Japan international driving permit photo requirements
The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by e-Gov, Government of Japan for the Japan international driving permit, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Japan international driving permit photo?
An international driving permit from Japan needs one print 35 mm wide and 45 mm high (4.5 x 3.5 cm), the same size as a passport photo. It must be taken within 6 months, bareheaded and facing forward, with the face in the centre, no background and no border, and your name and the date taken written on the back. You hand it in with the application at a licence centre or police station.
Japan issues the international driving permit (kokugai unten menkyosho) in the format of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, based on the Japanese licence you already hold. According to the National Police Agency (NPA), you apply to the public safety commission of the prefecture where you live, which in practice means its licence centres and, in some prefectures, certain police stations. Shimane Prefectural Police lists who cannot apply: holders of only a provisional, large special, small special or moped licence, and drivers whose licence is currently suspended.
The photo is a print attached to the permit. It must be 4.5 cm high and 3.5 cm wide, a size the regulations have required since an amendment that took effect on 13 May 2022, and which Tokyo describes as the same as a passport photo. Kanagawa Prefectural Police refuses prints on anything other than photo paper, because they can be damaged when the permit is stamped, and no longer accepts photos made to the standard used before the change.
The permit is valid for one year from the date of issue and cannot be renewed. It also stops being valid if the Japanese licence it is based on expires or is revoked, so the NPA points drivers whose licence runs out within that year to an early renewal.
Japan international driving permit photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by e-Gov, Government of Japan:[1]
| Print size | 35 x 45 mm (1.38 x 1.77 in), width x height; the regulations state 4.5 cm high, 3.5 cm wide |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: hand in one printed photo with the application form |
| Background | No background: plain, with nothing behind you; no colour is specified |
| Colour | Colour or black and white (Shimane Prefectural Police) |
| Photo age | Taken within 6 months before the application |
| Print quality | Borderless print on photo paper; Kanagawa refuses other paper because the permit is stamped |
| Pixels when printed | 413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
Photos that do not meet the criteria include a composite photo and a photo that has been processed or edited. (translated from Japanese)
Key requirements
- Passport size since 13 May 2022
An amendment to the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Regulations changed the permit photo requirements on 13 May 2022. Yamanashi Prefectural Police describes the change as a switch to passport size, and the regulations now ask for a face photo 4.5 cm high and 3.5 cm wide. Kanagawa refuses photos made to the old standard.
- Face in the centre
Unlike the chest-up photo used for a licence application, the permit takes a face photo. Tokyo, Osaka and Shimane all ask for the face to be centred, and Osaka adds that about 4 mm should be left above the head.
- Borderless
Osaka asks for a print without a border and refuses photo paper with a border, unless the photo inside it is already the full 4.5 x 3.5 cm. Kanagawa also asks for a photo with no frame.
- Written details on the reverse
The regulations and the NPA ask for your name and the date the photo was taken on the back. Osaka repeats this for the print you hand in at its test centres.
- Recent and sharp
Kanagawa says that if staff cannot confirm when the photo was taken and judge from your appearance or clothes that it is old, you may be asked to have it retaken. Because the print is used as it is, it also has to be clear.
- Tokyo's checklist applies
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) checklist, which also states the permit size, refuses hats, masks, eyes hidden by hair, glare on glasses, a face too bright or too dark to see, and composite or edited images.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Order prints at 35 x 45 mm, the same size as a passport photo
- Centre your face and leave about 4 mm above your head
- Note your name and the shooting date on the reverse
- Have it printed on photo paper with no white border
- Bring your passport or other proof that you are travelling
- Bring every licence you hold, plastic or My Number
Don't
- Do not hand in a 24 x 30 mm licence application photo
- Do not use a print taken more than 6 months ago
- Do not print on plain or office paper
- Do not submit a composite or edited picture
- Do not cover your head unless for religious or medical reasons
- Do not wear tinted sunglasses
Sample photos
How a Japan international driving permit photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 35 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
You can keep your glasses on. The Tokyo MPD checklist, which covers permit photos as well as licence photos, refuses glasses that reflect light so that your eyes cannot be checked, frames that cut across the eyes, and dark sunglasses. Frames that sit clear of your eyes, photographed without flash glare, avoid all three problems.
Headwear and religious dress
A hat is not allowed. The regulations define bareheaded once, in the article on licence applications, and the same definition applies to the permit photo: a head covered with cloth or similar for religious or medical reasons is accepted, provided the outline of the face can be identified.
Osaka spells this out on its permit page. Where there is a medical or similar reason, which staff confirm, it accepts a wig, scarf or brimless medical cap that leaves the face outline visible. Tokyo's checklist adds that wigs not worn in daily life, and wide hairbands or bandanas covering the head, are refused.
