Chinese Visa Photo Requirements for the Online Application

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes one visa photo specification that covers the digital upload and the printed photo. Embassy notices and the Chinese Visa Application Service Center repeat the same rules.

The digital photo is the one that matters most, because the online form checks it when you upload. The table shows both formats.

The online Chinese visa application checks the photo when you upload it, so a file that misses one number is refused before you can continue. Knowing the exact measurements saves a lot of trial and error.

Size and file

The image must be between 354 x 472 and 420 x 560 pixels, a 3:4 shape, saved as a JPEG of 40 to 120 KB in 24-bit color. A phone original is several megabytes and thousands of pixels wide, so it always needs resizing and compression.

Face position

On a 354 x 472 image, the face should be about 205 pixels wide, give or take 14 pixels. The top of the head sits 10 to 70 pixels below the top edge, and the eyes at least 256 pixels above the bottom edge. If both cannot be met, the eye rule wins. The distance between the eyes should be more than 60 pixels.

Why the print needs a different crop

The digital photo is 3:4, but the 33 x 48 mm print is taller and narrower. Stretching one to fit the other distorts your face, so PhotoForPass crops each format separately from your original photo.

Most visitors from the US apply online first and then submit their passport and documents at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center. The photo goes into the online form, so it has to pass there before anything else happens.

1. Fill in the online visa application form and upload your 354 x 472 photo.
2. Print the completed form and confirmation page.
3. Book an appointment at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center for your area, if required.
4. Bring your passport, the printed form and any printed photo your checklist asks for.

If the system rejects your photo, it shows an error and you cannot move on. Fix the file rather than the form: a new crop, a whiter background or a smaller file size usually solves it.

The online check is automatic and strict, so small problems cause refusals. These are the most common ones.

• Wrong pixel size. Anything smaller than 354 x 472 or larger than 420 x 560 pixels.
• File size outside 40 to 120 KB. Too large from a phone, or too small after heavy compression.
• Ears hidden. Long hair over the ears or the sides of the face.
• Glasses. Thick frames or tinted lenses are not allowed, and glare often fails the check.
• Head too high or too low. The top of the head and the eye line must fall inside the pixel ranges.
• Shadows and red-eye. No shadows on the face or background, no red-eye, and natural skin tone.
• Border or off-white background. The background must be white or near-white with no frame.
• Head turned or tilted. Face the camera directly with your face centered.

PhotoForPass produces the exact digital file the online form expects, plus prints, from one phone photo. Checks run in your browser before you pay, so your photo stays on your device until then.

We check face position, eyes, ears, lighting, glare and background against the Chinese visa rules. Then we fix the lighting, replace the background with plain white, crop the face to the pixel positions in the specification, and save a 354 x 472 JPEG between 40 and 120 KB.

• Digital photo ($16.95): the 354 x 472 JPEG for the online visa application.
• Photo + print sheet ($18.95): the same file plus a print-ready 4 x 6 inch sheet (JPG and PDF) of 33 x 48 mm photos: 9 borderless or 8 with cut guides, ready for CVS, Walgreens or Walmart.

Each order includes up to 5 photo checks and 3 free redos per person, and files are ready about 30 to 60 seconds after payment. Final acceptance is up to the Chinese visa authorities. If your photo is rejected, our 14-day money-back guarantee gives you a full refund.