The paper photo for a Chinese visa is 33 mm wide by 48 mm high, printed on glossy photo paper, with your head between 28 and 33 mm from chin to crown. The online application form takes a different file: a JPEG between 354 x 472 and 420 x 560 pixels, 40 KB to 120 KB. The two are not the same shape, so mixing them up is an easy mistake.

<Callout type="note" title="Quick answer">
**Print:** 33 x 48 mm, glossy paper (not matte, not plain paper), color, taken in the last 6 months, head 15-22 mm wide and 28-33 mm tall, white or close to white background with no border.

**Online file:** JPEG, RGB 24-bit color, 354-420 pixels wide by 472-560 pixels high, 40-120 KB.

**Unlike a US visa photo,** glasses are allowed when the lenses are clear, not tinted, and free of glare, shadow and heavy frames.
</Callout>

Every figure here comes from the Chinese Visa Application Service Center pages on visaforchina.cn and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application" sheet that the centres publish, read on September 18, 2026. The Ministry's sheet is an image, so we read it from the copy on the Kuala Lumpur centre's site. Three of the Chinese embassy and consulate pages we tried carry the specification only as an attached image we could not read as text, so we do not cite them for figures.

<SpecTable
  document="China visa photo (paper and online form)"
  verifiedOn="September 18, 2026"
  source={{ label: "Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Consular Affairs - Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application", href: "https://bio.visaforchina.cn/KUL3_EN/upload/20231123/4b89d0c364d44f778f85d6fd76d93475.pdf" }}
  rows={[
    { label: "Paper photo size", value: "33 mm wide x 48 mm high" },
    { label: "Head width (paper)", value: "15 mm to 22 mm" },
    { label: "Head height, chin to crown (paper)", value: "28 mm to 33 mm" },
    { label: "Space above the crown (paper)", value: "3 mm to 5 mm" },
    { label: "Space below the chin (paper)", value: "7 mm or more" },
    { label: "Paper", value: "Glossy photo paper, not matte or plain" },
    { label: "Digital dimensions", value: "354 x 472 px minimum to 420 x 560 px maximum" },
    { label: "Digital format", value: "JPEG, RGB 24-bit color" },
    { label: "Digital file size", value: "40 KB to 120 KB" },
    { label: "Background", value: "White or close to white, no border around the image" },
    { label: "Age of photo", value: "Within 6 months" },
    { label: "Head tilt", value: "20 degrees or less left or right; 25 degrees or less up or down" },
    { label: "Glasses", value: "Allowed if untinted, no glare, shadow or frame over the eyes" },
    { label: "Head coverings", value: "Only for religious reasons, and no facial feature obscured" },
  ]}
/>

## Print and file are two different photos

The Ministry's sheet gives both specifications in one place, but they describe two objects. The paper photo is the one attached to the visa application form. The digital photo is the file you upload when you fill in the form online. The service centre's upload FAQ asks for a JPEG within the 40-120 KB range, taken within the past 6 months against a white or close to white background.

The shapes differ, and the arithmetic shows how much. The print is 33 by 48 mm, so its width divided by its height is 0.6875 (11:16). The smallest and largest digital sizes, 354 x 472 and 420 x 560 pixels, both work out to exactly 0.75 (3:4). A file cropped to the print's shape sits outside the digital range, and a file cropped to the digital shape does not fit the print. Treat them as two crops of the same original photo, not one image scaled twice.

## Head size, in numbers you can check

On the paper photo, head height of 28 to 33 mm on a 48 mm photo is 58 to 69 percent of the height (28 / 48 and 33 / 48, arithmetic). The head must be horizontally centered, the space between the crown and the top edge is 3 to 5 mm, and the space between the chin and the bottom edge is at least 7 mm. Because the frame is 48 mm tall against 33 mm wide, a square US 2 x 2 in crop is not a substitute.

The Ministry also gives an example for the digital file at 354 x 472 pixels: the face width should be 205 pixels, give or take 14, the gap between the top edge of the image and the crown should be 10 to 70 pixels, and the distance from the bottom edge of the image up to the line through the eyes should be more than 256 pixels. The distance between the eyes should be more than 60 pixels. The sheet adds that when hair is very high, voluminous hair can be trimmed off to keep the face size correct. It gives those figures as an example at that size, so scale them if your file is larger.

