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Chinese passport photo requirements

Chinese passport photo: size and rules

As of October 27, 2026, a China passport photo is 33 x 48 mm with a 28 to 33 mm head on white; Chinese citizens in the U.S. upload it in the Chinese Consular app (per us.china-embassy.gov.cn, checked on Oct 27, 2026).

For a passport requested through the Chinese Consular (中国领事) app, the uploaded photo is the one printed in the new booklet, and no paper photo has to be mailed.

Under the Chinese Embassy’s standard, a passport photo may not be altered and may not be a composite image.

Updated Rules checked against us.china-embassy.gov.cnHow we check

Measured drawing: Chinese passport photo33 mm48 mm33 mm28 mmchin31.2 mm, our target
Chinese passport photo. Printed size 33 x 48 mm. Head 28 to 33 mm, measured from the chin to the top of the head. The coral dot is where our tool places the top of the head (65% of the height).

Chinese passport photo at a glance

Printed size
33 x 48 mmus.china-embassy.gov.cn
Head height
28–33 mmus.china-embassy.gov.cn
App upload file
30 to 80 KBsanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn
Background
Whiteus.china-embassy.gov.cn
Glasses
Allowed with clear lenses, no glareus.china-embassy.gov.cn
Taken within
The last 6 monthsus.china-embassy.gov.cn

Questions people ask

What size is a Chinese passport photo?

Thirty-three millimeters wide by 48 tall. In that frame the head runs 28 to 33 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head and 15 to 22 mm across, with 3 to 5 mm of space over the crown and at least 7 mm under the chin.

The Los Angeles consulate cuts paper prints down with a trimmer and crops digital files in software, so a print a little larger than 33 x 48 mm is fine and a smaller one is not. What has to be right is the head and the margin around it.

Sources: us.china-embassy.gov.cn · losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn

How do you submit the photo for a Chinese passport in the U.S.?

Through the Chinese Consular app (中国领事). The picture you upload is printed in the new passport, so no paper copy goes in the mail. The app lets you choose an ID photo already on your phone or take one inside the app.

San Francisco’s photo chart lists a JPEG of 30 KB to 80 KB. The app’s automatic verdict is only a guide: if it keeps saying no, you can still submit, attach the photo again under other materials, and a consular officer decides.

Sources: cs.mfa.gov.cn · us.china-embassy.gov.cn · sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn · newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn

When do you need printed photos for a Chinese passport or travel document?

Not for a passport filed in the app. Prints come in for the travel document (旅行证): the Embassy in Washington lists 3 color photos on glossy paper, and the Los Angeles consulate asks for 2 that match the uploaded image.

Paper photos must come from a photo lab or be printed on professional photo paper. The Los Angeles consulate has no photo booth of its own and does not require a studio.

Sources: us.china-embassy.gov.cn (pages 1, 2) · losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn (pages 1, 2)

Common reasons a photo is turned down

  1. Chinese missions ask for a new photo when hair covers the eyebrows, eyes or ears, frames block the eyes, the head tilts, or the image is too dark, blurred or stained. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  2. Frequent problems flagged by China’s New York consulate include a background that is not pure white, blurry images, re-shot paper prints, white clothing and heads cut off by cropping. newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn

Every rule, with its source

Size and head position

  • The Chinese Embassy in Washington sets a passport photo at 33 mm across and 48 mm high, with the head 15 to 22 mm wide and 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • Above the crown, a Chinese passport photo leaves 3 to 5 mm to the top edge, and below the chin at least 7 mm to the bottom edge. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • China’s consulate in Los Angeles trims paper photos with a cutter and digital files with software, so a print may run slightly larger than the standard but never smaller. losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn

Background

  • A Chinese passport photo is in color against a white background, showing the whole head and face with no shadow on the face or behind it. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • Clothing close to the background color fails China’s photo standard, so the Los Angeles consulate suggests a dark top. losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn
  • The New York version of the Chinese photo standard adds that applicants must not wear light-colored clothes. newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn

Glasses, head coverings and clothing

  • Glasses can stay on for a Chinese passport photo if the lenses are clear and no glare, shadow or frame blurs the eyes; hearing aids are allowed too. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • China’s Embassy bars hats and headscarves from passport photos unless worn for religious reasons, and even then the whole face must stay uncovered. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • The photo chart posted by China’s San Francisco consulate accepts head coverings worn for religious, medical or cultural needs, as long as they neither hide the face nor cast shadows. sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn
  • A natural expression with both eyes open and every facial feature in plain view is what the Chinese Embassy expects. us.china-embassy.gov.cn

How recent

  • The Chinese Embassy in Washington accepts passport photos taken no more than 6 months before the application. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • The app-era photo chart from China’s San Francisco consulate applies the same 6-month limit to the digital photo. sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn

Editing and filters

  • Under the Chinese Embassy’s standard, a passport photo may not be altered and may not be a composite image. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • Asked about AI-generated or beauty-app photos, China’s Los Angeles consulate advises against them, warning of repeated reviews, delays and trouble at borders. losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn

Digital file

  • For a passport requested through the Chinese Consular (中国领事) app, the uploaded photo is the one printed in the new booklet, and no paper photo has to be mailed. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • The Chinese Consular app takes either an ID photo already saved in the phone’s album or one shot inside the app, which then processes it to meet the background rules. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • China’s San Francisco consulate lists the digital photo as a JPEG file of 30 KB to 80 KB. sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn
  • China’s New York consulate tells passport applicants not to upload low-resolution pictures or a photo of a paper print. newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn

Printed photo

  • When Chinese missions ask for paper photos, these must be developed by a photo lab or printed on professional photo paper. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • A Chinese travel document (旅行证) issued through the Embassy in Washington needs 3 recent color photos on glossy paper, mailed with the other papers. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • For a travel document handled by mail through the app, China’s Los Angeles consulate asks for 2 paper photos identical to the uploaded one. losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn

Where photos come from

  • Since January 29, 2022, ordinary passports and travel documents for Chinese citizens abroad can be requested in the Chinese Consular app, which includes a step for uploading the ID photo. cs.mfa.gov.cn
  • China’s Los Angeles consulate offers no photo service in its document hall and has not designated any business to take photos. losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn
  • A studio is not required for a Chinese passport photo: the Los Angeles consulate reports that white-background passport photos from U.S. drugstores and warehouse clubs mostly meet the standard. losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn
  • China’s New York consulate points out that many easy-to-use apps can help applicants produce a compliant ID photo. newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn

Who reviews the photo

  • If the Chinese Consular app keeps rejecting the photo, the applicant can still submit and add the ID photo under other materials, and a consular officer makes the final call. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • The New York consulate describes the app’s photo pass or fail message as a reference only, before staff check the picture themselves. newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn
  • Apart from the photo upload, the Chinese Consular app runs face recognition on the applicant to confirm the request is genuinely theirs. us.china-embassy.gov.cn
  • Failing that identity check does not block a Chinese passport application, though it may be returned or need a video meeting with a consular officer. us.china-embassy.gov.cn

FAQ

Can I use a 2 x 2 inch U.S. passport photo for a Chinese passport?

Only once it is cut to the Chinese format. The Los Angeles consulate trims larger prints to 33 x 48 mm and says white-background U.S. passport photos have mostly met its standard, but the head must still measure 28 to 33 mm after trimming. Source: official pages "护照、旅行证照片标准 — Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles" and "关于护照人像照片规格要求 (Passport photo requirements) — Chinese Embassy in the U.S.", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Can I use an AI-generated or beauty-filtered photo for a Chinese passport?

The embassy’s standard rules out altered and composite photos, and the Los Angeles consulate advises against beauty-app edits, which can send the application back and cause problems at border checks later. Source: official pages "关于护照人像照片规格要求 (Passport photo requirements) — Chinese Embassy in the U.S." and "办理中国护照旅行证“你问我答” › 【证件照照片】 — Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Does the Chinese Consular app make me take a live selfie for the passport photo?

Not for the photo: you can pick one from your phone or shoot it in the app. A separate face-recognition step confirms who is applying; if it cannot be passed, the application can still go in but may be returned or need a video meeting. Source: official pages "“中国领事”APP护照旅行证业务常见问题与解答 › (二十) 上传面相照片有何要求？" and "“中国领事”APP使用说明 › 二、业务办理 — Chinese Embassy in the U.S.", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Can a photo service promise that my Chinese passport photo will be accepted?

No. No photo service, SelfieToPassport included, can promise acceptance: consular staff review every picture, and the app’s automatic check is only a guide. Source: official pages "“中国领事”APP护照旅行证业务常见问题与解答 › (二十) 上传面相照片有何要求？" and "“中国领事”APP划重点（三） › 七、证件照 — Chinese Consulate General in New York", checked on Oct 27, 2026.

Is SelfieToPassport the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America?

No. SelfieToPassport is not affiliated with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America or any other government agency. The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America publishes the photo rules for free at us.china-embassy.gov.cn; this page links to each one.

Does SelfieToPassport replace the background of a Chinese passport photo?

We crop and resize your original photo and never replace or repaint the background. If the wall does not pass the check, the tool asks for a new photo and tells you how to fix the light or the wall.

Ready? Free preview with the measurements drawn on your photo; $6.95 for the digital file and both print sheets.

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Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from a page published by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America, read on the date shown. We rewrite each rule in plain words and link to the page it came from. Each rule has a review deadline; one that passes it without a new check comes off the page.

Something here out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official page.