China visa photo
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The requirements
| Print size | 33 x 48 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 354-420 px |
| File size | 120 KB |
| File formats | JPEG |
| Head height, chin to crown | 28-33 mm On the paper photo the head width is 15-22 mm and the head height, measured from the base of the chin to the crown, is 28-33 mm. The space between the crown and the top edge is 3-5 mm and the space between the chin and the bottom edge is at least 7 mm. |
| Background | White or close to white, with no border around the edge of the image |
| Glasses | Allowed, as long as the eyes are fully visible with no glare and no tint. |
| Expression | Neutral, mouth closed, both eyes open. |
| Head covering | Only for religious or medical reasons, and the face must be visible from the bottom of the chin to the top of the forehead. |
| Ears | Yes |
| Photo age | 6 months |
| Also required |
|
This is the foreign ministry standard for a visa to China, applied by Chinese embassies, consulates and the visa application service centres. The posters are dated 2016 and are still the document the missions link from their current visa checklists. The China Online Visa Application portal at cova.mfa.gov.cn returned 502 Bad Gateway on the day this spec was written, so the upload rules of that portal could not be cross-checked; the file rules here are the ones on the poster. Note that the exit and entry administration of the Ministry of Public Security, which issues Chinese passports and residence permits, uses the same 33 x 48 mm paper size but a head height of 30-34 mm and a 20-80 KB file, so do not mix the two. The 3:4 digital ratio deliberately differs from the 33:48 paper ratio.
Applying in China
This page covers two different Chinese photographs and the difference matters more than the numbers suggest. The visa photo is published in detail by the Chinese Visa Application Service Centres and is what most readers of this site actually need. The passport photo is a domestic document for Chinese citizens, applied for in person, with its own standard from the National Immigration Administration. Both print at 33 by 48, which is narrower and taller than the shape used across most of Europe, and their head bands differ.
For the passport there is normally nothing to bring. The applicant appears in person at an exit and entry administration office, fingerprints are collected on site and are mandatory from the age of sixteen, and Beijing offers free photo capture at the reception hall itself with a paid studio nearby for anyone who prefers one. The fee is CNY 120 as of September 2026, unchanged since it fell from CNY 160 in 2019. Overseas the equivalent is CNY 120, USD 18 or EUR 16.
Processing is quoted as seven working days at your place of household registration, twenty days if you apply in another province, and five working days for the urgent service. A fully online renewal and replacement service runs in around twenty pilot cities for registered residents aged sixteen and over, with the book produced and posted within three working days. We could not load the National Immigration Administration page listing those cities, so treat the city count and the three day figure as only partly confirmed.
Why photos get rejected here
A background that is not white or close to white
For the visa photo the requirement is white or near white with no border around the edge. Gradients, shadows and any second person or object in frame are excluded.
Thick frames, tinted lenses or glare
Glasses are permitted only if the lenses are untinted and there is no glare, shadow or frame obscuring the eyes. Heavy everyday frames fail on the frames alone, before the lighting is even considered.
Not facing the camera squarely
The visa standard puts numbers on this where most countries do not: head tilt of no more than 20 degrees left or right and no more than 25 degrees up or down. A head turned slightly away is a measurable failure rather than a matter of opinion.
A print on matte or plain paper
The visa guidance asks for glossy finish photo paper. Matte and ordinary paper are named as unacceptable, which is a separate failure from anything about the image itself.
A garment the same colour as the background
The guidance says the garment must not match the background. Against a white or near white backdrop that rules out a white shirt, and it is the same shoulder-line problem Canada and Malaysia describe in their own wording.
Hair covering the eyebrows, eyes or ears
Ears must be visible for the visa photo, which is stricter than the passport standard and stricter than most countries. A fringe that reaches the eyebrows is enough to fail it.
What helps
Do not reuse a 35 by 45 mm print
The Chinese photo is a different proportion from the European standard. A print cut to 35 by 45 mm is the wrong shape and cropping one down loses the head-size relationship the specification depends on.
