Quick answer
What is a photo receipt (回执) in China?
A photo receipt is the slip, or receipt number, you get when an approved studio, police photo point or city app captures your ID photo and uploads it to the public security system. The office then uses that digital file. How long it stays valid is set locally: Guangzhou allows 1 year, or 180 days for under-16s.
A photo receipt (照片回执 or 相片回执) is the slip, or receipt number, you get when an approved studio, police photo point or city app captures your ID photo and uploads it to the public security system. When you apply for a passport, permit or ID card, the office uses that digital file instead of a print. Validity is set locally: Guangzhou allows 1 year, or 180 days for under-16s.
Receipts exist because offices in China work from digital photos that must pass a quality check. They are used for exit-entry documents such as the passport, the Hong Kong and Macau permit and the Taiwan travel permit. They are also used for the resident ID card and, in some cities, the social security card. Each city runs its own system, so the details below are city examples.
How a photo receipt works
- You have the photo taken at a studio approved by the local public security bureau (often called 社会化照相 or 签约照相馆), at a police photo point or self-service photo machine, or in an official city app.
- The photo is uploaded and checked against the photo standard for the document.
- You receive a receipt: a printed slip with a barcode and number, or just the number in an app.
- You apply by handing in the receipt or quoting the number. The office pulls the photo from the system, so you do not hand in a print.
A home print cannot replace a receipt
Only studios and photo points approved by your local public security bureau, and official city apps, can create a receipt. A photo you print yourself, including one from our linked tool, will not be accepted where a receipt is required. The tool is for uploads you make yourself, such as online renewal and exam registrations, and for spare prints.
How long receipts and stored photos last
| Where | What | Valid for |
|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou | Standard ID photo receipt (new version, since 2023), usable for vehicle and driver services, exit-entry documents and ID cards | 1 year; 180 days for under-16s (180 days for everyone before) |
| Shanghai | Photos taken at police photo points, kept in the unified photo library | ID card 3 years; driving licence 6 months; passports and exit-entry documents 1 year |
| Shenzhen | Social security card photo receipt | 180 days |
| Beijing | Studio photos for exit-entry documents | Reported as 6 months from the time on the receipt. Not confirmed on an official page |
The Guangzhou change was reported on the Guangdong government website in November 2023. It applies to Guangzhou police services, and 1,884 studios, 95.34% of the city's photo studios, had switched to the new receipt.
Shanghai's unified photo library
Since 2021 Shanghai police have run a unified photo library (统一照片库) on the "一次采集、多次复用" principle: take a photo once and reuse it. When you apply in 一网通办 or the 随申办 app, or at a counter, you can choose a stored photo instead of being photographed again. The system crops it to the right shape for each document, and using it is free. You can also download your photos yourself. Only photos taken at police photo points are included so far, not those from commercial studios. Reuse is voluntary, so you can always take a new photo.
Shanghai's capture rules apply to every document in the library. Wear dark clothes with a collar that contrast with the white background, and no uniform. Do not wear head coverings, ornaments, coloured contact lenses (美瞳), tinted or thick-framed glasses, or glasses with glare. Keep your hair off your ears, eyebrows and face, with no bun on top of your head. Keep a natural expression, sit upright with your shoulders level, and do not retouch the photo.
Receipts for ID cards and social security cards
| Guangdong ID card | The 《广东省居民身份证数字相片采集回执》. In Guangzhou the 穗好办 app ("拍证件照") issues an officially certified one. Shenzhen accepts any Guangdong receipt, or just its number |
|---|---|
| Shanghai ID card | Take the photo yourself in the 随申办 app, at a studio licensed for ID photos, which uploads it, or at a police photo point |
| Guangzhou social security card | Upload a photo in 穗好办 or 广州人社; after a 1–5 working day check you get a free 社保卡相片回执号 |
| Shenzhen social security card | A 社保卡相片回执 from a qualified studio or an approved online platform, valid 180 days |
Online renewal: uploading your own photo
For passports and permits, NIA's 全程网办 service lets you skip the receipt. It started in 20 cities on 6 May 2024 and grew to 50 cities on 20 November 2025. Residents aged 16 or over with household registration in a pilot city can apply online to renew or replace an ordinary passport, a Hong Kong and Macau permit or a Taiwan travel permit. Registered state functionaries and serving military personnel cannot use it.