Printed and digital photos
None of the prefectural pages checked offers an online application for the permit; each lists a printed photo among the items to bring. Tokyo accepts prints from the instant photo machines at its Fuchu, Samezu and Koto test centres, and Kanagawa has a paid passport photo machine at its licence centre. Shimane accepts colour or black and white.
If you have the photo printed elsewhere, use photo paper: Kanagawa explains that other paper may be damaged when the permit is stamped. Osaka refuses photo paper with a border unless the photo is the full size without it, and Kanagawa asks you not to cut the photo before you bring it. A digital photo can be printed at 35 x 45 mm on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
Where to submit the photo
Apply in the prefecture of the address on your licence. Tokyo residents can apply at the Fuchu, Samezu and Koto test centres, the Kanda and Shinjuku renewal centres, or Setagaya, Itabashi and Tachikawa police stations, and the permit is normally issued the same day. Osaka handles applications only at its Kadoma and Komyoike test centres, not at police stations. In Kanagawa and Shimane the licence centres issue the permit the same day, while applications at police stations take about two weeks.
Bring the application form, which the counter provides, your licence or My Number licence, your passport or another document showing that you are travelling, the photo, and any earlier permit. If you hold only a My Number licence, Tokyo and Kanagawa warn that some destinations may require a conventional licence, so check with the embassy of the country you are visiting.
How to get your Japan international driving permit photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Japan international driving permit: 35 × 45 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: passport size since 13 May 2022; face in the centre; borderless; written details on the reverse.
- Prepare a print or digital file. None of the prefectural pages checked offers an online application for the permit; each lists a printed photo among the items to bring.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply in the prefecture of the address on your licence.
Japan international driving permit photo FAQ
It is 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, written in the regulations as 4.5 cm high and 3.5 cm wide. Tokyo describes it as the same size as a passport photo. The face should be centred, with no border, no background and no hat, and the print must be less than 6 months old with your name and the date taken on the back.
Yes. The photo requirements changed on 13 May 2022 with an amendment to the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Regulations, and Yamanashi Prefectural Police says the size became passport size. Kanagawa no longer accepts photos made to the earlier standard, so do not reuse an old print or follow guidance written before that date.
The size is the same, so a 35 x 45 mm passport-style print works if it also meets the permit rules: taken within 6 months, face centred, no border, no background, on photo paper, with your name and the date taken on the back. A 24 x 30 mm driving licence application photo is too small.
Shimane Prefectural Police says either colour or black and white is acceptable. The regulations and the other prefectural pages checked do not set a colour rule. Whichever you choose, the photo must be sharp, since Kanagawa notes that the print you hand in is used as it is.
Usually, if you apply at a licence centre or test centre. Tokyo issues permits the same day in principle at all its counters, and Kanagawa and Shimane do so at their licence centres. Applications made at police stations in Kanagawa and Shimane take about two weeks.
Only while you are abroad. Tokyo accepts applications from a relative or other proxy when the licence holder is overseas, and Osaka allows one only when the applicant is overseas and finds it difficult to return. In Osaka the proxy brings your original licence, a letter of authority, copies of your passport pages, one photo meeting the usual rules and their own ID.
One year from the date of issue, and it cannot be renewed. It lapses earlier if the Japanese licence it is based on expires or is revoked. Shimane asks applicants to have at least a year left on their licence, but accepts short trips that end before the licence expires.
Yes. Tokyo, Osaka and Kanagawa list the My Number licence among the licences you can show when applying. Tokyo and Kanagawa warn, though, that some destination countries may require a conventional licence, so check with the embassy of the country you are visiting.
Related photo specifications
Other Japan documents
- Passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Driving licence photo 24 × 30 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 driving licence photo 24 × 30 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
Also 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria residence permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Algeria work permit photo 35 × 45 mm
- Andorra passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Anguilla passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Antigua and Barbuda passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Armenia visa photo 35 × 45 mm
- All Japan photo specifications
- Driving licences: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 35 × 45 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.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. International driving permit: applying in person keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. International driving permit: applying through a proxy 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.
- Osaka Prefectural Police. Applying for an international driving permit (国外運転免許証の申請) police.pref.osaka.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Kanagawa Prefectural Police. International driving permit: applying in person (本人による申請) police.pref.kanagawa.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Shimane Prefectural Police. International driving permit (国外運転免許証) pref.shimane.lg.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Yamanashi Prefectural Police. Applying for an international driving permit pref.yamanashi.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 international driving permit photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/japan/international-driving-permit-photo