Chinese Visa Photo

China is a huge country, just behind Russia, Canada and the United States, with many diverse cultures and landscapes! If you want to go to Shanghai or Pekin or discover more cities with an interesting history, you might need a visa.

If you want to apply for a Chinese visa, you need to provide two identical color photos, taken within the last 6 (six) months, and a completed application form. The Chinese visa application photo must satisfy certain requirements so read this guide to find out what you need to know.

Chinese visa photo guide

The Chinese visa is a document allowing you to enter and exit the Chinese border, by land, sea or air. This permission is issued by visa authorities of the People’s Republic of China to foreign citizens. Bear in mind that you must have a valid visa to exit China and you must leave this country before the expiration of the indicated period of time.

One of the most important documents that is needed in order to apply for a Chinese visa is a passport that is valid for at least 6 (six) months and, obviously, a photograph. Any ID document requires a photo so read on to find out what the requirements are regarding pictures for a visa to China.

Chinese visa photo size

When it comes to the size requirements they will differ depending on whether or not you are submitting a physical photo or digital photo, so be sure to read the requirements and be sure that your photo meets them. For a physical photo the required dimensions are: 33mm in width and 48mm in height. The head of the person being photographed must be between 15-22mm in width and 28-33mm in height, from the chin to the top of the head, and the distance between the top of the head and the upper edge of the photo must be between 3-5mm. When it comes to your digital submission the requirements are as follows: 354-420 pixels in width and 472-560 pixels in height.

In order to guarantee that your photo will be accepted you will need to ensure that you don’t make mistakes when taking the photo, such as your head being too big, too small, or incorrectly placed by being too much to the side. If the top of your head is touching the top of the frame, the edge of the photo, then this will also not be accepted. You should consider using our photo resizer that will change the picture so that it perfectly fits the Chinese visa photo requirements, and then you won’t have to worry as to whether or not the photo will be accepted, as we offer a 100% guarantee that it will be. 

Background 

The background in the Chinese visa photo must be white, free of patterns, shadows and any other objects. If you find it difficult to find a background that meets these requirements then use our photo background remover, which removes the incorrect background and replaces it with the required one, plain white. You can find the photo generator on the PhotoAiD site or get the app from the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

Quality & light

It is highly recommended that you do not use a flash and take photos in the daylight, because this helps you to avoid skin reflection and red-eye effects. Make sure that your face is lit evenly on both sides and that there are no shadows on your face or in the background. There should be no damage or any impurities on the photo, no shadows over the face and it should be taken in a natural tone, but not be over or underexposed or distorted.

Head position

The head has to be centered, with your eyes clearly open and turned directly towards the camera. The full face, neck and upper part of shoulders must be visible. A frontal view is required and not facing the camera, having your head tilted or closed eyes will result in the photo not being accepted.

Facial expression

In the photo for the Chinese visa, the mouth should be closed and not be showing teeth or smiling. A neutral facial expression is required as exaggerated facial expressions will be rejected. We recommend a natural and neutral facial expression, try not to frown, grimace or smile.

Accessories 

Accessories such as jewelry, piercings or headphones are forbidden to wear in Chinese visa photos. Other accessories that are forbidden include sunglasses, due to the tint in the glass hiding your eyes, and big accessories in your hair, as they will cast shadows on your face or the background, which is not allowed. If you wear a hearing aid every day then this is one accessory that you are allowed in your photo.

Glasses

If you wear glasses daily you are allowed to wear them in your Chinese visa photo as long as the lenses are not tinted and they don’t obscure your face, or have a glare on their surface. If the frames are thick or cover your eyes, you risk rejection of your photo. If you do not need eyeglasses for medical reasons, it would be better if you took them off.

Hair & head coverings 

Hair coverings are not allowed. This means that your hair must not cover your face, eyes, eyebrows and ears. However, if you need headwear for medical or religious reasons, remember that it must not obscure or cover your face. Your facial features must be clearly visible.

Clothing

While taking a photo for a Chinese visa you can wear your everyday outfit. However, we advise you to wear clothes in dark colors as white is a forbidden color because it can blend with the background. 

Chinese visa photo - a mobile app

A good idea is to try taking photos for this document by yourself. Especially because the Chinese Embassy and Consulate offices don’t provide photo services. However, you have to meet the official Chinese requirements so will need to know what the background color should be, what the correct size of the photograph is, how to take a photo on your own and finally, how to print it. Does this sound like a lot? Use our online photo editor, which is available on the website and on the AppStore or GooglePlay store. It doesn't matter if you use an iPhone or a phone with Android, you can take your perfect Chinese visa photograph all by yourself.

Prepare the background, wear decent clothes and ask a friend to take a picture of you when you are ready or put a tripod approximately 3 metres from you and set it up on a self-timer. 

Once you have taken the right photo, it is time for some simple editing. Upload the picture to PhotoAiD and it will resize, edit and verify it for you. Everything will meet the official Chinese requirements so you do not have to worry that it will be rejected, because we guarantee that the picture you prepare with our photo mobile app will be accepted by any People's Republic of China institutions.

The last step is to order a picture in a digital version to your email address or we can print it for you and deliver it to your physical address. You can also order a file with a digital version of the photo and print it at a photo store in your neighborhood. You choose the option that suits you best.

The whole process takes less than a minute and you can be proud of your Chinese visa photo.

The most commonly made mistakes in a Chinese visa photo

If you don’t want your Chinese visa rejected, you should read the most commonly made mistakes while taking visa photos to avoid any rejection. Make sure that you are filling the application in correctly and attaching the correct China visa photos regarding the dimensions and specifications. Read now about what you should not do, in order to have your visa application accepted.

To avoid rejection, have a look at the list of the most commonly made mistakes on visa photos for China:

• Profile view - the only position you are allowed to pose in is a front-facing one, a profile view, or with your head tilted to the side, is not acceptable
• Shadows in the background - any patterns, objects or shadows cannot appear in the background, use our photo background remover instead, which will perfectly edit your background.
• Smiling - keep a neutral facial expression, do not show your teeth or smile.
• Looking sideways - your eyes have to be visible and be looking directly at the camera, so if you look to the sides, the photo will be rejected.
• Covered eyes - nothing can obstruct your eyes or facial features, so be sure that your hair, glasses, or headwear are positioned so that they do not cover any of your features.
• Poor quality - damaged or creased photos, as well as those printed on poor-quality paper, will not be accepted.