<GoodBad
  good={{ src: "/images/passport/portrait-white.webp", alt: "Front-facing portrait on a plain white background with the whole head and shoulders visible", caption: "A plain, evenly lit background, head centered, both ears and eyes visible. This is the shape of photo the Chinese specification describes, once cropped to 33 x 48 mm." }}
  bad={{ src: "/images/passport/reject-shadow.webp", alt: "Portrait rejected because of a shadow on the wall behind the subject", caption: "A shadow on the background or across the face breaks the plain-background rule. The sheet lists shadow across the face and shadow in the background as separate failures." }}
/>

## The background and the face

The background must be white or close to white, and the photo must have no borders or edge frame. The sheet is not asking for the strict pure white some other countries require, but it does list an uneven background as a failure: light or shadow over the face, or shadow in the background, sits beside blur and over- or under-exposure in its photo examples.

The face must be square to the camera and fully visible. The specification asks for a neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed and ears visible, with no visible distortion of the features and no hand, toy or other person in the shot. Head tilt is limited to 20 degrees left or right and 25 degrees up or down. The Ministry's sheet includes hair covering the eyebrows, eyes or ears among its failing examples, so tuck it back.

## Glasses and head coverings

This is where a China visa photo differs most from a US one. The Ministry allows eyeglasses when the lenses are not tinted and no glare, shadow or frame obscures the eyes. The service-centre page for the photo requirements adds that thick-rimmed, tinted or glare glasses are not allowed. If your lenses reflect the light, take the glasses off rather than test it. Our [glasses in passport photos](/blog/glasses-in-passport-photo) guide compares this with the rules of other countries, where the answer is often no.

Hats and other head coverings are allowed only for religious reasons, and only if no facial feature is covered. The wording the sheet uses is that facial features must not be obscured.

## If two official pages disagree

Chinese visa service centres publish the same specification on several pages, and not all of them match. Three inconsistencies are worth knowing about.

- **Digital size.** The Ministry sheet gives a range from 354 x 472 to 420 x 560 pixels. Two service-centre upload FAQ pages instead say the dimensions "cannot exceed 354*472". A file of exactly 354 x 472 pixels satisfies both readings, so if you want no argument, export that size and keep it within 40-120 KB.
- **Head height.** One service-centre page prints the head height as "20mm to 33mm", while the Ministry sheet and another centre page say 28 to 33 mm. We use 28 to 33 mm, the figure that appears on the Ministry's own sheet.
- **Some pages say less.** A few centre pages only list "48mm x 33mm", 6 months, a white background and a bare head. They are shorter, not different; the Ministry sheet has the detail.

Whichever page your own service centre points you to is the one to follow. If your centre gives a photographer's checklist, use it.

<ToolCTA document="china-visa" title="Both files, checked against the Ministry's numbers" text="Our China visa setting crops to the 33 x 48 mm print and checks the head against the 28-33 mm window, and it exports the online form's 3:4 JPEG inside the 354-420 pixel and 40-120 KB limits. Checking is free; $4.99 for the digital file, $6.99 with a 4 x 6 in print sheet, pay only at download." />

## How to get a photo that passes

<Steps items={[
  { title: "Find out which route your visa center uses", text: "Read the photo requirements page of the visa service centre or embassy that will take your application. The paper photo goes on the form; the digital photo is for the online form." },
  { title: "Take one original, in the last 6 months", text: "Face the camera square, eyes open, mouth closed, ears showing, on a plain white or near-white wall. Keep glasses clear of glare or take them off." },
  { title: "Make the print at 33 x 48 mm on glossy paper", text: "Center the head with 3 to 5 mm above the crown and a head height of 28 to 33 mm. Ask the printer for glossy, not matte." },
  { title: "Make the digital file as a separate crop", text: "Crop from the original to the 3:4 shape, 354 x 472 pixels or up to 420 x 560, save as JPEG and keep it between 40 and 120 KB." },
  { title: "Compare both against the sheet before you submit", text: "Check the head width, the head height, the gap above the crown and the background. The sheet says applications may be declined when photos miss the stated requirements, so measure rather than judge by eye." }
]} />

If you cannot get the crop right yourself, a photographer or photo kiosk that carries a China visa template is the honest route. For the Indian side of this region, see the [India passport photo requirements](/blog/india-passport-photo-requirements), which has a different shape again, and for the Japanese equivalent, the [Japan visa photo](/blog/japan-visa-photo) guide. For another Asian upload with its own limits, see the [Vietnam e-visa photo](/blog/vietnam-e-visa-photo) guide, and for a Korean travel authorisation, the [K-ETA photo](/blog/k-eta-photo) rules. The [background color guide](/blog/passport-photo-background-color) covers how white is white for each country, and [visa photo sizes by country](/blog/visa-photo-sizes-by-country) puts them next to each other.