Print on glossy paper
This is stated in the visa guidance and it is the sort of instruction people skip because it sounds like a preference. Matte paper is refused.
Wear something that is not white or pale
The garment must not be the same colour as the background, and the background is white or close to it. Dark clothing with a collar is what the domestic standard prefers.
Ignore the 390 by 567 pixel figure
It circulates widely with a 300 dpi and 40 to 50 KB pairing, and it appears on no government page we could reach. Build to the published band for the portal you are actually using.
Expect on-site capture for a domestic passport
You attend in person, fingerprints are taken there, and in Beijing the photograph is captured free at the reception hall. A file prepared at home is for the visa route or for an overseas application, not for a counter in China.
Babies and young children
The domestic passport standard publishes relaxations that the visa standard does not. Nothing may block the child from in front or behind, which rules out a supporting hand or a toy in frame. Children under four are not required to hold a natural expression and a level frontal gaze, and children under one do not have to keep their eyes wide open. The eye-line band is also widened for children. For a visa photo we found no equivalent published relaxation, so a child's visa photograph is held to the adult framing.
Glasses
Glasses are allowed in principle and refused in practice more often than people expect. The lenses must be untinted and there must be no glare, no shadow and no frame obscuring the eyes; coloured or tinted glasses are excluded except on medical grounds and heavy frames are discouraged in the domestic standard and excluded in the visa guidance. Since glare comes from the lighting rather than the eyewear, and thick frames fail on their own, removing them is the only approach that satisfies every condition at once.
Head covering
Hats and head coverings are permitted only where they are worn for religious reasons, and only if they do not obscure any facial feature. The domestic standard adds medical and cultural grounds and requires that the covering neither hides the face nor casts a shadow across it, and that non-permanent ornaments do not cover the face. No written declaration is mentioned in the material we read. The shadow condition is the practical difficulty, because a fold of fabric under an overhead light darkens the eye sockets.
Applying online
The visa upload has a published band for both dimensions and file size and is the best documented digital route China offers. Inside China the passport is normally a counter transaction with on-site capture, though a pilot service in around twenty cities allows a fully online renewal or replacement for registered residents aged sixteen and over. There is a genuine conflict between official sources on the background: the general exit and entry document guideline is quoted as allowing uniform white or light blue, while the passport rule published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says white. Use white.
Questions about China photos
How does the Chinese passport photo differ from the visa photo?
They print at the same size but the head bands and the digital limits differ, and the visa route requires the ears to be visible while the passport standard does not. Treat them as two specifications that happen to share a paper size, not as one rule.
Why does my COVA upload keep failing on file size?
Because the portal enforces a floor as well as a ceiling. A heavily compressed export can be too small just as easily as a full-resolution one is too large, and most tools only guard against being too big.
Is the background white, or is light blue allowed?
Two official sources disagree. The general exit and entry document guideline is quoted as permitting uniform white or light blue, while the passport rule published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says white. White satisfies both, so use white.
Is 390 by 567 pixels at 300 dpi the official digital size?
We could not find it on any government page. That figure, usually paired with a 40 to 50 KB file size, appears only on commercial sites. Use the band published by the portal you are applying through.
Do I bring a photo to a Chinese passport office?
Normally not. You attend in person, fingerprints are collected there, and in Beijing the photograph is captured free at the exit and entry reception hall, with a paid studio available nearby if you prefer.
Can a Chinese passport be renewed entirely online?
In some cities. A pilot service covers registered residents aged sixteen and over in around twenty cities, producing and posting the book within three working days. We could not load the official page listing them, so confirm locally before relying on it.
Where these numbers come from
Official sourceEvery measurement on this page comes from the issuing authority's own published requirements.
- Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Applicationchecked September 2, 2026
- Guidelines for Visa Applications, Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for Chinachecked September 2, 2026
Reviewed by Editorial teamHow we check our numbers