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 are 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, with the source cited on every document.
Worth knowing: COVA runs its own automated check at submission, and 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 our China Visa (COVA) photo tool works
Add a photo you already have and we measure it against the official China Visa (COVA) specification (33×48 mm, 420×560 px, white background), then produce the exact files you need. Checking is free; you pay €5.99 only if you want the files.
Add your photo
A selfie or any recent photo of yourself, straight from your phone.
See every measurement
Ten checks run against the official spec and show you the numbers.
Fix what's off
Drag to reposition and zoom to resize, or retake the photo if something can't be fixed.
Download your files
Exact digital file, print-ready sheet and compliance report.
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. That format is unique to China, slightly narrower and taller than the international 35×45 mm standard.
The Chinese spec is unusual for its 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, so photos that 'look fine' are often 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, 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, so we leave yours as it is |
- COVA accepts 354–420 px wide × 472–560 px high, JPEG 24-bit; file must be 40–120 KB, and both bounds are enforced.
- The portal checks face geometry in pixels (face width, inter-eye distance, tilt), so a photo can pass on dimensions and still fail on 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
China Visa (COVA) photos that pass the checks
Thin frames, no glare, eyes fully visible 
Even light, plain background, neutral expression 
Infant alone in frame, eyes open, plain sheet 
Religious head covering with the full face visible 
Hair back, forehead and both ears clear
China Visa (COVA) photos that don't pass
Head tilted, hard shadow on the background 
Taken too far away, head too small in the frame 
Someone else's hand in the frame 
Patterned wall and furniture behind
Illustrative examples created for this guide. They are not customer photos, and not decisions by any authority.
What you get for €5.99
- High-resolution file in the exact spec (420×560px, under 120 KB)
- Printable compliance report with everything we measured
- 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 use PassportClerk for your China Visa (COVA) photo
- Convenience
- Make it at home from a photo you already have, without booking a studio or queueing for a booth. You get a file sized for the official upload and a print sheet for the times you need paper.
- Built from the official specification
- Every measurement on this page comes from the official China Visa (COVA) requirements, and the source is linked, dated and re-checked.
- Works from any phone
- Nothing to install. A recent phone camera and a plain wall are enough.
- You see the numbers
- Head height, eye line, background and resolution are all measured and shown to you before you pay.
- Private, then deleted
- We only receive your photo if you buy, and everything is deleted within 48 hours.
If the files we produce don't match the specification on this page, we'll fix them or refund you. The decision on any application always rests with the issuing authority.
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, so a file can also 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 different 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.
How we handle compliance
- We check 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.
- What you get is a report of measurements, not a guarantee. Final acceptance always rests with the issuing authority.
official requirements · verified 2026-07