Passport photo at home in China
China's National Immigration Administration is unexpectedly practical about home photos: its online photo guide says you can ask someone to help shoot, use a phone stand with the timer, or use a dedicated ID-photo app — and in the same breath orders every beauty feature off: 关闭美颜, 关闭滤镜, 关闭瘦脸 (beauty mode off, filters off, face-slimming off). The system around that advice has three distinct photo artefacts, each with its own numbers.
The print: 33 x 48 mm with a measured head
The Chinese passport photo is a 33 x 48 mm colour print — a size no other major country uses — built on ICAO Doc 9303 with an effective image area of 30 x 40 mm, head height 30 to 34 mm and face width 16 to 24 mm, taken within the last six months on a white background. The same NIA standard covers visas and residence permits handled by exit-entry administrations, so one compliant sitting serves several Chinese documents. Because 33 x 48 does not tile neatly into standard lab sizes, print it as our pre-tiled sheet and cut on the marks rather than asking a kiosk to improvise, as the sheet-size guide explains.
The online renewal upload: small pixels, strict judge
Renewing fully online (全程网办) is available in about twenty pilot cities, and its upload photo is tightly bounded: 354 to 480 pixels wide, 472 to 640 pixels tall, a 3:4 crop in JPEG — 480 x 640 satisfies both the 2011 and 2024 figures. The automated check fails on more than geometry: head too small, uneven shoulders (高低肩), visible teeth and uneven lighting are all named refusal grounds, and if your room light is poor the NIA itself suggests going to a professional studio. First passports are not in scope; those are applied for in person.
Visa photos through COVA
A Chinese visa application runs the MFA's own photo check inside the COVA online form, against the same 33 x 48 mm geometry. Two practical notes from the official material: if COVA refuses the file, most visa centres will sell a photo on site, and for very voluminous hair the MFA explicitly allows the hair to be trimmed in the crop to keep the face size right — one of the few authorities to say so.
Shooting it the NIA's way
Follow the guide's own recipe: rear camera, a helper or a phone stand with the self-timer, square-on to the camera with level shoulders, mouth closed with no teeth showing, even frontal light. Every beautification feature off — the no-editing stance is structural, since an exit-entry officer compares the photo to the person. Our checker measures head height as a share of the photo height against the 30 to 34 mm rule, and flags head tilt and uneven lighting before upload, with the verdict shown before any payment. The 480 x 640 upload and the 33 x 48 mm print are separate documents in our tool, each rendered from your shot.
Frequently asked questions
Can I renew my Chinese passport entirely online with a home photo?
Only in the pilot cities running 全程网办, and only for renewals or replacements, not first passports. The upload is a 3:4 JPEG between 354 x 472 and 480 x 640 pixels, and the automated check also judges lighting, shoulders and expression.
Why was my photo refused for 高低肩 (uneven shoulders)?
The NIA's upload check tests posture, not just the face: tilted or uneven shoulders fail even when the head geometry passes. Sit or stand square to the camera, drop both shoulders evenly, and re-shoot rather than rotating the image, which counts as editing.
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