China ID card photo requirements
The 26 × 32 mm photo rules set by Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau for the China ID card, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the China ID card photo?
The photo on a Chinese Resident Identity Card is 26 x 32 mm (1.02 x 1.26 in), held as a 358 x 441 pixel colour image at 350 dpi. Under the police standard GA 461 it is a recent front-facing photo without a hat, the head filling about two thirds of the frame, on a white background with no border. Police counters take it free of charge, and some provinces accept a photo taken in an official app.
The Resident Identity Card (居民身份证) is the national identity card for Chinese citizens living in mainland China. It is issued by the county-level public security bureau where your permanent household registration (hukou) is held, and the Ministry of Public Security sets its design. Under the Resident Identity Card Law, citizens must apply within 3 months of turning 16, and a guardian can apply for a child under 16.
The card records your photo and fingerprints. Its photo is a digital image made to the police standard GA 461-2004, Technical Requirements for Digital Photos for Resident Identity Cards. Police counters take the photo on the spot free of charge. Several cities and provinces also run official apps that take or accept a photo, check it and pass it to the police, so you can arrive with the photo already approved.
A card issued under 16 is valid for 5 years. From 16 to 25 it lasts 10 years, from 26 to 45 it lasts 20 years, and from 46 it is issued as long-term.
China ID card photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau:[1]
| Print size | 26 x 32 mm (1.02 x 1.26 in), width x height |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 358 x 441 pixels (width x height) at 350 dpi |
| Background | White, with no border |
| Colour | Colour, 24-bit RGB |
| Photo age | A recent photo of the applicant |
| Print quality | Sharp, no spots, blemishes or ink defects, no bright patches on the face |
| Pixels when printed | 307 × 378 px at 300 dpi · 614 × 756 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Head about two thirds of the photo
Beijing police describe the standard photo as a recent, front-facing colour photo without a hat, with the head taking up two thirds of the photo. The face, measured between the roots of the ears, is 15 mm wide, plus or minus 1 mm. Very tall hair may be partly cut off.
- No uniform and no white top
Do not wear a uniform or a white top. The Hunan provincial service portal asks for a dark top that is not a uniform.
- No make-up or jewellery
The Hunan provincial portal says not to wear make-up or jewellery and to keep your natural hair colour; hair dyed a colour other than black is not allowed. Anhui's rules for self-taken photos also rule out heavy make-up and coloured contact lenses.
- Clear and undistorted
The portrait must be sharp, with natural expression and no visible distortion. Beijing police add that the photo must have no spots, blemishes or ink defects and no bright patches on the face.
- Face the camera squarely
Anhui's self-capture rules ask for a frontal head shot with the head, face and shoulders straight, eyes level with the lens, and nothing covering the facial features.
- Self-taken photos are reviewed
In Anhui, police may ask for a new photo if a phone-taken or prepared photo fails the check at the counter. After three failed reviews, you can no longer use those methods and must go to a counter.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Wear a dark top that is not a uniform
- Use a pure white background
- Show both ears if you have long hair
- Use the rear camera when an app takes the photo
- Bring the official photo receipt if your city issues one
Don't
- Do not wear make-up, earrings or a necklace
- Do not wear a hat, scarf, hair clip or headband
- Do not wear a white top
- Do not wear coloured contact lenses
- Do not tilt or turn your head
- Do not change how you really look
Sample photos
How a China ID card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 26 × 32 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Rules differ by place. Beijing police, citing GA 461, say citizens who usually wear glasses should wear them for the ID card photo.
Anhui's rules for photos taken on a phone through the 皖事通 (Wanshitong) app say the opposite: no glasses and no coloured contact lenses. Follow the instructions of the channel you use, and if you keep glasses on, make sure your eyes are fully visible.
Headwear and religious dress
The standard asks for a photo without a hat. Anhui's self-capture rules also exclude scarves, hair clips and headbands, and say that long hair must show both ears and must not be pinned up in a bun on top of the head.
Babies and children
Children under 16 do not have to hold an ID card, but a guardian can apply for one on their behalf, and the card is then valid for 5 years. The same photo standard applies.
A first application is made at the police station where the household is registered. Anhui's online renewal through 皖事通 is limited to applicants aged 18 or older who are not applying for the first time.
Printed and digital photos
You do not hand in prints for an ID card: the card is made from a digital image. At a police counter the photo is taken on the spot free of charge, as the Hunan provincial portal states. The Panjin police in Liaoning note that counters still offer free photos even though their 证照e拍 (photo e-shoot) mini program lets you take one on your phone.
In Guangzhou, the 穗好办 (Suihaoban) app takes the photo with the rear camera, guides you through cropping and issues an official receipt; you then bring the Guangdong resident ID card digital photo receipt to the counter. In Anhui, the 皖事通 app accepts a photo taken on the phone or one prepared in advance, and police review it before the card is made.
Where to submit the photo
Apply to the public security bureau where your household is registered, usually at the local police station or household registration counter. The police must issue the card within 60 days of your application, and you can ask for a temporary ID card if you need one in the meantime.
