Chinese Visa Photo Requirements & Guidelines: Complete 2026 Size Guide
Complete guide to China's visa photo requirements — 33×48 mm size, pure white background, no glasses, and COVA digital specs. Get a compliant photo for $5.99.
China uses one of the strictest visa photo specifications in the world — a non-standard size, a pure-white-only background rule, and an absolute ban on glasses that catches even experienced travellers off guard. Since the China Online Visa Application (COVA) system rolled out, photos are checked automatically before a consular officer ever sees your application, so a technically wrong file bounces your submission before it's reviewed. This guide covers every official requirement, plus a free way to get it right the first time.
Quick answer
- Print size: 33 mm × 48 mm — not the more common 35×45 mm or 2×2 inch formats used elsewhere
- Head height: 28–33 mm from chin to crown, head width 15–22 mm
- Digital upload (COVA): roughly 354–420 pixels wide × 472–560 pixels tall, JPEG only
- File size: 40–120 KB
- Background: pure white — off-white, cream, or light grey are not accepted
- Glasses: not permitted, of any kind, including prescription lenses
- Ears: must be visible — long hair should be pinned back
- Recency: taken within the last 6 months
If you'd rather not calculate margins and pixel ranges manually, PhotoOmni generates a compliant file automatically — see the walkthrough below.
Full China visa photo specification
| Requirement | Printed photo | Digital upload (COVA) |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 33 mm × 48 mm | 354–420 px wide × 472–560 px tall |
| Head height (chin to crown) | 28–33 mm | Same proportion |
| Head width | 15–22 mm | Same proportion |
| Top margin (head to upper edge) | 3–5 mm | Same proportion |
| Chin to bottom edge | Less than 7 mm | Same proportion |
| File format | Glossy or matte photo paper | JPEG only |
| File size | N/A | 40–120 KB |
| Background | Pure white, no shadows or texture | Pure white |
| Colour | Full colour (RGB), no black-and-white | Full colour |
| Glasses | Not permitted under any circumstances | Same |
| Recency | Taken within the last 6 months | Same |
| Shoulders | Upper shoulders visible in frame | Same |
| Ears | Must be visible | Same |
This same visa photo specification applies uniformly across visa categories — tourist (L), business (M), student (X), work (Z), and others all use the identical 33×48 mm photo, so there's no need to look up a separate spec for your specific visa type.
Why China's rules trip people up more than most countries
The size itself is unusual. Most passport photo tools and templates default to 35×45 mm or a 2×2 inch square, since those cover the majority of countries. A photo cropped to either of those formats is the wrong shape for China and will be rejected on sizing alone — this is reportedly one of the most common avoidable mistakes.
"White" means pure white, not off-white. Photo studios and home setups built for other countries' more forgiving off-white or light-grey backgrounds often submit a background that reads as slightly cream or grey under China's stricter check. Even subtle shadows or gradient in an otherwise "white" wall can fail this test. China's enforcement aligns with ICAO's Doc 9303 standards for biometric travel documents, which require consistent, shadow-free backgrounds for automated facial recognition — the COVA platform applies these checks programmatically before any human reviews the file.
No glasses, no exceptions. Unlike most countries, which allow prescription glasses as long as there's no glare, China's guidance prohibits glasses entirely, including clear prescription lenses. If you normally wear glasses, plan to remove them for this photo specifically.
Two separate outputs are sometimes needed. Depending on how you're applying, you may need both a digital file for the COVA online submission and a separate printed photo for your in-person appointment at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC). One doesn't automatically substitute for the other — check which your specific application route requires before assuming a digital upload alone is sufficient.
Common rejection reasons
- Wrong photo size or shape (submitting a 35×45 mm or square photo by mistake)
- Background that isn't pure white — shadows, texture, or a warm/off-white tone
- Wearing glasses of any kind
- Hair covering the ears
- Digital file outside the 40–120 KB range, or in a format other than JPEG
- Visible photo editing, including skin smoothing or blemish removal
- A photo older than 6 months, especially if your appearance has changed
Get the exact size for free, online
Instead of manually resizing and compressing the file, PhotoOmni handles the conversion for you:
- Upload a recent photo, or have someone else taking a photo at home (selfies aren't accepted); remove glasses first, since China's rule doesn't allow them
- The tool crops and resizes to China's 33×48 mm specification, or the COVA digital range, and replaces the background with pure white
- An AI compliance check reviews size, head position, ear visibility, and background against China's specific rules
- A professional review team checks the result by hand before you download it — every photo gets both an automated and a human pass
- Download the COVA-ready digital file, or a print-ready version for your CVASC appointment — all included in a flat $5.99 USD, with no extra charges for the review or the file itself
Because the tool produces both the digital upload file and the printed version from one upload, you're covered whether your specific application requires one, the other, or both.
FAQ
Can I wear my glasses in a China visa photo? No. China's photo guidance prohibits glasses of any kind, including prescription lenses, with no exceptions — remove them before taking the photo.
Is an off-white or light grey background acceptable? No. China requires a pure white background specifically; off-white, cream, and light grey — which are acceptable for some other countries' photos — are common causes of rejection here.
Can I use my existing passport photo for a China visa? Not directly. Standard passport photos from most countries use different dimensions (such as 35×45 mm or 2×2 inches), which don't match China's 33×48 mm specification.
Do I need both a digital photo and a printed one? It depends on your application route. Online COVA submissions require a digital file within the pixel and file-size range above; in-person appointments at a CVASC may also require a printed photo. Check your specific application instructions rather than assuming one covers both.
Does the photo requirement differ between tourist, business, and student visas? No — China uses the same 33×48 mm specification across visa categories. What changes between categories is the supporting documentation, not the photo itself.
Create Your China Visa Photo Now
About the Author
Emma Richardson Senior ICAO Photo Compliance Expert, PhotoOmni
Emma Richardson is the Senior ICAO Photo Compliance Expert at PhotoOmni. With 12+ years of experience in passport and visa photo verification, she has helped applicants achieve 820,000+ successful photo approvals across 100+ countries and territories. She specializes in global passport photo requirements, ICAO-compliant photo standards, and biometric image verification.
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Data sources: US Department of State passport processing (FY2024), UK Home Office annual report (2023), NIST FRVT Part 3: Demographic Effects (March 2024), ICAO Doc 9303 photo specifications. Pricing based on publicly listed rates as of July 2026.