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If you are applying for a US visa, passport or green card while living in Japan, you need a 2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm) square photo — and that is not a size any Japanese convenience store offers as a preset.
The good news: it is still straightforward. The trap is assuming the konbini 5 × 5 cm option is the same thing. It is close, but it is not identical, and the difference matters on a strict application.
Most US applications made from Japan are digital upload only. The DS-160 online visa application takes an image file, not a print.
| Requirement | Digital upload |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG |
| Shape | Square — height must equal width |
| Dimensions | At least 600 × 600 pixels |
| File size | 240KB or smaller |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Recency | Taken within the last 6 months |
Source: US Department of State — digital image requirements (verified 18 August 2026)
If your application is online, stop here — you need a file, not a trip to the konbini. Printing is only required when the instructions ask for a physical photo.
Japanese convenience store ID photo menus are built around Japanese document sizes.
| Konbini preset | Actual size | Normally used for |
|---|---|---|
| 30 × 24mm | 30 × 24mm | Driving licence, Eiken |
| 40 × 30mm | 40 × 30mm | Résumé |
| 45 × 35mm | 45 × 35mm | My Number Card, passport |
| 50 × 50mm | 50 × 50mm | Square-format documents |
2 inches is 50.8 mm. The 50 × 50 mm preset is therefore 0.8 mm short on each side — near enough that it often gets described as "US passport size", but not the same number.
Don't rely on the preset for a strict requirement
For a US visa or passport application, work to the true 50.8 × 50.8 mm (2 × 2 in). Prepare a correctly sized file and print it as a photograph, rather than selecting the 50 × 50 mm ID-photo preset and hoping the difference goes unnoticed.
Size is not the only thing that changes when you move from a Japanese document to a US one.
Because the head ratio differs, cropping a Japanese 45 × 35 mm photo into a square does not produce a compliant US photo. The face ends up too small in the frame. Start from the original image instead.
Once you have a correctly sized file, printing is the easy part.
Register the file with the netprint service, then enter the issued number at the multicopy machine. An L-size photo-paper sheet is ¥250 (Seven-Eleven multicopy and netprint official FAQ).
Both use the Network Print service and charge ¥200 for an L-size photo sheet. Lawson's official guidance lists photo paper at ¥200 (L) and ¥300 (2L); FamilyMart states ¥200 for ID photos in its FamiMa Network Print FAQ.
An L-size sheet is 127 × 89 mm, which comfortably holds two 2 × 2 inch photos side by side with a cutting margin. Trim with a steel rule and a sharp blade — scissors tend to wander, and a crooked edge makes a poor first impression on an application.
The full machine walkthrough is in ID photos at 7-Eleven, Lawson & FamilyMart.
Get the 2x2 inch file right first
Upload a phone photo to mynaphoto.jp and the US square format is generated automatically alongside the other supported document formats, with the background set to a compliant plain colour and the face ratio adjusted to spec.
Note
US requirements are as published by the US Department of State, and konbini prices as published by each chain — both verified 18 August 2026. Requirements and prices can change, so check before applying.
Not as a preset. Convenience store ID photo menus are built around Japanese sizes — 30×24mm, 40×30mm, 45×35mm and 50×50mm. The 50×50mm option is closest, but it is 0.8mm smaller per side than a true 2×2 inch (50.8mm). For a strict requirement, prepare a correctly sized file and print it as a photo.
Almost, but not exactly. 2 inches is 50.8mm, so a 50×50mm print is 0.8mm short on each side. Whether that matters depends on the receiving authority — for US visa and passport applications, work to the true 2×2 inch size.
Often not. The DS-160 online application takes a digital upload: JPEG, square, at least 600×600 pixels, 240KB or smaller. A printed photo is only needed when the specific application or interview instructions ask for one.
Plain white or off-white, per the US Department of State. This differs from Japanese documents, which generally also accept a light colour such as light blue.
Between 50% and 69% of the total image height, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. This is a larger head ratio than most Japanese ID photo specifications use.
About ¥250 for an L-size sheet at Seven-Eleven and ¥200 at Lawson and FamilyMart, tax included. One sheet carries several copies.