Digital Photo for Chinese Visa

How does it work?

Perfect biometric photo within 3 minutes.

Check how simple and smart is it!

Take or upload a photo

That's the only thing you need to do. Take or upload a photo - we will take care of the rest.

AI prepares the photo

Artificial Intelligence will check your photo, crop it to the right size and remove the background.

Expert verification

Our Photo Expert will make additional verification to check if your photo meets the official requirements.

Digital or printed photos

You can download a digital version and order a printout which we will send within 2-3 days. Delivery is free!

Why?

Take a biometric photo conveniently without leaving home

You save time and money

Convenience

Don't waste time, effort or money. You can take your passport photo without leaving home.

Professional service

Over 1 million people have used our services within the past 11 years. Our Photo Experts are available 24/7.

Money-back guarantee

We give you a guarantee of acceptance by authorities or otherwise we will refund you double the price!

Satisfaction guarantee

Take as many photo shots as you want - you pay only when you are satisfied.

How to take a photo?

Taking a photo for your ID has never been so easy.

Follow simple instruction to take a perfect ID photo.

Body-camera distance

The distance between the face and the camera should be about 40 cm. Ideally the photo should be taken by the other person.

Posture: Straight ahead

Place your face in front of the lens. Hold the camera at eye level and keep neutral face expression.

Lighting

Stand facing the light source, for example an exposed window. The background will be cut out, don't worry about it.

Chinese visa photo - size and requirements

Size

Width: 33 mm

Height: 48 mm

Resolution

600 dpi

Is it suitable for online submission?

Image definition parameters

Head height: 31.5 mm

Top of the Photo to Top of the Hair: 5 mm

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More about Chinese Visa Photo - Requirements

Chinese Visa Photo Guidelines

If you are planning on visiting mainland China, as a British national you will need to have a Chinese visa - as well as a passport with a validity of at least six months. You do not need a China visa to visit Hong Kong or Macao. Anyone aged between 14 and 70 must make an appointment and apply for the Chinese visa in person at a visa application center, where they will be required to provide specific documents and complete the Chinese visa application form. It is also necessary to provide a passport-style photograph that meets a number of requirements. There are various different types of Chinese visa depending on the reason for visiting and the length of time you are planning to stay - such as the Chinese tourist visa, Chinese work visa and the Chinese student visa. These all require different documents and allow you to stay in China for differing lengths of time.

Chinese visa photo requirements

No matter which type of China visa you apply for, you will always be required to provide a passport-style photograph attached to your Chinese visa application. This must be in colour and recently taken within the last six months. This Chinese visa photo can either be a digital or printed photo and must meet a number of requirements in order to be accepted by authorities.

Chinese visa photo size

The digital Chinese visa photo must be between 354 pixels and 420 pixels in width, by 472 pixels to 560 pixels in height. The file size should be between 40 KB - 120 KB and it should be in JPEG format. The paper Chinese visa photo should be 33mm (width) x 48 mm (height). The width of the head should be between 15 mm - 22 mm for the paper form and 191 pixels - 251 pixels for the digital form, with the height from the chin to the crown being between 28 mm and 33 mm. There should be a space of 3 mm - 5 mm or 10 pixels - 85 pixels between the crown and the top edge of the photo.

How to pose in the Chinese visa photo

Your head should be centered and completely visible in the China visa photo. You should have a neutral expression - no smiling or frowning - with your mouth closed and ears visible. Your eyes should be open and looking directly into the camera. Your head should not be tilted in any way and the photo must be taken by a third party (e.g. by another person or using a tripod) as it is not acceptable to take it from a selfie position.

Clothing in the Chinese visa photo

You may wear glasses in the Chinese visa photo - as long as the lenses are clear and do not cause any sort of glare, reflection, shadow, or obscure the face in any way. Glasses with tinted lenses or sunglasses are not acceptable.

Religious headwear is allowed in the China visa photo, as long as it does not cover or obscure the face in any way. Any other sort of head covering or hat, not for religious reasons is not permitted.

Chinese visa photo background

The background of the Chinese visa photo must be a plain white or near-white colour. It should be free of any patterns and there should be no borders around the edge of the photo. You must make sure that there can be no other objects or people visible in the photo, and that no shadows have been cast. The photo should be of good quality - so not over or underexposed and representing the true natural skin tone.

Most common mistakes in Chinese visa photos

If any of these requirements are not met by the Chinese visa photo, it can lead to the visa application being rejected and therefore prolonging the entire process more than it needs to be. In fact, a huge number of China visa applications are rejected every year because of mistakes made in the biometric photo. In order to obtain your visa as fast as possible, you should thoroughly ensure that all of the requirements have been met by the Chinese visa photo. In order to help you do this, here is a list of the most common mistakes made to avoid:

non-neutral facial expression (smile or frown)
tilted head
unnatural lighting (underexposed, overexposed, filtered)
non-white background
taken from a selfie position

How to take the Chinese visa photo at home

Thankfully, with our help, you can save time and money when taking your Chinese visa photo. You no longer need to go to the effort of traveling to and paying for a professional photo booth - as you can simply take the biometric photo from home! Simply use our photo editing app, upload your photo and let the Chinese visa photo tool do the work for you. Our photo editing software will analyze your biometric photo and notify you of any mistakes which may lead to the visa application being rejected. As well as this, it will also edit your Chinese visa photo until all of the Chinese visa photo requirements have been met. Take your visa photo anywhere you want and use the app ‘Passport Photo Online’ to guarantee that it will be accepted - we even promise to reimburse you if it is not!

