Quick answer
What size is a Chinese ID card photo?
A resident identity card photo is 26 mm wide and 32 mm high, or a 358 × 441 pixel digital file at 350 dpi, in colour on a pure white background, with the head about two-thirds of the photo. Cities capture it at police stations, licensed studios or in apps such as Shanghai's 随申办.
A Chinese ID card photo (身份证照片) is a 26 × 32 mm colour photo on a pure white background with no border, with the head about two-thirds of the photo. As a digital file it is 358 × 441 pixels at 350 dpi in 24-bit colour. Do not wear a white top: the photo must contrast with the white background.
The national standard is the Ministry of Public Security's GA/T 461-2019 《居民身份证制证用数字相片技术要求》. It replaced the 2004 edition, GA 461-2004, in full in June 2019. Its text is not freely published, so the numbers below come from police and government service guides, which mostly still cite the 2004 edition. How you get the photo depends on your city. It may be taken at the police station, by a licensed studio, or by yourself in a city app.
ID card photo size and digital file
| Print size | 26 mm wide × 32 mm high (Beijing police) |
|---|---|
| Face width | 15 ± 1 mm, measured between the ear roots (Beijing police) |
| Head | About two-thirds of the photo. Very tall hair may be partly cropped |
| Digital file | 358 × 441 px (width × height), 350 dpi, 24-bit RGB colour (Hunan) |
| Background | Pure white, no border |
| Colour | Colour photo, recent, front-facing and bare-headed |
| File size | Not published on the official pages we checked |
| Standard | GA/T 461-2019, in force since 27 June 2019, replacing GA 461-2004 |
Where these numbers come from
The national standards platform lists GA/T 461-2019 as the standard in force for photos used to make resident ID cards. The page gives no technical figures. The print size and face width come from the Beijing Public Security Bureau's answer on ID photo standards, which cites the 2004 edition. The pixel size comes from Hunan's government service portal. Shanghai police use the same rules and also store every photo they capture as a 600 × 750 pixel, 350 dpi or higher copy for reuse with other documents.
Clothing, glasses and appearance
Do
- Wear a dark top, ideally with a collar, that contrasts with the white background
- Wear your glasses if you normally wear them (Beijing police)
- Keep a natural expression, sit upright with shoulders level and face the camera
- Keep your ears, eyebrows and face clear of hair (Shanghai police)
Don't
- Wear a white top or any uniform
- Wear heavy make-up or jewellery
- Wear tinted lenses, coloured contact lenses (美瞳) or thick frames, or let the lenses reflect light
- Retouch or beautify the photo with an app (Shanghai police)
Hair colour is also checked. Hunan's guide asks for your natural hair colour with no dyeing. Shanghai police allow dyed hair only if it is close to your natural colour, except white hair dyed black. Shanghai also asks you not to wear your hair in a bun on top of your head.
How cities take the photo
The national standard sets the photo rules, but each city decides where the photo is taken. These are the official arrangements we found:
| Where | How the photo is taken | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | Three choices: take it yourself in the 随申办 app ("身份证照片采集") and retake it until you are happy; a studio licensed for ID photos, which uploads it to the police; or a police photo point or self-service photo machine | Your old ID card. Apply at any police station (派出所) service window, with or without Shanghai household registration |
| Guangzhou | Take it in the 穗好办 app ("拍证件照" then "广州身份证"), which gives an officially certified receipt, or use a studio | Your old ID card and the 《广东省居民身份证数字相片采集回执》 photo receipt |
| Shenzhen | A Guangdong photo receipt from anywhere, not only Shenzhen | The receipt, or just the receipt number printed under the barcode |
| Hunan | Taken free of charge at the service point | Wear a dark, non-uniform top |
Photo receipts (回执) are explained on our photo receipt page. In Shanghai, a photo taken at a police photo point can be reused for ID card business for 3 years.
A home print is not a receipt
Where your city wants a photo receipt, it must come from a licensed studio, a police photo point or the city app. A photo you print yourself, including one from our linked tool, cannot replace it. The tool is useful for spare prints and practice shots, and for checking your framing.
Renewing online, and fees
Some provinces now let you renew online with a photo that is already on record. Since 1 January 2025, Jiangsu residents aged 16 or over can apply in the 苏服办 app, if they applied for a card in the last 5 years and had their portrait and fingerprints taken on site. The existing photo must be recent enough for your age:
| Aged 16–25 | The photo must have been taken at 16 or older |
|---|---|
| Aged 26–45 | The photo must have been taken at 26 or older |
| Aged 46 and over | The photo must have been taken at 46 or older |
You still collect a renewed card at your household registration police station and hand in the old one. Jiangsu and Guangzhou let you renew up to 6 months before the card expires.
Fees are also set locally. Shanghai charges 20 yuan to renew a card on expiry and 40 yuan for a lost or damaged card. Shenzhen charges residents with Shenzhen household registration nothing for a first card or an expiry renewal, and 40 yuan for a lost or damaged card.
Sample photos
The samples are in the 33:48 passport shape. ID card photos are a little wider, at 26 × 32 mm.
How to get a Chinese ID card photo
- Check how your city takes the photo. Some cities take it at the police station, some need a receipt from a licensed studio, and some let you take it in an app such as 随申办 in Shanghai or 穗好办 in Guangzhou.
- Dress for a white background. Wear a dark top with a collar, no uniform, no jewellery and no heavy make-up. Keep your glasses on if you normally wear them, as long as the lenses are clear.
- Get the photo taken. Face the camera with a natural expression, ears and eyebrows visible, in even light on a pure white background, with your head about two-thirds of the photo.
- Check a self-taken photo. If you upload it yourself, the digital file is 358 × 441 pixels at 350 dpi, in colour, with no border and no retouching.
- Apply for your card. Take your old card and your receipt or receipt number to a police station service window or self-service machine, or apply online if your province allows it.
Print or upload?
Our linked tool makes a 26 × 32 mm white-background print. It does not output a 358 × 441 pixel file. For an app upload, use the city app's own camera, or resize the image to 358 × 441 pixels first.
Chinese ID card photo FAQ
26 mm wide and 32 mm high, in colour, according to Beijing police. As a digital file it is 358 × 441 pixels at 350 dpi in 24-bit colour, according to Hunan's government service portal. That is a different size from the 33 × 48 mm passport photo.
No. Beijing police say not to wear a white top or a uniform, because the background is pure white. Hunan asks for a dark top, and Shanghai police ask for dark clothes with a collar that contrast with the background.
If you normally wear glasses, Beijing police say you should wear them in the photo. Shanghai police add that the lenses must not be tinted or coloured, the frames must not be thick or cover your eyes, and there must be no glare.
In some cities, yes. Shanghai lets you take and upload it in the 随申办 app, and in Guangzhou the 穗好办 app issues an officially certified photo receipt. Elsewhere you may need a licensed studio or the police photo point. Hunan, for example, takes the photo free of charge at the service point.
That is set locally. Shanghai's police photo library lets you reuse a photo taken at a police photo point within 3 years for ID card business. Guangzhou receipts stay valid for 1 year, or 180 days for under-16s. See photo receipts.
None of the official pages we checked publishes a file size. The current national standard, GA/T 461-2019, is not freely available online. If you upload through a city app, the app checks the file for you.
Official sources
- National standards platform: GA/T 461-2019 居民身份证制证用数字相片技术要求
- Beijing Public Security Bureau via Beijing government: 居民身份证照片标准 (ID photo standard)
- Hunan government service portal: 身份证照片的标准 (ID photo standard)
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau: ID card renewal guide (2026)
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau: 证件照片采集规范 (photo capture rules)
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau: unified photo library
- Guangzhou Yuexiu District: ID card renewal and app photos
- Shenzhen Public Security Bureau: photo receipts for ID cards
- Shenzhen Public Security Bureau: ID card fees
- Chinese government website: Jiangsu online ID card renewal (2025)
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.