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Japan visa photo requirements

The 35 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for the Japan visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 8 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Japan visa photo?

The visa application form from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a photo box of 45 mm x 35 mm (height x width), or 2 x 1.4 inches. Use a photo from the last 6 months, facing forward with no hat, against a plain background; several missions ask for white. Some missions set their own size, such as 2 x 2 inches in Washington DC. Tourists using JAPAN eVISA upload a digital photo instead.

Visas for Japan are issued by Japanese embassies, consulates general and consular offices abroad; you cannot apply for one after arriving in Japan. You apply to the mission with jurisdiction over where you live, at its consular section, through an accredited agency, at a Japan Visa Application Centre or online, using the method that mission specifies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) publishes the standard visa application form, and each mission adds its own document list and practical rules.

For a paper application, the photo is pasted into the box at the top right of the form, marked 45 mm x 35 mm or 2 in x 1.4 in. That is an upright 35 x 45 mm photo, the same shape as a Japanese passport photo. Missions then publish further rules. The Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka asks for a white background with the ears fully visible, and the Embassy in Washington DC asks for one 2 x 2 inch photo attached with glue.

Residents of some countries can instead apply online for a single-entry tourist visa of up to 90 days through JAPAN eVISA. As of May 2026 anyone living in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom or the United States who needs a visa can use it directly, and residents of several other places use it through accredited agencies. The eVISA photo is an uploaded file, so no print is needed.

Japan visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan:[1]

Print size35 x 45 mm (1.4 x 2 in), width x height, as on the MOFA form; some missions set other sizes
Digital sizeJAPAN eVISA: no pixel size published; the photo must fit the red frame on screen
BackgroundPlain and untextured, with no shadows; white at missions such as Sri Lanka
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
File sizeJAPAN eVISA: up to 2 MB recommended
File formatJAPAN eVISA: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP or HEIC
Print qualityWashington DC: passport-type photo, not regular printer paper, attached with glue only
Pixels when printed413 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 827 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
35 mm45 mm
35 × 45 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: plain and untextured.

Key requirements

  • Fit the box on the form

    The MOFA form marks a photo box of 45 mm x 35 mm, or 2 in x 1.4 in, and asks you to paste the photo there. Japanese missions use this form for applications that do not go through JAPAN eVISA, such as visits to relatives or friends, business, study and work.

  • Your mission can set its own size

    Missions publish their own photo rules on top of the form. The Embassy of Japan in Washington DC asks for one 2 x 2 inch photo, while the Embassy in Sri Lanka gives 4.5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. Follow the page of the mission that will receive your application.

  • Recent, alone and facing forward

    Embassy guidance asks for a photo of the applicant alone, taken in the last 6 months, facing forward without a hat. The Sri Lanka embassy's sample sheet also rejects photos with too little space above the head, and faces that are too large or too small in the frame.

  • eVISA: centred and original

    JAPAN eVISA asks for a photo taken within the last six months against a plain, untextured background, with the whole face clearly centred horizontally. Do not upload a photo retaken from your passport or driving licence, or one taken from a group photograph.

  • No filters

    The Washington DC embassy says filters must not be used and that the photo must be taken in front of a plain background. Keep the image natural, with even light and no colour effects.

  • Glue, not staples

    Where a printed photo goes on the form, the Washington DC embassy asks you to attach it with glue only, never with staples or tape, and refuses photos on regular printer paper.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Paste the photo inside the box on the application form
  • Use a plain white background with no shadows
  • Leave clear space above your head
  • Upload a sharp, centred image to JAPAN eVISA
  • Read the photo rules of the mission that covers your address
  • Use glue to attach a printed photo

Don't

  • Do not staple or tape the photo to the form
  • Do not use a photo taken more than 6 months ago
  • Do not re-photograph the picture in your passport or driving licence
  • Do not crop yourself out of a group picture
  • Do not apply filters
  • Do not wear a hat

Sample photos

How a Japan visa 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.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Headwear and religious dress

Visa photos are taken bareheaded. The Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka requires a photo without a hat, facing forward, with the ears fully visible. MOFA's visa pages publish no separate rule for religious head coverings, so if you wear one for religious reasons, ask the mission that will handle your application before you have the photo taken.

Babies and children

On JAPAN eVISA a parent can add a child to their own account under New registration, upload the child's documents and then answer the identity question as a proxy. A child travelling with a parent needs no letter of authorisation, but a child travelling to Japan without a person with parental authority must also upload a parental consent form.

No separate photo standard for children is published, so a child's photo follows the same rules: recent, the child alone, the face centred and a plain background.

Paper applications need a printed photo pasted on the form. The MOFA form gives 45 mm x 35 mm or 2 in x 1.4 in, so a 35 x 45 mm print fits. If you apply from the UK on paper, that form size applies, and UK residents who need a visa for tourism can use JAPAN eVISA instead. If you apply from the US, read the page of the embassy or consulate for your state. The Embassy in Washington DC, which serves DC, Maryland and Virginia, asks for one 2 x 2 inch passport-type photo, refuses photos on regular printer paper and wants the photo glued on.

On JAPAN eVISA the photo is a file. The FAQ lists JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP and HEIC, recommends a size of up to 2 MB, and asks you to make sure the imported photo fits inside the red rectangle on screen. No pixel dimensions are published. The Washington DC embassy says most online applications it rejects have missing or illegible documents, and names low-resolution or blurry photos as a common cause.

Where to submit the photo

Apply to the Japanese embassy, consulate general or consular office with jurisdiction over your place of residence. Depending on the country, the application goes to the consular section, through an accredited travel agency, to a Japan Visa Application Centre, or online. In mainland China, the Philippines, Viet Nam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Mongolia, South Korea, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, eVISA applications are made through accredited agencies.

JAPAN eVISA covers only single-entry tourist visas of up to 90 days for ordinary passport holders arriving by air or by scheduled ferry from Busan or Shanghai. Visiting relatives, business, study, work and transit still need a paper application at the mission, and the visa is then a sticker in your passport.

How to get your Japan visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Japan visa: 35 × 45 mm print, plain and untextured background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: fit the box on the form; your mission can set its own size; recent, alone and facing forward; eVISA: centred and original.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Paper applications need a printed photo pasted on the form. The MOFA form gives 45 mm x 35 mm or 2 in x 1.4 in, so a 35 x 45 mm print fits.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply to the Japanese embassy, consulate general or consular office with jurisdiction over your place of residence.

Make this photo online

Japan visa photo FAQ

The MOFA application form has a photo box of 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, or 2 x 1.4 inches, so a standard 35 x 45 mm photo fits. Some missions publish their own size: the Embassy of Japan in Washington DC asks for 2 x 2 inches. Check the page of the mission where you apply.

No. JAPAN eVISA is fully online, so you upload the photo as a file. It accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP and HEIC files, with up to 2 MB recommended. The photo must be recent, against a plain background, with your whole face centred, and it must fit the red frame shown during upload.

No. The JAPAN eVISA site asks applicants not to use a photo retaken from a passport, a driving licence or a group photograph. Have a new photo taken within the last six months instead. If it does not meet the requirements, the embassy or consulate may ask you to apply again, which delays the visa.

A plain background with no pattern, texture or shadow. JAPAN eVISA asks for a plain, untextured background, and the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka specifies white, with no shadows. A white background meets every rule published by the missions checked for this page.

Paste it inside the photo box at the top of the form. The Embassy of Japan in Washington DC asks applicants to use glue only and not to staple or tape the photo. Use a proper photo print, since that embassy does not accept photos printed on regular printer paper.

JAPAN eVISA is open to people who need a short-term visa, live in a participating country and want a single-entry tourist visa of up to 90 days. As of May 2026 that includes residents of Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, the UK and the US, while residents of several other places apply through accredited agencies.

Related photo specifications

Other Japan documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 35 × 45 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Visa Application Form to Enter Japan (PDF) mofa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. VISA mofa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The JAPAN eVISA system (electronic visa) mofa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. JAPAN eVISA: Online visa application for visiting Japan evisa.mofa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. JAPAN eVISA: Frequently asked questions evisa.mofa.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  6. Embassy of Japan in the United States. Short-term Tourism/Business/Study visa us.emb-japan.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  7. Embassy of Japan in the United States. Visa and Travel Information us.emb-japan.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.
  8. Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka. Japan Visa Application Photo Standard (PDF) lk.emb-japan.go.jp. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Japan visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/japan/visa-photo

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