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Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo requirements

The 40 × 50 mm photo rules set by Immigration Department, HKSAR Government for the Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 4 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo?

A Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card application needs a recent colour photograph. On paper form ID 900, fix one print of 40 x 50 mm to 45 x 55 mm in the box and enclose an identical second print. Online, upload a colour JPEG of up to 5 MB that is 300 to 600 pixels wide and 400 to 800 pixels high. ImmD publishes no background or head size rule.

In Hong Kong the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) is issued by the Other Visas and Permits Section of the Immigration Department (ImmD). The card is plastic, the size of a credit card and normally valid for five years. Once participating economies have pre-cleared you, it allows repeated business visits of two to three months there without a visa, and the use of special service lanes at selected control points. You still travel on your passport, and Chinese citizens of the HKSAR keep using the Home Visit Permit to enter the Mainland.

You can apply if you hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card and a valid national passport, have never been refused entry by a participating economy or convicted of a criminal offence, and are a bona fide business person who travels often within the APEC region. Apply online through GovHK, the ImmD website or the ImmD Mobile Application, or send form ID 900 by post or in person. ImmD asks for the application in English because it refers it to the other economies for pre-clearance.

Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Immigration Department, HKSAR Government:[1]

Print sizeForm ID 900: 40 x 50 mm to 45 x 55 mm (width x height)
Digital sizeOnline: 300 x 400 to 600 x 800 pixels (width 300 to 600, height 400 to 800)
BackgroundNot published for the ABTC photo
ColourColour photograph
Photo ageRecent; no age limit in months is published
File sizeOnline: 5 MB or below
File formatOnline: JPEG, 24 bits per pixel
Print qualityTwo identical prints: one fixed on page 1 of ID 900, one enclosed
Pixels when printed472 × 591 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 1181 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm50 mm
40 × 50 mm photo drawn to scale.

Key requirements

  • Two identical prints on paper

    With form ID 900, fix one recent colour photo in the box on page 1 and enclose a second, identical one along with the copies of your identity card and passport and the supporting letter from your company.

  • Within the box limits

    The photo box on ID 900 allows a print no bigger than 55 x 45 mm and no smaller than 50 x 40 mm. In portrait terms that means 40 to 45 mm across and 50 to 55 mm from top to bottom.

  • A small colour JPEG online

    The online service takes one colour JPEG of up to 5 MB at 24 bits per pixel. Its width must be between 300 and 600 pixels and its height between 400 and 800 pixels, so a full-size phone picture must be resized before you upload it.

  • Everything in English

    Fill in the paper form or the online form in English. ImmD needs this to refer your application to the other participating APEC economies.

  • The card follows your passport

    The ABTC is linked to the passport you apply with. If you are issued a passport with a different number, you must ask ImmD in writing for a replacement card and attach a copy of the new passport.

  • Only size and file rules are published

    ImmD gives no background colour, head size or pose for the ABTC photo. What it does publish is the print size on form ID 900 and the file limits of the online service.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a recent colour photograph
  • Fix one print in the box on page 1 of ID 900
  • Enclose a second, identical print
  • Resize the online file to 300-600 x 400-800 pixels
  • Save the upload as a JPEG of 5 MB or less
  • Complete the application in English

Don't

  • Do not upload a file wider than 600 or taller than 800 pixels
  • Do not send a print smaller than 40 x 50 mm
  • Do not fax or email the application form
  • Do not send the fee with the application; it is paid on collection

Sample photos

How a Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 50 mm 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.

Headwear and religious dress

ImmD sets no headwear rule for the ABTC photo, either on form ID 900 or on the online service. Its separate rules for HKSAR passport photos, by contrast, ask applicants not to wear head dress, so a bare-headed photo is the one that fits both if you plan to use the same picture.

The online application is the digital route. Upload one colour JPEG of up to 5 MB and 24-bit colour, 300 to 600 pixels wide and 400 to 800 pixels high. The other uploads on the same page (identity card, passport and company letter) follow different rules, JPEG, PDF, GIF, PNG or TIF up to 5 MB each, which do not apply to the photo.

On paper you need two identical prints within 40 x 50 mm and 45 x 55 mm. A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and the two copies cut from it.

Where to submit the photo

Online, use the GovHK online application for the APEC Business Travel Card (English only), the ImmD website or the ImmD Mobile Application. Paper forms go by post or by hand to the Other Visas and Permits Section, 5th Floor, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O. Applications by fax or email are not accepted.

After local processing, ImmD refers the application to the other economies and writes to your business address. When the pre-clearance results meet your needs, you ask ImmD in writing to issue the card, then collect it in person or through an authorised representative. Bring your original passport if ImmD has not seen it yet, as after an online application; the fee is paid on collection.

How to get your Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card: 40 × 50 mm print, 600 × 800 px digital file. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: two identical prints on paper; within the box limits; a small colour JPEG online; everything in English.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. The online application is the digital route. Upload one colour JPEG of up to 5 MB and 24-bit colour, 300 to 600 pixels wide and 400 to 800 pixels high.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Online, use the GovHK online application for the APEC Business Travel Card (English only), the ImmD website or the ImmD Mobile Application.

Make this photo online

Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo FAQ

For the paper form ID 900, a print between 40 x 50 mm and 45 x 55 mm; the form states the limits height first, as 50 x 40 mm and 55 x 45 mm. For the online application, the photo is a JPEG 300 to 600 pixels wide and 400 to 800 pixels high.

Two identical recent colour photos. One is fixed in the photo box on the first page of the form, and the other is enclosed with the application together with the copies of your identity card and passport and the letter from your employing company.

Yes, if you are a Hong Kong permanent resident who meets the eligibility criteria. The online service is in English only and asks for one recent colour photograph, the side of your permanent identity card showing your particulars and photo, your passport and a supporting letter from your company.

A colour JPEG at 24 bits per pixel and no larger than 5 MB. ImmD sets both a minimum and a maximum size: 300 to 600 pixels across and 400 to 800 pixels from top to bottom. A full-size photo from a phone camera is bigger than this and has to be resized first.

ImmD says the card is linked to your current passport, so a passport with a different number needs a replacement ABTC, requested in writing with a copy of the new passport. It does not say that a new photo is needed for the replacement.

Not if you are a Chinese citizen of the HKSAR. ImmD says such holders must keep using the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, known as the Home Visit Permit. Hong Kong (China) card holders also cannot use the card to enter Chinese Taipei.

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Official sources

  1. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Application for APEC Business Travel Card, form ID 900 (PDF) immd.gov.hk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) Scheme immd.gov.hk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. GovHK. Online Application for APEC Business Travel Card gov.hk. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Immigration Department, HKSAR Government. Application for APEC Business Travel Card (form page) immd.gov.hk. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Immigration Department, HKSAR Government before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Hong Kong APEC Business Travel Card photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/hong-kong/apec-business-travel-card-photo

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