Home › Visa Photo Checker › China
China Visa Photo Checker
Compliance for China visa photos is unforgiving. The National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (国家移民管理局, NIA), with day-to-day issuance handled by the Exit-Entry Administration of the local Public Security Bureau (公安局出入境管理局, PSB) pushes most submissions through automated biometric matchers, and even tiny issues — a slightly off background tone, a head 2 mm too small, soft focus — are enough to send your application back to the start.
This page runs all the checks they run. Drop in your photo above and you'll get an instant compliance report listing every potential rejection reason, prioritised by severity, with a fix path for each one.
China uses a distinctive 33×48 mm format for passports, issued by the National Immigration Administration (国家移民管理局). Chinese passport photos require a white background with face height between 28–33 mm. China has specific requirements: both ears must be visible, and the top of the head must have 3–5 mm of space above. Applicants should avoid wearing white tops.
Official China visa photo rules we check
- Required size: 33×48 mm (390×567 px at 300 DPI)
- Required background: White
- Issuing authority: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (国家移民管理局, NIA), with day-to-day issuance handled by the Exit-Entry Administration of the local Public Security Bureau (公安局出入境管理局, PSB)
- Print dimensions: 33×48 mm (1.30×1.89 inches)
- Digital size: 390×567 px at 300 DPI
- Background: White
Common China visa rejection reasons
- China-specific: Submitting a 35×45 mm European-style photo — the 2 mm width and 3 mm height difference is enough to trigger automatic rejection at the PSB and CVASC.
- China-specific: Using a light-grey or off-white background. Chinese reviewers compare the background to pure RGB white and will return photos that are even slightly cream or grey.
- China-specific: Smiling or showing teeth. A 'natural' smile that would pass in Japan or the U.S. is rejected for Chinese passport and visa photos.
- China-specific: Hair covering one or both ears. The face-recognition template needs the full ear outline visible.
- China-specific: Wearing white or very light clothing that blends into the background, which makes face/background segmentation fail.
- China-specific: Uploading a JPEG larger than 120 KB or smaller than 40 KB to the CVASC portal — both extremes are rejected by the file-size validator.
How to pass the checker
Crop precisely to 33×48 mm
Use our free image cropper to pull the exact 33:48 ratio. Position your eyes near the upper third of the frame and leave roughly 5 mm of headroom above the hair — the proportions National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (国家移民管理局, NIA), with day-to-day issuance handled by the Exit-Entry Administration of the local Public Security Bureau (公安局出入境管理局, PSB) expects.
Re-shoot in flat, even lighting
Stand 1.5 m from a plain wall matching the required white background. Use two soft light sources (or window light through a thin curtain) on either side of your face to eliminate the shadow that triggers most China rejections.
Replace the background if it's the wrong colour
If our checker flags the background as the wrong shade, run the image through our background remover and place it on the exact white China requires. This single fix resolves about 30% of all rejections we see.
Verify face coverage with the checker
Re-upload the corrected photo and confirm the face coverage score lands between 60–80%. If it's still low, crop in tighter; if too high, add headroom. China biometric matchers explicitly check this.
Related visa checker pages
JapanSouth KoreaIndia
Popular visa checker pages
United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomIndiaSchengen Zone
Frequently asked questions
What is the exact Chinese passport photo size in mm and pixels?
Chinese passport and visa photos are 33 mm wide × 48 mm tall when printed, and 354–420 pixels wide by 472–560 pixels tall when uploaded digitally. The most widely accepted digital target is 390×567 pixels at 300 DPI, saved as a JPEG between 40 KB and 120 KB. This is one of the few countries that uses 33×48 mm rather than the 35×45 mm international standard.
Where can I get the unusual 33×48 mm Chinese passport photo size if I'm outside China?
Most international photo booths and even most professional studios outside China default to 35×45 mm and cannot print 33×48 mm without manual adjustment. The reliable path is to take a properly framed photo at home or in any studio, then digitally resize it to exactly 33×48 mm using a tool like the ImageGates resizer, and print it on glossy photo paper at a local print shop. Bring the printed copy plus the JPEG file on a USB stick to the Chinese consulate or CVASC appointment.
Is white or grey background required for a Chinese passport photo?
Pure white only — RGB 255/255/255. Unlike Schengen countries and the UK which accept light grey, the Chinese PSB and the CVASC online checker both compare the background against pure white and reject anything that reads as off-white, cream, beige or grey. If your camera's auto white-balance has shifted the background colour, correct it digitally before submitting.
Can I smile in a Chinese passport or visa photo?
No. Chinese passport and visa photos require a fully neutral expression with the mouth closed and no visible teeth. Even the slight 'natural' smile permitted by Japan, the U.S. and most European countries is considered non-compliant by Chinese reviewers because it changes the geometry of the lower face used by the e-gate face-recognition system.
Can women wear hijab in a Chinese passport photo?
Generally no. China's photo rules for both passports and visas require the head to be uncovered, with the full face, ears and hairline visible. Religious exemptions for hijab, turban or other head coverings are not routinely granted by the Public Security Bureau, and applications submitted with a head covering are usually returned for a retake. Local PSB offices have sole discretion and the policy is enforced strictly.