the card's IC chip, and nothing about the licence is printed on the card face. You may hold the My Number licence, the plastic licence, or both.
Japan driving licence photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by e-Gov, Government of Japan:[1]
| Print size | 24 x 30 mm (0.94 x 1.18 in), width x height; the regulations state 3.0 cm high, 2.4 cm wide |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: bring a printed photo, or have the photo taken at the licence centre |
| Background | No background: plain, with no scenery, pattern or shadow; no colour is set, but strong red or black is refused |
| Photo age | Taken within 6 months before the application |
| Print quality | Tokyo: photo paper only; ink must not rub off and writing on the back must not show through |
| Pixels when printed | 283 × 354 px at 300 dpi · 567 × 709 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
For digital photos: photos that have been edited or retouched, and photos that are unclear (out of focus), cannot be accepted. (translated from Japanese)
Key requirements
- Chest up, with a small gap above the head
The regulations ask for the upper third of the body, which the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) explains as roughly from the chest up. Its checklist refuses a photo showing only the face, a figure that is too small, a face cut off at the edge, and a photo without a margin of about 3 mm above the head. Osaka Prefectural Police asks for 2 to 3 mm above the head.
- Nothing behind you, and good contrast
No background means no scenery, no wallpaper or curtain pattern, no wood grain and no shadow. Your outline and clothes must not merge into what is behind you, and Osaka refuses backgrounds close to the colour of your skin, hair or clothes. No colour is prescribed, but Tottori Prefecture and a Shimane Prefectural Police circular refuse extreme primary colours such as red or black.
- No editing or composites
Osaka Prefectural Police does not accept digital photos that have been edited or retouched, or that are out of focus, and lists warping and masking among the image processing it refuses. The Tokyo MPD checklist fails composite photos, edited photos and distorted images. A selfie that comes out reversed left to right is also refused in Osaka.
- Easy to recognise
Look straight at the camera with your eyes open normally. Tokyo refuses narrowed, closed or very wide eyes, a laugh with the mouth wide open, a picture too bright or too dark to make out the face, a mask, and a turtleneck or scarf that hides the outline of the face. Shimane's circular accepts a smile as long as you remain easy to identify.
- Name and date on the back
Write your name and the date the photo was taken on the back of the application photo, as the regulations require. Tokyo does not ask for this on a photo you bring to be used on the card itself, but it refuses any print where writing on the back shows through.
- A clean print on photo paper
Tokyo accepts only prints on photo paper and refuses grainy images with visible dots or jagged edges, poor printing, ink that rubs off, and prints with scratches, stains or discolouration. Its English guide for foreign licence conversion adds that staff check each photo at the counter.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Frame the photo from the chest up
- Leave 2 to 3 mm of space above your head
- Write your name and the date taken on the back of the application photo
- Print on photo paper
- Use a plain background that contrasts with your hair and clothes
- Check your prefectural police page to see whether your counter needs a photo
Don't
- Do not hand in a face-only close-up
- Do not edit, retouch or composite the image
- Do not use a red, black or patterned background
- Do not wear dark sunglasses or a mask
- Do not let your fringe or glasses frames cover your eyes
- Do not use a mirrored selfie
Sample photos
How a Japan driving licence photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 24 × 30 mm 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 allowed. The Tokyo MPD checklist fails a photo only when light reflecting off the lenses stops your eyes being seen, when the frame crosses your eyes, or when you wear dark sunglasses. Osaka lists the same three problems among its unsuitable examples.
A Shimane Prefectural Police circular on licence photos goes further. Glasses you wear in daily life are acceptable even if your licence carries no glasses condition, and sunglasses worn because of illness or injury are acceptable unless their colour or shape makes you very hard to identify. The same circular refuses coloured contact lenses when they make identification markedly difficult.
Headwear and religious dress
Take the photo bareheaded. The regulations make one exception: if you cover your head with cloth or similar for religious or medical reasons, the photo is accepted as long as the outline of your face can be identified. The NPA's sample sheet shows what fails: cloth that hides the outline of the face, a hat or scarf that hides the eye area, and the shadow of a hat or cloth falling over the eyes or the face.
Osaka Prefectural Police, after confirming a medical or similar reason, accepts a wig, scarf or brimless medical cap that leaves the face outline visible. Tokyo refuses a wig you do not wear in daily life, and wide hairbands, bandanas or headbands that cover the head. Shimane's circular treats an ordinary hairband as generally acceptable, and a wig or topknot that is part of your everyday appearance as acceptable.
Printed and digital photos
None of the licence procedures checked for this page takes an uploaded photo file. You either hand in a print, 30 mm high and 24 mm wide, or have your picture taken at the counter. The NPA says that even holders of a My Number licence who take the renewal course online must still visit a licence centre or police station for the eye test and the photo.
Whether your own print ends up on the card depends on where you go. In Tokyo, staff photograph you for the licence, and a photo you bring is used instead only at the Fuchu, Samezu and Koto test centres, for renewals, reissues and adding a licence class. In Osaka, police stations make the licence from the photo you bring, on weekdays only, while the test centres photograph you themselves. Tottori Prefecture warns that a brought photo is scanned, so it can come out darker or blurrier, and a pink background may turn white.
A digital photo taken against a plain wall can be printed at 24 x 30 mm on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter. The Tokyo test centres also have instant photo machines whose prints are accepted as application photos.
