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Visas and travel authorisations

Macau visa photo requirements

The 33 × 48 mm photo rules set by Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Public Security Police Force) for the Macau visa, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Macau visa photo?

Many visitors need no photo at all: nationals of 88 countries, including the UK and the US, enter Macao without a visa. For a Prior Authorization to Enter from Macao's Public Security Police Force (PSP), give two recent 1.5-inch, full-face photos without a hat on a white background, in colour or black and white. For a Macao visa through the Chinese Embassy in the UK, give two recent colour photos of 33 x 48 mm.

Entry to Macao is controlled by its own Public Security Police Force (PSP), separately from visas for mainland China. The PSP lists 88 countries whose nationals are exempt from a visa, among them the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and India, with the permitted stay set by nationality. Most other visitors can apply on arrival for an Entry Permit, known as visa-upon-arrival, at the visa room of the checkpoint, which gives a stay of up to 30 days.

Entry can also be arranged before you travel. The PSP's Residence and Stay Affairs Department grants a Prior Authorization to Enter on an application from the traveller or a legal agent, and Chinese embassies and consulates issue Macao SAR visas. Since 1 July 2010, ordinary passport holders from Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam must get a visa in advance through a Chinese mission. The PSP asks for 1.5-inch photos, the Macao term that DSI defines as 35 x 45 mm, while the Chinese Embassy in the UK asks for 33 x 48 mm.

Macau visa photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Public Security Police Force):[1]

Print sizeUK embassy: 33 x 48 mm (width x height); PSP Prior Authorization to Enter: 1.5-inch
Digital sizeNot published: the PSP and mission pages ask for printed photos
BackgroundPSP: white; the UK embassy and Denpasar consulate name no colour
ColourPSP: colour or black-and-white; Chinese missions: colour
Photo ageRecent; no age limit in months is published
Print qualityPSP and UK embassy: two prints (UK: one attached to the form); Denpasar consulate: one
Pixels when printed390 × 567 px at 300 dpi · 780 × 1134 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
33 mm48 mm
33 × 48 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: pSP: white.

Key requirements

  • Check whether you need a visa

    Nationals of the 88 countries on the PSP's exemption list need neither a visa nor a photo for a visit. Other visitors apply for the Entry Permit at the checkpoint, and the PSP's clearance page lists no photo among its requirements.

  • PSP photos: 1.5-inch on white

    For a Prior Authorization to Enter, the PSP wants 2 recent 1.5-inch, full-face photos without a hat, on a white background. They may be in colour or in black and white.

  • UK embassy photos: 33 x 48 mm

    The Chinese Embassy in the UK asks for two passport photos of 48 x 33 mm, height first, recently taken, in colour, full face and without a hat, one of them attached to the Macao SAR visa application form.

  • Each mission words it differently

    The Consulate-General in Denpasar asks for one 2-inch, recently taken, full-face, bare-headed colour photo, and the Chinese Embassy in the US refers applicants to its Macao visa guidelines and the PSP. Follow the list of the mission you apply to.

  • Six nationalities apply in advance

    Ordinary passport holders of Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam cannot use visa-upon-arrival and must obtain a Macao visa through a Chinese mission before travelling. Their diplomatic passport holders remain visa-free.

  • Separate from a mainland China visa

    A Macao SAR visa is its own application. The Chinese Embassy in the UK covers it in a separate part of its visa guidelines, apart from visas for mainland China and for Hong Kong.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Check the PSP exemption list before arranging photos
  • Bring two 1.5-inch white-background photos for a PSP application
  • Attach one 33 x 48 mm photo to the UK visa form and enclose a second
  • Face the camera with your full face showing
  • Follow the photo list of the mission or visa centre you use

Don't

  • Do not wear a hat or other head covering
  • Do not use an old photo; every channel asks for a recent one
  • Do not send 35 x 45 mm prints where a mission asks for 33 x 48 mm
  • Do not count on visa-upon-arrival with an ordinary passport from one of the six listed countries

Sample photos

How a Macau visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 33 × 48 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

Every published channel asks for a bare head. The PSP's wording is "no-hat", the Chinese Embassy in the UK says "without hat", and the Consulate-General in Denpasar asks for a bare-headed photo. None of them publishes an exception for religious or medical head coverings.

