China Visa photo requirements

China visa photo requirements, in plain English

China's visa photo rules are set by the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (visaforchina.cn) and apply to both printed photos and the image you upload to the China Online Visa Application (COVA) system. Every rule below comes straight from the official photo-requirements guidance.

Size, head height, and position

The photo must be 48 mm tall × 33 mm wide. Within that frame your head must measure 28–33 mm from chin to crown and 15–22 mm wide, with the entire head and face clearly visible and centered in the photo. When you apply online, COVA accepts a JPEG of 354×472 pixels (up to 420×560), roughly 40–120 KB.

Expression — neutral, no smile

Use a neutral expression with your eyes open and lips closed. Unlike the US passport, China does not allow a smile. A key China-specific rule: your ears must be visible, so pin back long hair and lift any bangs that fall over the eyes, eyebrows, or ears.

Head tilt and gaze

Face the camera directly. China gives an explicit tolerance: the head may be tilted no more than 20° left or right and no more than 25° up or down. Beyond that the photo is rejected.

Glasses — allowed, within limits

China is more permissive than most countries here: ordinary clear eyeglasses are allowed. What is not accepted is thick-rimmed frames, tinted glasses or sunglasses, or any glare/reflection on the lenses. If your frames cover your eyes or your lenses catch the light, take them off.

Head coverings and hats

Hats and head coverings are not accepted except for religious reasons, and even then no facial feature may be obscured and your ears must stay visible.

Lighting, shadows, and red-eye

The photo must have a natural tone, neither over- nor under-exposed, with no shadow over the face and no red-eye or distortion. There must be no damages or impurities on the image.

Background

Use a white or close-to-white background with no edge frame. A photo with a scene from everyday life is not accepted. Snapassport standardizes your background to a compliant white automatically, so a slightly off-colour or busy wall is corrected for you.

Recency and format

Submit one colour photo taken within the last 6 months. If you print it, use glossy photo paper (not matte or plain paper), kept stainless, scratchless, and crease-free.