Where to submit the photo
Apply to the public safety commission of the prefecture where you live, at its driving licence centre, test centre or one of the police stations that handle licences. Locations, hours and booking rules differ by prefecture, so the NPA refers applicants to their prefectural police.
If you graduate from a designated driving school, you take the graduation certificate to a test centre; in Tokyo you also bring one application photo. To convert a foreign licence (gaimen kirikae), bring the foreign licence itself, since an international driving permit is not accepted, a Japanese translation made by the issuing country's embassy or consulate or by a designated body such as the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), proof of at least 3 months in that country after obtaining the licence, and an application photo. Tokyo asks for one photo per licence class and handles conversions at Fuchu and Samezu, with Koto taking only licences from 29 listed countries and regions.
To record your licence on a My Number Card, go to a licence centre, test centre or participating police station, either when you get or renew a licence or as a separate procedure. The NPA's flow chart includes a photo session in each case.
How to get your Japan driving licence photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Japan driving licence: 24 × 30 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: chest up, with a small gap above the head; nothing behind you, and good contrast; no editing or composites; easy to recognise.
- Prepare a print or digital file. None of the licence procedures checked for this page takes an uploaded photo file. You either hand in a print, 30 mm high and 24 mm wide, or have your picture taken at the counter.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply to the public safety commission of the prefecture where you live, at its driving licence centre, test centre or one of the police stations that handle licences.
Japan driving licence photo FAQ
The application photo is 24 mm wide and 30 mm high, given in the regulations as 3.0 cm high and 2.4 cm wide. It shows you from about the chest up, bareheaded and facing forward against no background, taken within 6 months, with your name and the date taken on the back. The photo on the licence card is usually taken at the centre.
It depends on the counter. The regulations require an application photo for renewal unless prefectural rules waive it, and the NPA notes that some renewal counters need none. In Tokyo, staff take the licence photo, while Osaka police stations make the card from a photo you bring. Check your prefectural police page before you go.
In some places. Tokyo uses a brought photo only at the Fuchu, Samezu and Koto test centres, for renewal, reissue or adding a class, and it must pass the full checklist and be printed on photo paper. Osaka police stations make the card from your photo on weekdays. Tottori warns that brought photos are scanned and may lose quality.
One application photo of 3 cm x 2.4 cm for each licence class you apply for, taken within six months, bareheaded except for religious or medical reasons, facing forward, from the chest up, against a plain background. The Tokyo MPD's English guide adds that staff check each photo at the counter and refuse grainy or unclear ones.
The licence details stored on a My Number Card include a monochrome licence face photo, and the NPA's flow chart shows a photo being taken at the counter whether you record the licence with a new licence, at renewal or on its own. The regulations also ask for an application photo with that request unless prefectural rules waive it.
Yes. Glasses are refused only when glare hides your eyes, the frame crosses your eyes, or the lenses are dark. A Shimane Prefectural Police circular accepts glasses you wear every day even if your licence has no glasses condition, and accepts sunglasses needed for illness or injury unless they make you hard to identify.
A smile is acceptable as long as you remain easy to identify, according to a Shimane Prefectural Police circular on licence photos. Tokyo's checklist refuses a big laugh with the mouth wide open, eyes that are narrowed, closed or opened very wide, and a face that differs markedly from your current appearance.
The regulations say only that the photo has no background, and set no colour. Tottori and Shimane refuse extreme primary colours such as red or black, and Osaka refuses a background close to the colour of your skin, hair or clothes. Tokyo also fails scenery, patterned wallpaper or curtains, and wood grain.
Related photo specifications
Other Japan documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- International driving permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Residence card (alien registration) photo 30 × 40 mm
- APEC business travel card photo 35 × 45 mm
Driving licences nearby
- China driving licence photo 520 × 756 px
- Japan international driving permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Bangladesh driving licence photo
- India driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Singapore singapore driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- Sri Lanka driving licence photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Japan photo specifications
- Driving licences: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 24 × 30 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- e-Gov, Government of Japan. Road Traffic Act Enforcement Regulations (道路交通法施行規則) laws.e-gov.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. For holders of a Japanese driving licence living in Japan npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. For holders of a foreign driving licence npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. Sample application photos with head coverings (PDF) npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. Q&A on driver's licence procedures (PDF, English) npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. My Number licence (マイナ免許証) npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. FAQ on the My Number licence (PDF) npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- National Police Agency. Flow for combining the My Number Card and driving licence (PDF) npa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Application photos and brought photos (申請用写真及び持参写真のご案内) keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Licence photo assessment criteria (免許写真判断基準, PDF) keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Required Documents (All applicants): foreign licence conversion (PDF, English) keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Converting a foreign driving licence to a Japanese licence keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Ordinary licence test for driving school graduates keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Osaka Prefectural Police. Making a licence from a brought photo (持参写真での免許作成) police.pref.osaka.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Osaka Prefectural Police. Suitable photos (適当な写真) police.pref.osaka.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Osaka Prefectural Police. Examples of unsuitable photos (不適当な写真例) police.pref.osaka.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Shimane Prefectural Police. Standards for licence photos, circular (免許用写真の基準について, PDF) pref.shimane.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tottori Prefectural Government. Application photos and brought photos pref.tottori.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with e-Gov, Government of Japan before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Japan driving licence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/japan/driving-licence-photo