China passport photo requirements
The 33 × 48 mm photo rules set by Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States for the China passport, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the China passport photo?
A Chinese passport photo is 33 x 48 mm (1.30 x 1.89 in). The head measures 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown and 15 to 22 mm across, with 3 to 5 mm above it and at least 7 mm below the chin. Use a colour photo from the last 6 months on a white background, with no hat and no shadows. Applicants abroad upload it in the China Consular app instead of posting prints.
Ordinary passports for citizens of the People's Republic of China are issued under the National Immigration Administration (NIA). In mainland China you apply in person at the exit and entry administration of a public security bureau at county level or above, which accepts applications on the NIA's behalf. Outside China, Chinese embassies and consulates handle passports, and since 29 January 2022 these applications can be made in the China Consular (中国领事) app.
How you supply the photo depends on the channel. Abroad, you upload a digital photo in the app, and that image is printed in the new passport. At a counter in China, the photo must meet the NIA's guideline for exit and entry document photos (出入境证件相片照相指引). Residents of 50 pilot cities can also renew or replace a passport entirely online, uploading a colour photo taken in the last 6 months.
The size rules below are the ones Chinese missions publish for passport and travel document photos. The NIA's online renewal guidance adds its own advice on backgrounds, phone cameras and file dimensions, covered in the sections further down.
China passport photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States:[1]
| Print size | 33 x 48 mm (1.30 x 1.89 in), width x height |
|---|---|
| Digital size | China Consular app: no pixel size published. Online renewal in China: 400 to 1000 pixels wide, cropped to 3:4 |
| Head height | 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown; head 15 to 22 mm wide |
| Background | White, with no shadows (online renewal in China: even white or light blue) |
| Colour | Colour photo |
| Photo age | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Print quality | Prints from a photo studio or on professional photo paper; no altered or composite photos |
| Pixels when printed | 390 × 567 px at 300 dpi · 780 × 1134 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
In the official words
Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:
The photo must not be modified, and composite photos must not be used. (translated from Chinese)
Key requirements
- Head 28 to 33 mm high
Measured from chin to crown, the head takes up 28 to 33 mm of the 48 mm height and 15 to 22 mm of the width. Leave 3 to 5 mm between the top of the head and the upper edge, and at least 7 mm between the chin and the lower edge.
- Whole head, no shadows
The photo must include your entire face and head, with no shadow on the face or the background. Hair must not cover your eyebrows, eyes or ears, and nothing else may appear in the frame.
- Natural expression, eyes on the lens
Keep a natural expression with both eyes open, lips closed and every facial feature clearly visible; the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia spells out the closed lips. A tilted head, a turned body, closed eyes, red eye or not looking at the camera all mean the photo has to be resubmitted.
- No altered or composite photos
The Chinese Embassy in the US states that the photo must not be modified and that composite photos may not be used. The NIA reports that retouched and beautified photos are the most common reason online uploads fail.
- Online renewal: white or light blue
For the fully online renewal in China, the NIA asks for a colour photo taken within 6 months on an even white or light blue background, with no retouching of facial features.
- The upload goes in your passport
With the China Consular app, the photo you upload is printed in the new passport, which is valid for 5 to 10 years. A consular officer makes the final decision on whether it is acceptable.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Stand against a plain white background in even light
- Show your eyebrows and both ears
- Wear a dark top, ideally with a collar
- Use the rear camera, or ask someone else to take the photo
- Leave 3 to 5 mm of space above your head on a print
- Upload the photo again under other materials if the app keeps rejecting it
Don't
- Do not use beauty modes, filters or face-slimming
- Do not take a selfie with the front camera
- Do not wear tinted glasses
- Do not wear earrings or a necklace
- Do not wear a hat or headscarf unless your religion requires it
- Do not combine, edit or montage images
Sample photos
How a China passport photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 33 × 48 mm, head height and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
The Chinese Embassy in the US allows glasses if the lenses are not coloured and neither flash, shadow nor the frames blur the outline of your eyes. Hearing aids and similar items may also be worn.
Some missions are stricter. The general requirements of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia say not to wear glasses, although its detailed rules repeat the clear-lens condition. For the online renewal in China, the NIA names reflections on the lenses and frames covering the eyes as frequent reasons for rejection, so taking glasses off avoids both problems.
Headwear and religious dress
Hats, headscarves and similar items are not allowed. If you must cover your head for religious reasons, the covering must leave your whole face visible.
Jewellery is a problem too. The Embassy in Cambodia asks for no earrings and an uncovered forehead, and the NIA counts earrings and necklaces among the things that make an online upload fail.
Babies and children
Abroad, an applicant under 16 applies in the China Consular app with the help of a parent or legal guardian, who uploads their own identity document and proof of guardianship. Chinese missions in the US do not ask applicants under 16 to come in to give fingerprints. The photo follows the adult rules: eyes open, the whole head in the frame and no shadows.
In China, a child under 16 goes to the exit and entry office with a guardian. The fully online renewal is open only to residents aged 16 or older.
Printed and digital photos
For applications abroad the photo is digital. The app lets you pick an existing ID photo from your album or take one in the app; a photo taken in the app is processed to meet the background and other requirements. If the app still marks the photo as unqualified after several tries, you can finish the application and upload it again under other materials. No pixel size or file size is published for the app.
