A finger vein authentication apparatus includes an image pickup device that creates two kinds of picked-up images by performing line scanning in both of a direction along a lengthwise direction of a finger and a direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction of the finger, and an imaging range detection unit that detects a relative position of an imaging range of the finger by using at least one of a crease pattern near a first joint and a crease pattern near a second joint of the finger existing in at least one of two kinds of vein patterns.