In Guangzhou you can book a counter appointment in 穗好办 or use a self-service ID machine. In Anhui, residents with an Anhui hukou who are 18 or older and handled an ID card within the last two years can apply online through 皖事通 and receive the card by EMS.
How to get your China ID card photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the China ID card: 26 × 32 mm print, 358 × 441 px digital file, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: head about two thirds of the photo; no uniform and no white top; no make-up or jewellery; clear and undistorted.
- Prepare a print or digital file. You do not hand in prints for an ID card: the card is made from a digital image. At a police counter the photo is taken on the spot free of charge, as the Hunan provincial portal states.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply to the public security bureau where your household is registered, usually at the local police station or household registration counter.
China ID card photo FAQ
It is 26 mm wide and 32 mm high. The digital version is 358 x 441 pixels at 350 dpi, in 24-bit RGB colour. These values come from the GA 461 standard used by the police, as given by the Beijing police and the Hunan provincial service portal.
It depends on where you apply. Police counters take the photo themselves free of charge. Guangzhou accepts a photo taken in the 穗好办 app with an official receipt, Liaoning has the 证照e拍 mini program, and Anhui accepts phone-taken or prepared photos uploaded in 皖事通, all checked before use.
Beijing police say people who usually wear glasses should wear them. Anhui's phone-photo rules forbid glasses. Check the rules of the counter or app you use, and keep your eyes clearly visible if you wear them.
No. The Hunan provincial portal says not to wear make-up or jewellery, and Anhui's self-capture rules forbid heavy make-up and coloured contact lenses. Hunan also rules out hair dyed a colour other than black.
No. The Resident Identity Card uses a 26 x 32 mm image of 358 x 441 pixels, while Chinese passport photos are 33 x 48 mm. A photo made for one does not fit the other without being retaken or recropped.
Each time a card is issued: at your first application, when the card expires, when your name changes or the card is badly damaged, and when you replace a lost card. Validity runs 5, 10 or 20 years depending on age, and cards issued from age 46 are long-term.
Related photo specifications
Other China documents
- Passport photo 33 × 48 mm
- Visa photo 33 × 48 mm
- Visa (COVA online application digital photo) photo 33 × 48 mm
- Driving licence photo 520 × 756 px
- Foreign permanent resident ID card photo 33 × 48 mm
- Residence permit for foreigners photo 33 × 48 mm
- APEC business travel card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Exit-Entry permit for travelling to and from hong kong and macao photo 33 × 48 mm
- Travel permit to and from taiwan for mainland residents photo 33 × 48 mm
- National computer rank examination photo 33 × 48 mm
- Putonghua proficiency test photo
- Social security card photo 26 × 32 mm
Identity cards nearby
- Macau resident identity card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Taiwan ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- Afghanistan ID card photo
- Armenia ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Azerbaijan ID card photo 30 × 40 mm
- Bahrain ID card photo 40 × 60 mm
- India ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
- India voter ID card (EPIC) photo
- Iraq ID card photo
- Israel ID card photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 26 × 32 mm
- Spain passport photo 26 × 32 mm
- Spain ID card photo 26 × 32 mm
- Spain driving licence photo 26 × 32 mm
- Spain gun licence photo 26 × 32 mm
- Spain NIE card photo 26 × 32 mm
- Spain TIE card photo 26 × 32 mm
- All China photo specifications
- Identity cards: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 26 × 32 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. 【户政业务】居民身份证照片标准？ (Resident ID card photo standard) gaj.beijing.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Hunan Provincial Government Service Portal. 身份证照片的标准是什么？ (What is the ID card photo standard?) zwfw-new.hunan.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Beijing Municipal Public Security Traffic Management Bureau. 中华人民共和国居民身份证法 (Resident Identity Card Law, as amended in 2011) jtgl.beijing.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Guangzhou Municipal Government Services and Data Management Bureau. 身份证快到期？教你提前申领、线上拍证件照！ (Renewing your ID card and taking the photo online) gz.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Panjin Municipal Public Security Bureau. 居民身份证人像照片证照e拍服务 (ID card photo e-shoot service) gaj.panjin.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Lu'an Municipal Public Security Bureau. 线上办理、自主申报！皖事通助你焕新居民身份证 (Online ID card renewal in Wanshitong) gaj.luan.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- National standards platform. GA/T 461-2019 居民身份证制证用数字相片技术要求 std.samr.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Beijing Public Security Bureau via Beijing government. 居民身份证照片标准 (ID photo standard) beijing.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau. ID card renewal guide (2026) gaj.sh.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau. 证件照片采集规范 (photo capture rules) gaj.sh.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau. unified photo library gaj.sh.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Guangzhou Yuexiu District. ID card renewal and app photos yuexiu.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shenzhen Public Security Bureau. photo receipts for ID cards ga.sz.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shenzhen Public Security Bureau. ID card fees ga.sz.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Chinese government website. Jiangsu online ID card renewal (2025) gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"China ID card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/china/id-card-photo