China Putonghua proficiency test photo requirements
The photo rules set by Ministry of Education, via the State Council Gazette for the China Putonghua proficiency test, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What are the China Putonghua proficiency test photo requirements?
The Putonghua Proficiency Test (PSC) asks for a recent, bareheaded ID photo of 390 x 567 pixels (width x height), uploaded when you register. The 2026 notices from Xiong'an, Jincheng, Tai'an and Shigatse require a white background, and Shanghai prefers one. The file limit is 100 KB in Jincheng and 1 MB in Tai'an and Shanghai. Several centres take a separate certificate photo on test day.
The Putonghua Proficiency Test (普通话水平测试, Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi or PSC) assesses how correctly and fluently a person speaks standard Chinese. Under the Ministry of Education's 2021 regulations, the State Council's language work department oversees the test, a national testing body awards the certificates, and provincial language work departments run testing in their regions through local test centres. Certificates come in paper and electronic form, with equal validity.
Teachers, radio and television announcers and presenters, film and stage actors and civil servants take the test where the law or their profession requires it, and anyone else may take it voluntarily. People from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and foreign nationals can apply after studying, working or living in the mainland for 3 months or more.
Most centres register candidates through the national online registration system, where you pick a province and a test centre and upload your photo. Each centre publishes its own notice with the photo rules, so this page names the source of each rule: Xiong'an New Area in Hebei, Jincheng in Shanxi, Tai'an in Shandong, Shigatse in Tibet and the Shanghai Municipal Educational Examinations Authority, all from 2026.
China Putonghua proficiency test photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministry of Education, via the State Council Gazette:[1]
| Print size | No printed photo: a 390 x 567 pixel file is uploaded at registration |
|---|---|
| Digital size | 390 x 567 pixels (width x height) |
| Background | White (Xiong'an, Jincheng, Tai'an, Shigatse); Shanghai: white preferred |
| Colour | Colour (Tai'an, Shigatse) |
| Photo age | Recent (近期); no time limit stated |
| File size | Up to 100 KB in Jincheng; up to 1 MB in Tai'an, Shigatse and Shanghai |
| File format | JPG or JPEG; Tai'an and Shigatse also accept PNG |
Key requirements
- One pixel size everywhere
Every 2026 notice read for this page asks for 390 x 567 pixels. Jincheng states the order as width x height, so the image is upright: 390 pixels across and 567 pixels tall.
- Head about two thirds of the frame
Jincheng's notice says the head should take up 2/3 of the photo, which must face the camera with no hat. Tai'an asks for a clear, neat colour picture that follows the usual ID photo standard.
- No webcam shots, scans or blurred images
Jincheng rejects photos taken with a computer camera, scanned photos, low-resolution or blurred images and pictures that look distorted. Its registration system does not check the photo, so a successful registration does not mean the photo has been approved.
- Certificate photo taken on the day
In Tai'an and Shanghai the uploaded photo is used only for the admission ticket, and the photo for the certificate is taken at the test centre on test day. Tai'an warns that it cannot be changed afterwards, and Jincheng asks candidates to wear dark clothing for its white-background photo.
- No watermarks
Shigatse does not allow any watermark on the electronic photo, and asks for the file to be named with your identity card number.
- Shanghai can reuse your government photo
In Shanghai you log in with a verified Yiwangtongban (一网通办) account. If the system can retrieve your ID photo from that account, you do not need to upload one.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Upload an upright photo of 390 x 567 pixels
- Use a plain white background
- Check whether your centre's file limit is 100 KB or 1 MB
- Wear dark, neat clothes on test day
- Name the file with your ID number if your centre asks
- Check your registration review result after submitting
Don't
- Do not use a webcam picture or a scan
- Do not upload a blurred or stretched image
- Do not put a watermark on the file
- Do not wear headwear in the photo
- Do not treat a successful registration as photo approval
Headwear and religious dress
Xiong'an, Jincheng, Tai'an and Shigatse all ask for a 免冠 photo, taken without a hat or cap. None of them addresses religious head coverings or glasses; your test centre can tell you whether these are accepted.
Babies and children
The notices read for this page set no age rule, but students are handled separately. Xiong'an's test for the public does not take students still in school, who register through their own schools. Jincheng sends secondary vocational students through their schools and university students back to their universities, and Tai'an's test for the public does not accept university students.