## What can get the photo refused

<RuleList items={[
  { text: "Taken within the last 6 months and printed on glossy photo paper", ok: true },
  { text: "Head 28 to 33 mm tall and 15 to 22 mm wide on the 33 x 48 mm print", ok: true },
  { text: "White or near-white background, evenly lit, no border", ok: true },
  { text: "Clear lenses with no glare, or no glasses", ok: true },
  { text: "Matte or plain paper for the print", ok: false },
  { text: "Tinted, thick-framed or glaring glasses", ok: false },
  { text: "Head tilted beyond 20 degrees sideways or 25 degrees up or down", ok: false },
  { text: "Hair covering the eyebrows, eyes or ears", ok: false },
  { text: "A digital file outside 40-120 KB or the wrong shape", ok: false }
]} />

The sheet also says applications may be declined if photos do not meet the stated requirements. Checking your photo is free at our [photo checker](/photo?document=china-visa), which crops and measures against the numbers above — but it cannot measure head width or tilt angle the way the sheet states them, so compare against the centre's own checklist too.

## Frequently asked questions

### What size is a China visa photo?

For the paper photo attached to the application form, 33 mm wide by 48 mm high, with the head 15 to 22 mm wide and 28 to 33 mm tall from chin to crown. For the online form, a JPEG between 354 x 472 and 420 x 560 pixels and between 40 KB and 120 KB.

### Can I wear glasses in a China visa photo?

Yes, unlike a US visa photo. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs specification allows eyeglasses only if the lenses are not tinted, there is no glare, shadow or frame obscuring the eyes, and the frames are not thick. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are refused. If your lenses glare, take them off.

### Does a China visa photo need a white background?

White or close to white, with no borders or edge frame around the image. The specification does not ask for pure white, but its failing examples include shadow across the face, shadow in the background and under- or over-exposure, so light the wall evenly.

### How recent must a China visa photo be?

Taken within the last 6 months. The service-centre pages and the Ministry's specification all use that window, and the photo must reflect your current appearance. A photo left over from an earlier application is only usable if it is still inside the window and meets the size rules.

### Can I upload a scan of the printed photo to the online form?

Not directly. The paper photo is 33 x 48 mm, a shape of about 11:16, while the online file must be between 354 x 472 and 420 x 560 pixels, a 3:4 shape. Cropping a scan to the wrong shape fails the size check, so make the digital file from the original camera image.

### Do I need a printed photo, a digital file, or both?

It depends on how your service centre takes the application. The Ministry sheet gives both: the paper photo attached to the application form and the digital photo for the online form. Check the page of the centre or embassy that will receive your application to see which applies.

<Sources items={[
  { label: "Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Consular Affairs - Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application (poster, hosted by the Chinese Visa Application Service Center, Kuala Lumpur)", href: "https://bio.visaforchina.cn/KUL3_EN/upload/20231123/4b89d0c364d44f778f85d6fd76d93475.pdf" },
  { label: "Chinese Visa Application Service Center (Sydney) - Photo requirements FAQ", href: "https://www.visaforchina.cn/SYD3_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/changjianwenti/355135188537315328.html" },
  { label: "Chinese Visa Application Service Center - Important Notice: Visa Application photo must satisfy specific requirements", href: "https://www.visaforchina.cn/CBR3_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/changjianwenti/226934308064071680.html" },
  { label: "Chinese Visa Application Service Center - How to upload the photo when filling in the online application form", href: "https://www.visaforchina.cn/MAN3_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/changjianwenti/164185152103256105.html" },
  { label: "Chinese Visa Application Service Center - Photo upload guide (online form)", href: "https://www.visaforchina.cn/MES3_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/changjianwenti/218737126211194880.html" }
]} />