| Where | NIA government service platform: website, app, WeChat or Alipay, under "证件换补发网上申请" |
|---|---|
| Who | Pilot-city residents aged 16 or over who have held the document before and gave fingerprints then (Guangzhou guide) |
| When | Less than 6 months left, damaged, lost or stolen, or passport visa pages full |
| Upload | A photo for the document (制证照片), a handwritten signature image and both sides of your ID card |
| Photo rules | The upload must meet the requirements shown in the platform. A Xiamen explainer reportedly lists a colour photo taken within 6 months on white or light blue, with no retouching. Not confirmed on an official page we could load |
| After approval | Pay online. In Guangzhou the document is made within 3 working days and posted, with postage paid on delivery, or collected |
| Location | You must be inside China when you apply |
For the photo standard itself, see the Chinese passport photo page. Abroad, Chinese citizens use the 中国领事 app instead: see renewing a passport abroad.
How to get a photo receipt in China
- Check what your office accepts. Ask the exit-entry office, police station or social security service whether it wants a receipt, a stored photo or an upload, and whether receipts from other cities are accepted.
- Choose an approved source. Use a studio approved by your local public security bureau, a police photo point or self-service machine, or the official city app, such as 随申办 in Shanghai or 穗好办 in Guangzhou.
- Dress for the photo. Wear dark clothes with a collar, no uniform and no jewellery, and keep your hair off your ears and eyebrows.
- Keep the receipt and check its validity. Note the receipt number and the date. Guangzhou receipts last 1 year, or 180 days for under-16s, and other cities set their own limits.
- Apply with the receipt. Hand in the receipt or quote the number when you apply, before it expires.
When our tool is useful
Use the linked photo maker for a photo you upload yourself: 全程网办 online renewal, the 中国领事 app abroad, or exam registration. Where an office wants a receipt, go to an approved studio or police photo point instead.
Photo receipt FAQ
A slip, or just a number, that you get when an approved studio, a police photo point or a city app captures your ID photo and uploads it to the public security system. When you apply, you hand over the receipt or quote its number, and the office pulls your digital photo from the system.
It is set locally. Guangzhou extended its standard ID photo validity from 180 days to 1 year in 2023, keeping 180 days for under-16s. Shenzhen's social security card photo receipts are valid for 180 days. A Beijing rule of 6 months for studio photos used for exit-entry documents is reported, but we could not confirm it on an official page.
In some cities, yes. Guangzhou's new receipt can be used within its validity for vehicle and driver services, exit-entry documents and ID cards. Shanghai's police photo library lets you reuse a photo taken at a police photo point for ID card business within 3 years, driving licence business within 6 months, and passports and other exit-entry documents within 1 year.
Not always. Shenzhen police accept any 《广东省居民身份证数字相片采集回执》 for ID cards, not only one from Shenzhen, and even just the receipt number. For exit-entry documents, ask the office where you apply.
No. When you renew a passport or permit online through NIA's 全程网办 service, you upload a digital photo for the document (制证照片) yourself, with a handwritten signature and your ID card.
No. Only studios and photo points approved by your local public security bureau, and official city apps, can issue a receipt. The tool makes prints and digital files for uploads, such as online renewal, the 中国领事 app or exam registration.
Official sources
- Guangdong government: Guangzhou extends standard ID photo validity to 1 year (2023)
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau: unified photo library (一次采集、多次复用)
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau: 证件照片采集规范 (photo capture rules)
- Shenzhen Public Security Bureau: photo receipts for ID cards
- Guangzhou Yuexiu District: ID photos in the 穗好办 app
- Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security: social security card photo receipt number
- Shenzhen Human Resources and Social Security: social security card photo receipt
- Guangzhou Public Security Bureau: online renewal of exit-entry documents
- National Immigration Administration: online renewal measures (April 2024)
- National Immigration Administration: Notice No. 4 of 2025 (50 pilot cities)
Last checked . Requirements and fees can change, so always confirm with the issuing agency before you apply. This site is independent and not affiliated with any government agency.