When a mission asks for paper photos, they must be printed by a photo studio or on professional photo paper. For the online renewal in China, the NIA asks for an image 400 to 1000 pixels wide, cropped to 3:4 so that the head fills about two thirds of the width. Older local rules for counter applications differ: a 2016 notice from the Shidian County Public Security Bureau asked for a head 21 to 24 mm wide and refused photos printed on colour printers.
Where to submit the photo
In mainland China, apply in person at the exit and entry administration of the public security bureau. Since 20 November 2025, residents of 50 pilot cities aged 16 or older can renew or replace a passport on the NIA government service platform if they have held a passport that is still valid and their fingerprints are on file. You must be inside China when you submit, and you upload the photo, a handwritten signature and both sides of your ID card.
Abroad, apply in the China Consular app and choose the embassy or consulate that covers where you live. In the US, an ordinary passport application is filed online and then completed either by visiting the mission to give fingerprints or by posting documents both ways.
How to get your China passport photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the China passport: 33 × 48 mm print, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: head 28 to 33 mm high; whole head, no shadows; natural expression, eyes on the lens; no altered or composite photos.
- Prepare a print or digital file. For applications abroad the photo is digital. The app lets you pick an existing ID photo from your album or take one in the app; a photo taken in the app is processed to meet the background and other requirements.
- Submit the photo with your application. In mainland China, apply in person at the exit and entry administration of the public security bureau.
China passport photo FAQ
A Chinese passport photo is 33 mm wide and 48 mm high. Within it, the head measures 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown and 15 to 22 mm across, with 3 to 5 mm above the head and at least 7 mm below the chin. These figures come from the photo rules of Chinese missions abroad.
Not when you apply in the China Consular app. The Chinese Embassy in the US explains that the uploaded photo is printed in your new passport, so no extra paper photos need to be mailed. Paper photos are still listed for official passports and travel documents.
Yes, for the online channels. The app accepts a photo from your album or one taken in the app. The NIA advises using the rear camera, having someone else take the picture or using a stand and timer, and switching off beauty, filter and face-slimming modes. The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia does not accept selfies.
You can carry on with the application. The Chinese Embassy in the US suggests uploading your ID photo again in the other materials section as a backup. A consular officer decides whether the photo is acceptable, so the automatic check is not the final word.
Keep a natural expression with both eyes open, as the missions abroad ask. The NIA's guidance for online renewals in China puts it as smiling without showing your teeth, and lists visible teeth among the common faults in rejected uploads.
White, without shadows, for applications through embassies and consulates. For the fully online renewal in China, the NIA accepts an even white or light blue background. Wear a dark top so that you stand out from it.
Not beyond cropping. The Chinese Embassy in the US states that photos must not be modified and that composite photos are not accepted. The NIA adds that beautified photos fail because the facial features are distorted, while its own instructions for online renewals tell you to crop the photo to 3:4 in your phone album.
Related photo specifications
Other China documents
- Visa photo 33 × 48 mm
- Visa (COVA online application digital photo) photo 33 × 48 mm
- ID card photo 26 × 32 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
Passports nearby
- Hong Kong passport photo 40 × 50 mm
- Japan passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Macau passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Mongolia passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- South Korea passport photo 35 × 45 mm
- Taiwan passport photo 35 × 45 mm
Also 33 × 48 mm
- Macau visa photo 33 × 48 mm
- All China photo specifications
- Passports: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 33 × 48 mm photo
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States. 关于护照人像照片规格要求 (Passport photo specifications) us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States. 中国领事APP护照旅行证业务常见问题与解答 (China Consular app passport FAQ) us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States. 办理护照、旅行证必读：申办所需材料 (Passport and travel document materials) us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Consular Service. 护照/旅行证 (Passports and travel documents) cs.mfa.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Cambodia. 关于护照/旅行证人像照片规格要求 (Passport and travel document photo specifications) kh.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- National Immigration Administration. 普通护照签发服务指南 (Ordinary passport issuance service guide) nia.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Fujian Provincial Public Security Department. 国家移民管理局实施便民利企出入境管理若干政策措施新闻发布会实录 (NIA press conference transcript, 28 April 2024) gat.fujian.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Changji Prefecture Public Security Bureau. 出入境证件全程网办照片提交指引 (Photo guide for online renewal, reposted from the NIA) cj.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Yixing Municipal People's Government. 三类出入境证件换发补发全程网办 (Online renewal extended to 50 pilot cities) yixing.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Shidian County Public Security Bureau. 出入境证件照片标准 (Exit and entry document photo standard, 2016) shidian.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- National Immigration Administration. 出入境证件相片照相指引 (exit-entry photo guide) nia.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Consular Service. 电子护照人像照片规格要求 (e-passport photo specification) cs.mfa.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- National Immigration Administration. Notice No. 4 of 2025 (online renewal in 50 cities) nia.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau. 证件照片采集 (ID photo capture rules) gaj.sh.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Chinese Embassy in Switzerland. 中国领事 app guide and FAQ (December 2024) ch.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Chinese Embassy in the UAE. passport and travel document app guide (May 2026) ae.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. online exit-entry document renewal guide gaj.gz.gov.cn. Checked 3 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"China passport photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/china/passport-photo