Passport and visa photo questions

What size is a China visa photo, and can I take it at home?

For the online visa application, the photo is a colour JPEG 354 pixels wide and 472 pixels high, with a file size between 40 KB and 120 KB, taken in the last 6 months against a white or near-white background with no border. A printed photo for a paper form is 33 × 48 mm instead. You can take the digital photo at home: the official rules describe the photo, not who takes it, and the online form checks it when you upload it.

What the official page says

  • A colour JPEG, 354 pixels wide and 472 pixels high, between 40 KB and 120 KB. Some official pages also accept larger photos; 354 × 472 meets all of them.
  • Taken in the last 6 months, against a white or near-white background with no border, and no shadows on your face or the background.
  • Facing the camera with a neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed and both ears visible, with your head tilted no more than 20 degrees to the side or 25 degrees up or down.
  • Glasses only with clear, untinted lenses and no glare, shadows or thick frames over your eyes. Hats and head coverings only for religious reasons, with your face fully visible.

Official pages read: October 2026 · Official source: visaforchina.cn, bio.visaforchina.cn, cr.china-embassy.gov.cn

    How to do it with Complyshot

    1. Stand about 1 m in front of a plain white wall, facing a window or another soft light, with your hair behind your ears.
    2. Open Complyshot and choose “China Visa (online)”. It starts in helper mode on the back camera, so someone else can hold the phone.
    3. Read the result. Head size, eye position, sharpness, lighting, open eyes, background and file size are checked, and anything that fails comes with what to change.
    4. Save the photo, a 354 × 472 pixel JPEG made to fit the 40 KB to 120 KB limit, and upload it in the online application. Complyshot does not make the 33 × 48 mm paper photo.

    Related questions

    What if the online form does not accept my photo?

    The Chinese Visa Application Service Center says that after 3 failed uploads you can carry on with the form, and bring a recent paper photo with a white or near-white background when you visit the centre; staff there can help you upload it.

    What size is the printed China visa photo?

    33 mm wide and 48 mm high, with your head 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown. It is for a paper form; the online application uses the digital photo, which is the only one Complyshot makes.

    Can I wear glasses in a China visa photo?

    Yes, if the lenses are clear and untinted, with no glare or shadow, and the frames are not thick or over your eyes. Complyshot cannot tell whether you wear glasses, so its checklist asks you to confirm.

    Check your photo in Complyshot

    Complyshot checks your photo on your iPhone; the photo is not uploaded. Checking is free, and saving the finished photo is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.

    Download on the App Store

    Complyshot is made by YOTEZIC LTD and is not affiliated with any government. It checks what a phone can measure and cannot promise that your photo will be accepted; the issuing office decides.