My Number Card photo: the online upload rules, and the postal ones
The My Number Card has two application routes with two different photo rules, and the online one is far more forgiving on size than most people expect.
Online, the photo is a JPEG in RGB colour mode, anywhere from 20KB to 7MB, and anywhere from 480 to 6000 pixels on each side. By post, it is a printed 4.5 × 3.5 cm photo with your name and date of birth written on the back.
Both routes share the same rules about the picture: taken within the last 6 months, front-facing, no hat, no background.
The photo itself
The portal states four things about the photograph, and they apply whichever route you use:
- Taken within the last 6 months (最近6ヶ月以内に撮影).
- Front-facing, no headwear, no background (正面、無帽、無背景のもの).
- Black and white is acceptable (白黒の写真でも可).
- Photographs with processing that would interfere with in-person identity verification are not accepted (対面での本人確認に支障をきたす加工が施された写真は不可).
Two of those are worth pausing on. Monochrome is allowed, which is rare — most authorities require colour. And “no background” means a plain one with nothing behind you, not a background you removed afterwards.
Applying online
| Item | Published rule |
|---|---|
| File format | jpeg |
| Colour mode | RGB — CMYK and others are not accepted |
| File size | 20KB to 7MB |
| Pixel size | 480 to 6000 pixels wide, 480 to 6000 pixels tall |
The colour-mode line is the one that trips up photos that came from a print shop: a file prepared for printing may be CMYK, and the upload does not accept it. A photo straight from a phone camera is RGB already.
The portal also warns that images processed with photo editing software may not be accepted (画像編集ソフトで加工された画像などは、受け付けできない場合があります).
Our Japan ID card photo size page lists the millimetre and pixel values side by side, and the size converter will do the arithmetic.
Applying by post
The postal route uses a printed photograph measuring 4.5 cm tall × 3.5 cm wide. The portal asks you to write your name and date of birth on the back of the photo.
That last instruction is easy to miss and costs nothing to follow. Write it before you attach the photo, in soft pen so the pressure does not mark the front.
Taking it yourself
The rules leave room for a phone photo — there is no requirement to use a studio or a booth — but two of them shape how you take it.
“No background” means finding a plain wall rather than fixing one later, because editing is what the guidance warns against. And “front-facing, no headwear” means the camera at face height, straight on.
PhotoSpec shows the Japan ID card requirement before you shoot, guides the framing by voice, and checks the result before you save. It crops to the published dimensions rather than editing the picture, and it does not replace the background. Photos are processed on the phone and are not uploaded to us.
If you cannot take a standard photo
The portal carries a section for applicants who cannot produce a photo to the normal specification for unavoidable reasons, and it is more accommodating than most authorities. There are two ways to use it:
- Write the specific reason on the name field on the front of the application form — the portal’s own example is “one eye does not open because of illness” — making clear which part of the specification cannot be met, and send the form.
- Or telephone the My Number freephone line and give your application ID. The portal publishes the number as 0120-95-0178.
The municipal office may confirm the circumstances when the card is issued. The portal also names the situations it has in mind:
- People covering the head for religious or medical reasons — a turban or hijab, for example — where the outline of the face is still visible.
- People who wear a wig, hat, eye patch or sunglasses daily for medical reasons, or who are bandaged because of an injury.
- Infants, disabled people and people who are bedridden. For someone who cannot stand or sit, the portal allows the photo to be taken lying face-up on a plain, light-coloured sheet, shot from directly in front. If a helper holds or supports the person, the helper must not appear in the photo.
It also warns that an application can be returned because the photo is out of specification — too dark, or impossible to trim — or for reasons that have nothing to do with the photo at all.
Not the same as a Japanese passport photo
Both are 4.5 × 3.5 cm on paper, so they look interchangeable, and they are not. The passport has its own head-height measurements and its own submission route. If you are preparing both, start from the right page: Japan passport photo or Japan ID card photo.
Before you upload — the short version
- Taken within the last 6 months.
- Front-facing, no hat, plain background with nothing behind you.
- Online: JPEG, RGB, 20KB–7MB, 480–6000 px each side.
- By post: 4.5 × 3.5 cm, name and date of birth on the back.
- No photo-editing software.
Frequently asked questions
What size does the online photo have to be?
Between 480 and 6000 pixels on each side, as a JPEG in RGB colour mode, with a file size between 20KB and 7MB.
Does the photo have to be in colour?
No. The portal states that a black and white photograph is also acceptable.
How recent does the photo have to be?
It must have been taken within the last 6 months.
Why was my photo rejected when the file looked fine?
Two published reasons are easy to miss: the colour mode must be RGB, so a print-ready CMYK file will not do, and images processed with photo editing software may not be accepted.
What size is the printed photo for a postal application?
4.5 cm tall by 3.5 cm wide, with your name and date of birth written on the back.
Can I use my Japanese passport photo?
Do not assume so. The paper size is the same, but the passport photograph has its own measurements and its own submission route. Check each against the requirement for that document.
Sources
Everything here comes from the issuing authority’s own pages. Where the official wording is ambiguous or differs between documents we have said so rather than picked a number. Our sourcing policy is described in sources and verification.
- Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems — My Number Card portal, face photo checkpoints (Japanese): kojinbango-card.go.jp — 顔写真のチェックポイント
Last checked 10 September 2026. Rules change — check the authority before you submit.