Independent reference to official photo rules

Not affiliated with any government. Always confirm with the issuing authority before you apply.

WorldPhotoSpecsOfficial photo rules for every country

Visas and travel authorisations

China visa photo requirements

The 33 × 48 mm photo rules set by Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States / MFA Department of Consular Affairs for the China visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 11 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

Rate this page

Quick answer

What size is the China visa photo?

A Chinese visa photo is 33 x 48 mm (1.30 x 1.89 in) on paper. For the online visa application form, upload a JPEG of 354 x 472 to 420 x 560 pixels and 40 to 120 KB. On the print the head is 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown. Use a white or near-white background with no border, a neutral expression with mouth closed and ears visible, and a photo taken within the last 6 months.

Foreign nationals apply for a Chinese visa to the Chinese embassy or consulate that covers where they live. The photo rules come from the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which issued them in 2016 as a one-page sheet in Chinese and English. Missions such as the embassies in Washington and London publish that sheet, and it covers both the digital image and the paper print.

Most applications now begin online. The embassy in Washington announced the China Online Visa Application system in September 2025, and online submission in London started on 31 March 2025. You fill in the form, upload your passport, photo and supporting documents, wait for online approval, and only then hand in your passport at the visa office or, in countries that have one, a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre.

Some people look for a 2 x 2 inch China visa photo. The official sheet asks for a 33 x 48 mm print, which the London visa centre calls the small 2-inch size. That is the name of a Chinese photo format, not a 2 x 2 inch square, and none of the official pages checked for this guide asks for a square photo.

China visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States / MFA Department of Consular Affairs:[1]

Print size33 x 48 mm (1.30 x 1.89 in) for the paper photo, width x height
Digital size354 x 472 to 420 x 560 pixels (width x height)
Head height28 to 33 mm from the base of the chin to the crown on the print; head 15 to 22 mm wide
Eye lineIn a 354 x 472 pixel image: eyes at least 256 pixels above the bottom edge, crown 10 to 70 pixels below the top
BackgroundWhite or close to white, with no border
ColourColour, RGB 24-bit true colour
Photo ageTaken within the last 6 months
File size40 KB to 120 KB
File formatJPEG
Print qualityNo damage, stains, shadow, red eye, or over- or under-exposure
Pixels when printed390 × 567 px at 300 dpi · 780 × 1134 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
33 mm48 mm28–33 mm
33 × 48 mm photo drawn to scale, with the 28–33 mm head height from chin to crown. Background: white or close to white.

Key requirements

  • Face size in the digital image

    Taking a 354 x 472 pixel image as the example, the face is 205 pixels wide, give or take 14, and centred horizontally. The crown sits 10 to 70 pixels below the top edge, and the line through the centre of the eyes at least 256 pixels above the bottom edge.

  • The eye line comes first

    If the crown and eye positions cannot both be met, the Chinese text of the rules gives priority to the eye position. When the hair is very high, the voluminous hair may be trimmed off at the top so the face stays at the right size.

  • Head size on the print

    On the 33 x 48 mm print, the head is 15 to 22 mm wide and 28 to 33 mm from the base of the chin to the crown. Keep 3 to 5 mm between the crown and the top edge and at least 7 mm between the chin and the bottom edge.

  • Limits on head pose

    Face the camera straight on. The head may turn or tilt sideways by no more than 20 degrees and tip up or down by no more than 25 degrees.

  • Neutral face with ears showing

    The expression must be neutral, with eyes open, mouth closed and ears visible, and the facial features must not look distorted. The example sheet rejects a wide-open mouth, closed eyes and an unnatural or crying expression.

  • Eyes more than 60 pixels apart

    In the digital image the distance between the eyes must be more than 60 pixels. The example sheet uses this to reject a head that is too small in the frame.

  • Nobody and nothing else in shot

    No hand, toy or other person may appear. The examples also reject jewellery, a background of the wrong colour and clothing the same colour as the background.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Save the file as a JPEG between 40 and 120 KB
  • Keep your mouth closed and your ears visible
  • Centre your face, with your eyes just above the middle of the frame
  • Wear clothing that contrasts with the white background
  • Bring a printed 33 x 48 mm photo if the online check keeps failing

Don't

  • Do not wear tinted or thick-framed glasses
  • Do not tilt your head more than 20 degrees or tip it more than 25 degrees
  • Do not include a hand, toy or another person
  • Do not add a border around the image
  • Do not submit a blurred, damaged or stained photo

Sample photos

How a China visa 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.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Glasses

Glasses can stay on only if the lenses are not tinted and there is no glare, shadow or frame covering your eyes. The Chinese version of the rules also excludes thick-framed glasses, and the example sheet marks heavy frames, reflections on the lenses and tinted lenses as wrong.

