Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) publishes an unusually precise photo standard: 35 × 45 mm, head height 32-36 mm, and headroom above the crown of only 2-6 mm. The tolerance is enforced strictly, and a photo that is even a millimetre outside range, or shows any sign of digital editing, is rejected.
Fast diagnosis
Common checks include a head height outside the 32-36 mm chin-to-crown range, any detectable digital retouching or filter — the published standard lists retouched, colour-shifted and bleached images as unacceptable — and glare or a shadow from glasses, which is technically allowed but a common automated check.
MOFA specifies the chin-to-crown head height as 34 mm ± 2 mm — a 32-36 mm range — inside the 35 × 45 mm frame. The tolerance is published as a hard range, so a crop outside it does not meet the standard; use a tool that fits the ratio automatically rather than cropping by eye.
The standard also fixes the gap between the top of the photo and the top of the head at 4 mm ± 2 mm. Too little headroom crops the hairline; too much pushes the head height below range.
The published standard lists retouched, colour-shifted and bleached images as unacceptable — that covers beauty filters and colour correction, not only background replacement. Mirror-flipped images are named separately, which catches phone selfies saved the way they appear on screen. Submit the unedited camera capture.
The background must be even and free of patterns, gradients or shadows, with plain white the officially recommended choice. A faint shadow near the shoulders or behind the head is one of the common rejection triggers.
Prescription glasses are technically allowed if both eyes are fully visible with no glare and the frame does not cover any part of the eyes, but glare and frame shadows are a frequent automated rejection trigger in practice. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not allowed at all; removing glasses for the shot is the safer choice.
Even a slight tilt away from perfectly straight and centred fails the check. Use a tripod or a steady surface and keep the eye-line level.
Japanese passport photo rules require an image that reflects your current appearance, taken within the last 6 months. An older photo is rejected even if your appearance has barely changed.
MOFA's standard fixes the head height at 34 mm ± 2 mm, the headroom above the head at 4 mm ± 2 mm, and the gap below the chin at 7 mm ± 2 mm, all inside the 35 × 45 mm frame. Those tolerances are published as hard ranges, so a crop outside them does not meet the standard. A tool that fits all three automatically is safer than a manual crop.
No. The published standard lists retouched, colour-shifted and bleached images as unacceptable, which covers beauty filters and colour correction as well as background replacement. Mirror-flipped images are named separately — a point worth checking if you shot the photo as a selfie, because phones often save the flipped version. Submit the photo exactly as captured.
Prescription glasses are technically permitted if both eyes are fully visible with no glare and the frame does not cover any part of the eyes. In practice, glare and frame shadows are a common rejection trigger, so removing glasses for the shot is the safer option; sunglasses and tinted lenses are not allowed.
Verified .
Upload a fresh portrait — Anfas.Pro applies the correct crop, background and biometric framing automatically and shows the result before you pay.