The Chinese visa photo format
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers ask for:
- a color photo 48 mm high and 33 mm wide, with the head 28 to 33 mm from the chin to the top of the head;
- a white or nearly white background and no border;
- a photo taken in the last six months, facing the camera with the whole head and face clearly visible and the head straight;
- glasses only if they are not thick-rimmed or tinted and show no glare; no hats, and religious head coverings must not hide the face.
The visa can be refused if the photo does not meet the rules, so it is worth getting right. Choose "China: visa" in the tool, put the top of your head on the blue line and your chin in the green band, and download the 4 × 6 print or the PDF sheet.
Online form and printed photo
Most applicants fill in the visa form online and also bring or attach a printed photo. If the online form asks you to upload a digital photo, check the size it asks for on the form itself. Some official pages also give a head width, but they disagree with each other, so ask the visa center you apply through if your face is very wide or narrow.
Official notice: Photo requirements for visa application (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Take a photo that gets accepted
Face a window in daylight, stand about 2 feet in front of a plain light wall and have someone take the photo from about 4 feet away, at eye level. The full checklist is in how to take a passport photo at home.