Headwear and religious dress

The English rules allow hats and other head coverings only when worn for religious reasons, and only if no facial feature is hidden. The Chinese wording advises against hats and headscarves in general and accepts a religious covering as long as it leaves the face clear.

The examples accept a headscarf that frames the whole face and reject a face covering. They also reject hair over the eyebrows, eyes or ears, and a stamp or other mark over the portrait.

Babies and children

The rules make no exception for children, so a child's photo also needs open eyes, a neutral face and a plain light background. Because no hand or other person may be visible, a parent cannot hold a baby in shot.

At the London visa centre, applicants under 14 or over 70 are exempt from giving fingerprints.

The online form takes the digital photo. It accepts a JPEG of 354 x 472 to 420 x 560 pixels, which is a 3:4 shape, of 40 to 120 KB and in 24-bit RGB colour. The upload page lets you drag and crop the image and then checks automatically whether it meets the requirements.

A paper photo is a fallback. If repeated uploads fail, the embassy in Washington says you can finish the form and bring a standard ID photo when you submit your passport. The London visa centre asks for a passport-sized print, taken within the last 6 months, without a hat, in colour and 48 x 33 mm (height x width), if your upload was marked unqualified. A digital file can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to 33 x 48 mm.

If an office asks you for a 2 x 2 inch photo, check with it before printing, because the published Chinese rules specify 33 x 48 mm.

Where to submit the photo

In the US, after the online review is approved, you or an agent take the passport, the printed application information page with its barcode and any original documents to the visa office of the embassy or consulate.

In the UK, approved applicants go to a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre with the visa application certificate from the approval email and their passport; no appointment is needed. Holders of ordinary passports give fingerprints there unless exempt, for example because they gave fingerprints at the embassy in London with the same passport in the past five years.

How to get your China visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the China visa: 33 × 48 mm print, 420 × 560 px digital file, white or close to white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: face size in the digital image; the eye line comes first; head size on the print; limits on head pose.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The online form takes the digital photo. It accepts a JPEG of 354 x 472 to 420 x 560 pixels, which is a 3:4 shape, of 40 to 120 KB and in 24-bit RGB colour.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In the US, after the online review is approved, you or an agent take the passport, the printed application information page with its barcode and any original documents to the visa office of the embassy or consulate.

Make this photo online

China visa photo FAQ

The paper photo is 33 mm wide and 48 mm high. The digital photo for the online form is 354 x 472 to 420 x 560 pixels, a 3:4 shape, saved as a JPEG of 40 to 120 KB. Both come from the photo sheet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The official rules name 33 x 48 mm, not 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). The London visa centre describes the print as small 2-inch size, which is a Chinese photo format measuring 33 x 48 mm. Ask the office handling your application before using a square print.

The system checks the photo automatically. Faults shown on the official sheet include a head that is too large or too small, eyes less than 60 pixels apart, shadows, blur, red eye, tinted lenses and a coloured background. If repeated uploads fail, continue the form and bring a printed ID photo when you hand in your passport.

Yes, if the lenses are clear and nothing hides your eyes: no glare, no shadow and no frame across the eyes. Thick frames are excluded in the Chinese version of the rules, so thin frames or no glasses are the safer choice.

Yes, in special cases. When the hair is very high, the rules allow the voluminous hair to be trimmed off so that the face keeps the required size. The eye line must still be at least 256 pixels from the bottom of a 354 x 472 pixel image.

Yes. It must be white or close to white, with no border around the image and no shadow behind you. The example sheet also rejects clothing that blends into the background, so wear something darker than the wall.

It must have been taken within the last 6 months. The same limit applies to the printed photo the London visa centre asks for when an uploaded photo is marked unqualified.

Related photo specifications

Other China documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 33 × 48 mm

Was this page helpful?

No ratings yet. Be the first to rate this page.

Official sources

  1. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States / MFA Department of Consular Affairs. Chinese Visa Photo Requirements (Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application sheet) us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  2. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom. 中国签证申请相片规格要求 (Chinese visa photo specifications) gb.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States. Guidelines for China Online VISA Application us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States. Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September 2025) us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  5. Chinese Visa Application Service Center, London. Notice on the China Online Visa Processing System (London) visaforchina.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China Online Visa Application (COVA), photo requirements consular.mfa.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  7. China Consular Services. Visa Application Instructions (August 2026) cs.mfa.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  8. Chinese Visa Application Service Center, London. photo FAQ visaforchina.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  9. Chinese Visa Application Service Center, London. photo notice (Chinese, reposted 2026) visaforchina.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  10. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States / MFA Department of Consular Affairs. Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.
  11. National Immigration Administration. 出入境证件相片照相指引 (exit-entry photo guide) nia.gov.cn. Checked 1 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States / MFA Department of Consular Affairs before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"China visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/china/visa-photo

Categories: