China · visa
China visa photo, measured against the COVA portal rules
The Chinese visa photo has the strictest online spec of any country: the COVA portal accepts JPEGs between 354×472 and 420×560 pixels, the file must be between 40 and 120 KB — both bounds enforced — and the portal measures your face in pixels: face width, the distance between your eyes, even head tilt in degrees.
- Size
- 33×48 mm
- Digital file
- 420×560 px JPEG
- Background
- white
- Head height
- 58.3–68.8%
- Price
- €5.99 · once
Select country and document
Step 1/3
Popular: · ·
- Head size62.4% · 50–69%
- Eye line61.2% · 56–69%
- Backgroundwhite · σ 6
- Lightingeven
- Resolution1832px
MEETS SPEC — ESTIMATED
Checked against the official specification — source cited on every document.
Worth knowing: COVA runs its own automated check at submission — no third-party tool can pre-approve a photo, including this one. We measure your photo against the published bands so you walk into that check with everything inside the limits.
How it works
01
Choose your document
58 documents across 29 destinations, each with the official specification built in.
02
Add your photo
Ten checks measure it live on your device — nothing is uploaded.
03
Pay once, download everything
Exact-spec file, print sheet and compliance report. One price, no subscription.
What is a China Visa (COVA) photo?
A China visa photo is a colour photograph submitted through the COVA online application: a JPEG between 354×472 and 420×560 pixels, 40–120 KB, on a white or near-white background with no border. The equivalent print is 33×48 mm with the head measuring 28–33 mm — a format unique to China, slightly narrower and taller than the international 35×45 mm standard.
What sets the Chinese spec apart is pixel-level geometry checking: the portal measures face width, the distance between the eyes, the crown-to-top gap and head tilt, and rejects photos that fail any band. It is the strictest automated photo check of any visa system in the world, which is why photos that 'look fine' get rejected.
That means a photo can have the right dimensions and still be rejected on geometry. This page positions your photo against the COVA bands live in your browser, shows each measurement, and delivers a file inside every bound. The print equivalent is 33×48 mm with the head 28–33 mm high.
China Visa (COVA) photo requirements
| Size | 33×48 mm · 420×560 px @300 DPI |
|---|---|
| Digital file | 420×560px JPEG · max 120 KB |
| Background | white |
| Head height | 58.3–68.8% of frame height |
| Digital upload | accepted |
| Background editing | not permitted — we keep you compliant by not touching it |
- COVA accepts 354–420 px wide × 472–560 px high, JPEG 24-bit; file must be 40–120 KB — both bounds enforced.
- The portal checks face geometry in pixels (face width, inter-eye distance, tilt) — a photo can pass dimensions and still fail geometry.
- Print equivalent 33×48 mm: head 28–33 mm high, 3–5 mm above the crown, ≥7 mm below the chin.
Source: official requirements · verified 2026-07
What you get for €5.99
- High-resolution file in the exact spec (420×560px, under 120 KB)
- Compliance report — everything we measured, printable
- Print-ready 10×15 cm sheet with 4 copies and cut lines
one-time payment — no subscription
Photos that pass
- Exact dimensions — 420×560px
- Plain white background, evenly lit
- Head filling 58.3–68.8% of the frame
- Taken in the last 6 months, neutral expression
Photos that get rejected
- Edited, filtered or AI-retouched photos
- Shadows on the face or background
- Busy walls, gradients or the wrong background colour
- Head too large, too small, or off-centre
- Glare on glasses or tinted lenses
- Old photos, or photos of printed photos
Why PassportClerk
Private by architecture
The free check runs on your device, and paid photos are deleted after 48 hours.
Measured, not guessed
Ten checks against the official specification — with the numbers shown, not a vague thumbs-up.
Exact files, first time
Correct pixels, DPI and file size for the portal, plus a print-ready sheet.
Fair by default
One price, no subscription. Wrong files? We fix them or refund you.
Frequently asked questions
What are the exact China visa photo requirements?
Digital: JPEG, 354–420 px wide, 472–560 px high, 24-bit colour, file size 40–120 KB, white or near-white background, no border. Print: 33×48 mm with the head 28–33 mm high, 3–5 mm of space above the crown and at least 7 mm below the chin. Neutral expression, both ears visible where possible, no white clothing against the white background.
Why does the COVA portal keep rejecting my photo?
The most common causes are file size outside the 40–120 KB window (both bounds are enforced — a file can be too small), face geometry outside the pixel bands, head tilt, shadows on the background, and glasses glare. This page measures dimensions, file size, head band and background uniformity before you upload.
Can I wear glasses in a Chinese visa photo?
Untinted prescription glasses are permitted if the frames don't cover your eyes and there is no glare. Tinted lenses are not allowed. When in doubt, take them off — glare is one of the most common geometry-check failures.
Is the China passport photo the same as the visa photo?
No — China runs two divergent official specs. The passport (NIA) spec allows white, light grey or pale blue backgrounds with a 20–80 KB file; the visa (COVA) spec requires white with a 40–120 KB file and different head bands. Use the page that matches your document.
Do children need the same photo?
Yes, every applicant including infants needs a compliant photo. The eye-position tolerance is slightly relaxed for young children, but dimensions and file size rules are identical.
Compliance, honestly
- We validate your photo against the official rules — we never retouch your face, and we only normalize the background where the destination country permits it.
- Every requirement is cited from official government sources, with the verification date shown on the page.
- You get a measured report, not a guarantee — final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.
official requirements · verified 2026-07