What is the current China visa photo size in pixels?
Current Chinese Embassy and Visa Application Service Center guidance publishes a digital range from 354 x 472 pixels to 420 x 560 pixels. Width and height must remain in a 3:4 portrait ratio.
Reviewed against current Chinese Embassy and visa-centre guidance on 16 July 2026
China visa photo requirements354-420 x 472-560 pxJPEG, 40-120 KB
Use a recent 3:4 portrait JPEG with a plain white or near-white background. The separate printed-photo size is 33 x 48 mm. Your responsible Chinese mission, visa centre, or active COVA form can impose a stricter route-specific instruction.
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Official range: 354-420 x 472-560 px, 3:4 JPEG, 40-120 KB
Digital size
354-420 x 472-560 px
3:4 portrait, within both bounds.
Digital file
JPEG, 40-120 KB
24-bit RGB true colour is also specified.
Printed size
33 x 48 mm
Bring a print only when your route asks for it.
Apply through the official COVA route
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs routes applicants through the China Online Visa Application system and, depending on location, an authorized Visa Application Service Center. PassPhoto does not submit an application, collect this checker's photo, or replace instructions shown inside your active form.
Open the official COVA portalCurrent general standard
Digital, print, face, and background rules
These values are published by a Chinese Embassy for the current online platform and repeated by the Chinese Visa Application Service Center photo specification.
Digital dimensions
354-420 x 472-560 px
Width and height must both stay inside the published 3:4 portrait range.
Digital file
JPEG, 40-120 KB
The published standard also specifies 24-bit RGB true colour.
Printed photo
33 x 48 mm
Print quantity and whether a print is needed depend on the responsible mission or centre.
Background
White or near-white
It must be plain, shadow-free, and have no border around the image.
Recency
Within 6 months
Use a recent colour image that clearly represents the applicant.
Pose
Front-facing, neutral
Eyes open, mouth closed, ears visible, and the full face centred.
Why some pages say exactly 354 x 472
The current general specification permits 354 x 472 through 420 x 560 pixels. However, a Manchester Visa Application Service Center FAQ says the upload cannot exceed 354 x 472, and the COVA crop tool uses a 354 x 472 area. Exact 354 x 472 is therefore the common point across those instructions. Follow the stricter value when your responsible centre or active form displays it.
Digital portrait
Natural, centred, and fully visible
- Full face and upper shoulders facing the camera
- Neutral expression, eyes open, and mouth closed
- Ears visible and no other person, hand, toy, or object
- No thick frames, tinted lenses, glare, or eye obstruction
- Religious head covering only when the full face remains visible
- No shadows, red eye, distortion, overexposure, or underexposure
Printed-photo geometry
33 x 48 mm is not a 35 x 45 or 2 x 2 photo
- Head width: 15-22 mm
- Head height, chin to crown: 28-33 mm
- Space above crown: 3-5 mm
- Space below chin: at least 7 mm
- High-quality photo paper when a printed copy is requested
Image integrity
Do not use beautification or AI alteration
Current guidance requires natural skin tone, no facial distortion, and a clear current likeness. A published Consular Department photo guide states that the photo must not be altered. PassPhoto offers background replacement and export with this note, while never changing facial features, expression, skin, or identity. The edited file may be rejected under the official no-alteration rule.
Straight answers
China visa photo FAQs
Is a China visa photo exactly 354 x 472 pixels?
354 x 472 is the lower bound and the common COVA crop size, not the only size in the general photo standard. The published upper bound is 420 x 560. A local centre or the active application can show a stricter instruction, so follow that instruction when it appears.
Why does one visa-centre page say the photo cannot exceed 354 x 472?
A Manchester Visa Application Service Center FAQ uses that wording, while the current Chinese Embassy guidance and the Visa Application Service Center photo-specification PDF publish 354 x 472 through 420 x 560. The exact 354 x 472 size satisfies both statements; use it when your route repeats the stricter limit.
What is the China visa photo file-size limit?
The published digital-photo standard is JPEG from 40 KB to 120 KB and 24-bit RGB true colour. This checker verifies JPEG type and byte size but cannot prove the colour space.
What is the printed China visa photo size?
The official printed size is 33 mm wide by 48 mm high. The head is 15-22 mm wide and 28-33 mm high, with 3-5 mm above the crown and at least 7 mm below the chin. Whether you must bring a print and how many copies are required varies by application route.
Does a China visa photo need a pure white background?
The current general standard says white or close to white, plain, without a border, and without shadows. Some mission instructions simply say white. Follow a stricter background instruction shown by your responsible mission or active application.
Are glasses allowed in a Chinese visa photo?
Clear glasses can be accepted only when the lenses are not tinted and there is no glare, shadow, or thick frame obscuring the eyes. Removing glasses avoids those failure points when they are not medically necessary.
Can I digitally edit a China visa photo?
Official guidance requires natural skin tone, no distortion, and a clear current likeness; a Consular Department photo guide says the image must not be altered. PassPhoto offers background replacement but displays this note first. It never changes facial features or identity, and you decide whether to use the edited file.
Does this checker guarantee COVA acceptance?
No. It checks JPEG type, 354-420 x 472-560 pixel dimensions, 3:4 ratio, and 40-120 KB locally. It cannot verify RGB colour depth, recency, identity, face geometry, pose, expression, ears, glasses, lighting, background, shadows, border, print quality, or the decision of a Chinese mission or visa centre.
Sources and route caveat
Start with the official form for your location
Sources were reviewed on 16 July 2026. Chinese government, embassy, and authorized visa-centre material controls this page. Recheck the filing route shown for your residence immediately before submitting.
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