Printed and digital photos
No paper photo is handed in at registration. You upload a digital file of 390 x 567 pixels, and in Shanghai, Tai'an and Jincheng a second photo is taken at the test centre on the day. Shigatse, which has never offered online registration, collects electronic photos through county education bureaus and describes the file as 3.5 x 5.3 cm.
A phone photo can be cropped and resized to 390 x 567 pixels. Jincheng's 100 KB limit is the strictest among the notices read, so compress the JPG further if your centre sets it.
Where to submit the photo
Register on the national online registration system for the Putonghua test: choose your province, then the test centre, then follow the steps. Tai'an asks you to upload both sides of your identity card for checking and lets you pay only once the review is passed. Jincheng tells candidates to look up the review result on the day of registration or the next day.
Shanghai candidates choose the Shanghai entry and log in with a Yiwangtongban account, while Xiong'an candidates select Hebei and then Xiong'an New Area. On test day, bring your identity card and the admission ticket; Shanghai and Jincheng turn away candidates who lack either.
How to get your China Putonghua proficiency test photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the China Putonghua proficiency test: 390 × 567 px digital file, white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: one pixel size everywhere; head about two thirds of the frame; no webcam shots, scans or blurred images; certificate photo taken on the day.
- Prepare a print or digital file. No paper photo is handed in at registration. You upload a digital file of 390 x 567 pixels, and in Shanghai, Tai'an and Jincheng a second photo is taken at the test centre on the day.
- Submit the photo with your application. Register on the national online registration system for the Putonghua test: choose your province, then the test centre, then follow the steps.
China Putonghua proficiency test photo FAQ
390 x 567 pixels, width x height. Xiong'an, Jincheng, Tai'an, Shigatse and Shanghai all give this size in their 2026 notices. No printed photo is needed for registration.
The 2026 notices read for this page ask for white: Xiong'an, Jincheng, Tai'an and Shigatse require it, and Shanghai says white is preferable. Use white unless the notice of your own test centre says otherwise.
Not everywhere. In Shanghai and Tai'an the uploaded photo goes on the admission ticket, while the certificate photo is taken at the test centre on test day; Tai'an adds that it cannot be changed later. Dress neatly, and in Jincheng wear dark clothing.
Jincheng lists the usual causes: a picture taken with a computer camera, a scan, too few pixels, blur or distortion. Check that the file is 390 x 567 pixels, within your centre's file limit and on a white background before uploading again.
It depends on the centre. Jincheng allows up to 100 KB in JPG or JPEG, while Tai'an, Shigatse and Shanghai allow up to 1 MB; Tai'an and Shigatse also accept PNG.
Only if the system cannot fetch your ID photo from your Yiwangtongban account. In that case, upload a recent bareheaded ID photo of 390 x 567 pixels, no more than 1 MB, in JPG format, preferably on white.
Anyone may apply voluntarily, and some professions, such as teachers, broadcasters and civil servants, must take it. People from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and foreign nationals can take it after 3 months of study, work or residence in the mainland.
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
- 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
- Social security card photo 26 × 32 mm
Exam and application photos nearby
- All China photo specifications
- Exam and application photos: photo rules by country
- Photo specifications in Asia
Official sources
- Ministry of Education, via the State Council Gazette. 普通话水平测试管理规定 (Putonghua Proficiency Test regulations, MOE Order No. 51) gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Xiong'an New Area Education Bureau. 雄安新区2026年（下半年度）社会人员普通话水平测试公告 (Xiong'an Putonghua test notice) xiongan.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Jincheng Municipal Education Bureau. 晋城市2026年下半年普通话水平等级测试报名通知 (Jincheng Putonghua test registration notice) xxgk.jcgov.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Tai'an Municipal Language Work Committee Office, via Tai'an Education Bureau. 泰安市2026年下半年面向社会人员普通话水平测试通告 (Tai'an Putonghua test notice) jyj.taian.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shigatse Municipal Education Bureau, via the Shigatse government portal. 日喀则市2026年第二季度普通话水平智能测试报名通知 (Shigatse Putonghua test registration notice) rikaze.xzdw.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Shanghai Municipal Educational Examinations Authority. 2026年6月普通话水平测试报名即将开始 (Shanghai Putonghua test registration, June 2026) shmeea.edu.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
- 国家普通话水平测试在线报名系统 (national PSC registration system) bm.cltt.org. Checked 1 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministry of Education, via the State Council Gazette before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"China Putonghua proficiency test photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/china/putonghua-proficiency-test-photo