Both the PSP and the Chinese missions take printed photos with a paper application: two for the PSP, two for the UK embassy with one fixed to the form, and one for the Denpasar consulate. None of these pages describes uploading a digital photo for a Macao visa or prior authorisation, and none gives a pixel size.

A digital photo can be printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter and cut to the size your channel uses: 33 x 48 mm for the UK embassy, or the 1.5-inch format for the PSP.

Where to submit the photo

In Macao, Prior Authorization to Enter applications go to the Stay Subdivision of the PSP's Residence and Stay Affairs Department at the Immigration Building, Travessa Um do Cais de Pac On, Taipa, and the result is collected in person. Visa-upon-arrival is handled at the visa room of the checkpoint where you arrive.

In the UK, ordinary passport holders have lodged regular Macao visa applications at the Chinese Visa Application Centres since 1 May 2019, without an appointment, or they may apply directly to the PSP. Diplomatic and service passport holders apply to the embassy or the consulates. Applications that a mission forwards to the PSP for approval take longer.

How to get your Macau visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Macau visa: 33 × 48 mm print, pSP: white background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: check whether you need a visa; pSP photos: 1.5-inch on white; uK embassy photos: 33 x 48 mm; each mission words it differently.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. Both the PSP and the Chinese missions take printed photos with a paper application: two for the PSP, two for the UK embassy with one fixed to the form, and one for the Denpasar consulate.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. In Macao, Prior Authorization to Enter applications go to the Stay Subdivision of the PSP's Residence and Stay Affairs Department at the Immigration Building, Travessa Um do Cais de Pac On, Taipa, and the result is collected in person.

Make this photo online

Macau visa photo FAQ

Not if you hold a passport from one of the 88 countries on the PSP's exemption list, which includes the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and India. Most other nationalities can apply for an Entry Permit on arrival, except ordinary passport holders of Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, who need a visa first.

It depends on the channel. The Chinese Embassy in the UK asks for 33 x 48 mm photos, which it writes height first as 48mm x 33mm. The PSP asks for 1.5-inch photos, a format DSI defines as 35 x 45 mm, and the consulate in Denpasar asks for a 2-inch photo.

White, for a PSP Prior Authorization to Enter. The Chinese Embassy in the UK and the Consulate-General in Denpasar do not name a colour for Macao visas; they ask for a recent, full-face colour photo without a hat.

The PSP's immigration clearance page explains the Entry Permit, its fees and the 30-day stay, but lists no photo. Other conditions apply: a travel document valid for at least 90 days beyond your stay, proof of means of subsistence and, in most cases, an onward or return ticket.

For a Prior Authorization to Enter, yes: the PSP accepts coloured or black-and-white photos. Chinese missions ask for colour; both the UK embassy and the Denpasar consulate say so in their Macao visa requirements.

No. Macao sets its own entry rules through the PSP, and a Macao SAR visa from a Chinese mission is a separate application from a visa for mainland China. The Chinese Embassy in the UK gives Macao visas their own section in its visa guidelines.

Ordinary passport holders apply at a Chinese Visa Application Centre, with no appointment needed, or directly to the PSP. Bring the Macao SAR visa form, your passport, two 33 x 48 mm photos and, if you are not a UK citizen, your UK visa or residence permit.

Related photo specifications

Other Macau documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 33 × 48 mm

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Official sources

  1. Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Public Security Police Force). Immigration: Immigration Clearance of Non-residents of Macao gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Public Security Police Force). Authorization to Enter and Stay: Application gov.mo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom. Part Five: Visa for Macao SAR of China gb.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Denpasar. Visa for Macao SAR of China denpasar.china-consulate.gov.cn. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States. Visa for Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR of China us.china-embassy.gov.cn. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Macao SAR Government Portal (content: Public Security Police Force) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

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

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