Your China visa photo, in the size the online form accepts
China’s online visa form (COVA) refuses photos outside 354–420 × 472–560 pixels or 40–120 KB. Take it at home: we check it and make a file inside both limits.
A live guide helps the person holding the phone. Your photo stays on this device.
Starting the camera…
Live advice for the person holding the phone. Nothing is recorded or sent.
Our lines are estimates. Drag them onto the chin and the top of the head if they are off; the crop follows.
Your face
The file
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We're testing the site, so your photo is free. Nobody is charged. Thanks for helping us find out if this is useful.
Download my visa photoFix the points above and take the photo again. You never pay for a photo that fails.
Before you take it
- Someone else takes it, about 1.5 m away, phone at your eye level.
- Plain white wall, no shadows. Face a window for soft, even light.
- Glasses off if you can. Neutral face, mouth closed, eyes open, ears and face uncovered.
- Keep your head and shoulders in the photo, with space above your head. We crop it for you.
What we check and do
- One face, head straight and facing the camera, eyes open, neutral expression, plain light background, even lighting. Glasses: a warning.
- Head size: chin to top of head between 28 and 33 mm on the 48 mm photo (58% to 69%).
- We crop and resize to 420 × 560 pixels, JPEG between 40 and 120 KB.
- We never edit your face or background. The rules forbid it, and edited photos get refused.
What we can't check
- Rimless glasses, glare, small shadows (we only catch a strong shadow on one side), hair covering the eyes: look at the photo yourself.
- Whether the photo is less than 6 months old, and whether it looks like you today.
Our measurements are estimates. Only the Chinese embassy or consulate decides whether a photo is accepted: we help you catch problems, we don't guarantee acceptance.
Can I take it at home?
Yes: you upload the photo yourself in the online form (COVA), and no photographer is required. The form checks the size and weight right away and refuses files outside its limits.
COVA’s own pages couldn’t be read automatically: these specs come from several guides that agree. Check the form when you apply. Many nationalities, including Canadians until the end of 2026, can visit China without a visa: check that first.
We are not affiliated with the Government of China. Apply only on the official site, cova.mfa.gov.cn.
Sources
- China Online Visa Application (cova.mfa.gov.cn), checked 2026-10-02