A rejected photo is one of the most common reasons a China visa gets delayed — and the rules, set by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are specific. Here's the exact 2026 specification, the mistakes that get photos rejected, and how we make sure yours passes.
Paper photo: 33 mm (W) × 48 mm (H).
Digital photo: between 354 × 472 px and 420 × 560 px.
File: JPEG, RGB 24-bit color, file size 40 KB – 120 KB.
Background: white or close to white, no borders.
Recency: taken within the last 6 months.
Full frontal view; the entire head and face clearly visible, ears showing.
Neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed.
Head straight — no more than about 20° side tilt or 25° up-and-down tilt.
Paper-photo head height: 28–33 mm chin to crown; head width 15–22 mm.
Eyes far enough apart to read clearly (inter-eye distance over 60 px on the digital photo).
No hands, toys, or other people in the frame.
Glasses are allowed — but only if the lenses aren't tinted and there's no glare, shadow, or heavy frame covering the eyes. If they cause any reflection, it's safest to take them off.
Head coverings are allowed only for religious reasons, and they can't hide any facial features.
Remove jewelry and ornaments — China's official examples reject visible jewelry.
Quality: blurry, over- or under-exposed, hot spots, unnatural skin tone, red-eye, or a shadow across the face or background.
Framing: too close, too far (eyes too small), off-center, or the top of the head or chin cut off.
Expression: smiling, mouth open, or eyes closed.
Pose: head tilted, looking away, a "portrait" angle, or chin tipped up or down.
Glasses: heavy frames, frames covering the eyes, reflections on the lenses, or tinted lenses.
Background: any color other than white — or a light shirt that blends into a white background.
Obscuring: hair over the eyebrows, eyes, or ears; a covered face; stamps or smears on the print.