Chinese Passport Photo

Whenever you apply for a Chinese passport, you are required to submit biometric passport photos as part of your application. The pictures for a Chinese passport have to comply with official requirements in order to be accepted by the relevant Chinese authorities.

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Chinese passport picture- technical requirements 

The technical specifications for passport photos are different from country to country. Please note the specific size requirements for the Chinese passport photo, listed below. It’s extremely important that you follow these specifications down to the millimeter. 

• Size: the standard size of a passport photo in China is 33 mm wide by 48 mm high.
• The color: the picture submitted must be a color one.
• The head size: between 15 mm and 22 mm wide and between 28 mm to 33 mm long in the picture. There is an additional requirement of empty space between the upper edge of the picture and the top of your head (3mm to 5mm).
• The resolution: while there is no clearly stated rule, since the conditions specify it has to be a “high quality photo”, our recommendation is at least 600 dpi.
• The contrast and exposure: no under-or over exposed pictures, the right color contrast (not too light or too dark).
• The background should be white or off-white, with no edges.

Chinese passport pictures- shadows and editing

Since your picture should render your true skin tone and eye color, all filters and the use of tools such as Photoshop is forbidden. 

Since there can be no shadows on your face or on the background of the picture, a good idea is to use natural daylight. To avoid shadows, what you can do is as follows:

• Stand in front of a window.
• Keep a distance of 2 meters (or about 7 feet) between you and the camera.
• Take a trial shot and make sure that the light is distributed on both sides of your face evenly.
• Refrain from using the camera's flash, to avoid the “red eye effect”.

Chinese passport images- makeup and jewelry

You are allowed to put on makeup and jewellery when taking an official biometric photo for a Chinese passport. However, make sure to look natural, so that you can actually be identified from the picture. Jewellery should not cover any part of your face (ears or the oval of the face), so stick to smaller pieces.

No fashion headgear (caps, hats, headbands) is allowed. Headgear is only permitted for religious and cultural reasons (such as a yarmulke or a hijab). If you keep your headgear on in the picture, make sure that it doesn't obscure any part of your face. 

Chinese passport pictures- glasses 

Even when prescribed for medical reasons, you cannot wear sunglasses in a Chinese passport photo. Prescription glasses can be worn- just make sure no part of the eye is covered and that there is no glare in the lenses or shadows on your face from the frame.

Chinese passport photos-hairstyle

The general rule is to wear your hair the way you normally wear it–after all, it’s important that your picture looks like you. A few things you may want to keep in mind: 

• Since all parts of your face need to be visible, make sure your hair does not go below your eyebrow line and does not cover your face. Tie long hair in the back, so that it does not extend below the photo edge.
• There is no need to shave for your passport picture- beard and moustache are okay
• Dyeing your hair is also allowed and there is no need to go back to your natural hair color just for having your passport picture taken.

Sources:

https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741445/n741619/n894511/c896346/content.html