France Working Holiday visa photo requirements (application at the Embassy of France in Japan)

First confirm the scope

This guide covers photos for Japanese applicants filing the working holiday visa (a long-stay visa with a « vacances-travail » statement) in person at the visa section of the Embassy of France in Japan. Do not transfer these values to the France Schengen short-stay (type C) visa or to another destination.

• Application route: in-person submission at the visa section of the Embassy of France in Japan.
• The France-Visas online form is the application workflow; it is not a place where the photo is uploaded.
• The France Schengen short-stay (type C) visa is a separate route; its photo specification is not automatically applied here.

Official photo requirements

The following requirements are confirmed in the France-Visas photo FAQ, the ISO/IEC photograph quality PDF, and the Japan jurisdiction page. Note that the official guidance specifies a width range only, and sets no height.

• Width: 35–40 mm (an official range, not a single required width).
• Height: not specified in the official guidance.
• Face height: 32–36 mm, measured from chin to forehead (excluding hair).
• Face occupancy: 70–80% of the picture.
• Background: plain and light-coloured; no specific colour is mandated.
• Recency: taken within the last 6 months.
• Count: one printed photograph (singular, per the Japan bring-list).
• Medium: a printed photograph, attached to the printed application form and submitted in person.

The tool’s 35×45 mm output and how it relates to the official requirements

The tool outputs a printable 35×45 mm photo (413×531 px, JPEG). This is the product’s chosen output; it does not mean that France requires exactly 35×45 mm.

• The 35 mm width falls inside the official 35–40 mm width range.
• The 45 mm height is the tool’s selected compatible output height; the French authority does not separately state a height requirement.
• The 45 mm output height follows the ICAO Doc 9303 Part 4 envelope for the visa photograph area (35×45 mm), a common basis the product builds on; the official France-Visas FAQ states compliance with the ICAO standard. This envelope is not a French height requirement.
• A print sheet may lay out multiple copies; that is the print layout. The submission itself is one photograph.

Bringing the photo to your application

For the photo-related part of the working holiday application, the flow is as follows. Non-photo conditions (fees, quotas, age eligibility) are not covered here; check the current official guidance.

• Complete the application form on France-Visas, print it, and sign it (the online form is not a photo upload step).
• Prepare one printed photo that matches the official requirements (width range, face, background, within 6 months).
• Attach the photo to the printed application form and submit everything in person at the visa section.
• Applicants aged 12 and over have fingerprints and a photograph taken at the counter. That authority-captured step is separate from the printed photo you prepare.

Common mix-ups

These are the common mix-ups for this route.

• “France visa photos are 35×45 mm” is not this route’s official requirement. The official guidance states a 35–40 mm width range and sets no height.
• Do not transfer the France Schengen short-stay (type C) photo specification to this working holiday route.
• There is no step where the photo is mailed to France or uploaded online. The printed photo is brought in person with the application.

What the Web Tool can do

The published Web Tool creates a printable 35×45 mm photo — a width inside the official 35–40 mm range — directly in the browser. It uses a light background compatible with the official “plain light-coloured” requirement. The tool’s pixel, format, and background values are product-output contracts, not official requirements.