Guide
China Visa Photo Requirements: Size, Pixels and KB
China visa photo uploads (including many COVA flows) expect a portrait JPEG close to 33×48 mm, often around 363×528 pixels, with a white or near-white background and a tight kilobyte band — commonly 40–120 KB. Wrong aspect ratio or a file over 120 KB are frequent failures. Confirm the live checklist for your consulate or VAC.
Specs checked against official wording on 2026-11-06. China Online Visa Application (COVA)
Make a China visa photoTypical technical specs
| Rule | Typical COVA-style value |
|---|---|
| Print size | About 33 × 48 mm |
| Pixels | About 363 × 528 |
| File size | Often 40–120 KB JPEG |
| Background | White or close to white, no border |
| Head height | Often about 28–33 mm on the print |
| Format | JPEG (.jpg) |
A US 2×2 square will not match this frame. Resize and crop to the portrait rectangle, then compress into the KB band without destroying facial detail.
Consulate instructions can vary. Use the numbers on your application portal. ExactPhoto follows common published technical ranges and does not guarantee acceptance.
File too large or too small
If the portal rejects the upload for size, set a 120 KB (or portal-stated) ceiling after cropping to the right pixels. Going far below 40 KB can also fail when a minimum is enforced.
Compress to an exact KB limitPrepare the file on your device
- Use a recent photo with a plain white or near-white background.
- Open the ExactPhoto China visa tool — nothing is uploaded to our servers.
- Confirm crop, head size, and file size in the preview.
- Download the JPEG and upload it to the official portal.