Visa photo tool

With all of these requirements, it can make the task of taking the Chinese visa photo seems overwhelming. However, with our professional photo editing app, we are here to help you. By using AI software to analyze and edit the biometric photo, ‘Passport Photo Online’ will perfect it until your Chinese visa application is guaranteed to be accepted the first time. The app uses features such as a background removing tool to remove any unacceptable patterns or shadows in the background, as well as change the colour to the required white background - and cropping and resizing features to make sure that the biometric photo fits all of the required dimensions. Save stress and time when completing your Chinese visa application by using the photo editing app.

Visa photo mobile app

Download our photo tool app - available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play store and make the Chinese visa photo-taking process easier than ever. Capture the perfect shot from home, work or anywhere you like and use ‘Passport Photo online’ to complete the Chinese visa application stress-free. Use any smartphone or device and you can be assured that your Chinese visa application will be accepted immediately, all because of our professional photo editing app.

Last update: 07/06/2023

About the document

Chinese Visa - What is it?

A Chinese visa is a document that allows non-Chinese citizens to enter and leave the People's Republic of China. There are several types of China visa depending on the foreign citizen’s status, purpose of visit and type of passport. The most popular type is the Chinese tourist visa which allows you to stay in the country for up to 15 days.

Who does not need to apply for a Chinese Visa?

There are a few exceptions for travelers who must obtain a Chinese Visa. You do not need a Chinese visa if:

you are transiting China through one of the following cities for less than 72 hours:
Changsha (Changsha Huanghua International Airport);
Chongqing (Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport);
Guangzhou (Guangzhou Baiyu International Airport);
Guilin (Guilin Liangjiang International Airport);
Harbin (Harbin Taiping International Airport);
Xi'an (Xi'an Xianyang International Airport).
you need to travel to Shenzhen (coming from Hong Kong) for less than 5 days or to Zhuhai (coming from Macau) for less than 3 days;
you need to travel to Hainan Island with an organized tour of at least five people for a maximum of 15 days;
You hold a Singapore, Brunei or Japanese passport and are going to China for less than 15 days; or you hold a passport from the Bahamas, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Mauritius, Seychelles, Serbia or Tonga and you will be traveling to China for less than 30 days.

For all other cases, you can apply for a Chinese visa at the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country, or choose a visa application center to help you do so.

What are the types of Chinese visas?

There are 12 types Chinese visas:

F visa: for those intending to travel to China for exchanges and other non-commercial visits.
M visa: for work visits and other business-related reasons.
L visa: for tourism.
Q visa: for family reunification with Chinese or non-Chinese relatives with permanent residence in China. It is divided according to duration:
Q1 for stays longer than 180 days;
Q2 for stays up to 180 days.
S visa: for visits to relatives who are studying or working in China and who have a regular residence permit, or for personal affairs such as medical visits. Based on the duration it is divided into:
S1 for stays longer than 180 days;
S2 for stays of up to 180 days.
Z visa: for those who find regular employment in China and their family members.
G visa: issued to those passing through China for a short period of time while traveling to another international destination. Before applying for this visa, check whether you qualify for the 72-hour or 144-hour transit exemption.
C visa: issued to people who work in aviation, such as pilots and flight attendants, and their accompanying family members.
X visa: for those traveling to study or enroll in a school. Depending on the length of stay, it is divided into:
X1 for stays longer than 180 days;
X2 for stays of up to 180 days.
R visa: to highly specialized experts, with certified skills, invited to work in China.
J visa: is issued to foreign correspondents in China. It is divided into two subcategories based on the length of stay:
J1 for stays longer than 180 days;
J2 for stays of up to 180 days.
D visa: for those applying for permanent residence in China.

What are the requirements for a Chinese visa?

You need to prepare the required documents and fill out the application form to obtain a Chinese visa. Before you begin, prepare:

a scan or copy of the page of your passport containing your personal data;
two passport-style photos, in color, taken within the last 6 months;
airline confirmation or copies of tickets;
proof of accommodation or letter of invitation;
passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended departure date, with at least one blank visa page.

Remember that there are fairly restrictive Chinese visa photo requirements to meet.

When you have your photos and all of the required documents ready, apply online or at the appropriate visa office and book an appointment for a Chinese visa.

How can I extend my Chinese visa?

If you are already in China and would like to stay longer in this beautiful country, you can extend your Chinese visa there.

In almost every major city there are "Entry and Exit Administration Bureaus" where you must go at least seven days before the expiration date of your valid Chinese visa. You must fill out a temporary residence form and provide the same documents as in the original visa application. Remember that you will need to provide two passport-style photos again. If you want to save time and money and not have to find a professional photo studio, simply take a Chinese visa photo at any time and place and adapt it to the official requirements of the Chinese visa photo with a photo editor.

What is the situation with COVID-19?

Following the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government is not issuing new Chinese tourist and study visas. Only holders of valid residence permits for work or family reasons can re-enter China. As of March 15, 2021, re-entry and issuance of new visas for work, business, or family reunification is facilitated for those who have been inoculated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines produced in China, at least 14 days prior to travel.

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

Can I take my own Chinese visa photo?

Yes, you can take your own Chinese visa photo anywhere and any time, even with your mobile phone.

Can I wear glasses in the Chinese visa photo?

You may wear glasses in the Chinese visa photo - as long as the lenses are clear and do not cause any sort of glare, reflection, shadow, or obscure the face in any way.

How should I pose for the Chinese visa photo?

Your head should be centred and completely visible in the Chinese visa photo. You should have a neutral facial expression, with your mouth closed and ears visible.