Quick answer
How do I upload a passport photo in the 中国领事 app?
In the China Consular (中国领事) app you upload a recent digital photo on a white background. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spec is a 33 × 48 mm frame, a head 28–33 mm high and a JPEG of 30–80 KB. If the app check fails but the photo is right, you can continue to manual review.
Since 29 January 2022, Chinese citizens abroad apply for ordinary passports and travel documents (旅行证) in the 中国领事 (China Consular) app. You upload a digital photo taken within 6 months on a white background, which is printed in your new passport. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spec asks for a 33 × 48 mm layout with the head 28–33 mm high and a JPEG of 30–80 KB.
The rules below come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) e-passport photo specification 《电子护照人像照片规格要求》 and from app guides published by Chinese embassies, which add practical detail about uploads and the app's photo check.
The 中国领事 app photo specification
| Photo age | Taken within the last 6 months |
|---|---|
| Background | White, with no shadow on the face or background |
| Layout | 33 × 48 mm; head 15–22 mm wide and 28–33 mm from chin to crown; 3–5 mm above the crown; at least 7 mm below the chin |
| File | JPEG, 30–80 KB |
| Face | Natural expression, eyes open, lips closed, whole face and head visible, all features clear |
| Glasses | Allowed if the lenses are not coloured and there is no flash glare, shadow or frame blurring the eyes |
| Hearing aids | Allowed |
| Head coverings | Only for religious, medical or cultural needs, without covering the face or casting shadows |
| Editing | No editing and no composite photos |
File size: 30–80 KB or up to 5 MB?
The MFA spec says the photo is a JPEG of 30–80 KB. The Chinese Embassy in Switzerland's app guide (December 2024) says uploads fail when a photo is over 5 MB or not JPG or PNG, which suggests the app accepts larger files and resizes them. The UAE embassy suggests trying a lower resolution if the check fails. A JPEG within 30–80 KB meets every version.
Why app photos fail
The Swiss embassy says many applicants who take selfies have their photo sent back. The problems it sees most are:
- a background that is not white
- uneven light and shadows
- a head that is too big, too small or tilted, or a face turned to one side
- eyes not looking straight ahead
- glasses frames covering the eyes
- hair covering the eyebrows or ears
- a top that is too light: do not wear white
When the app's own check fails, the embassy also lists photos that are too dark or stained, a bare chest, low resolution and an incomplete head.
Use a studio if you can
Both the Swiss and UAE embassies recommend a professional photo studio. Ask for the digital file on a white background. If you take it at home, follow our at-home photo guide and wear a dark top.
Glasses, jewellery and hats
The MFA spec allows clear glasses, but the Chinese Embassy in the UAE's app guide (May 2026) asks for no glasses, hat or jewellery, forehead and both ears showing, and no teeth showing. Embassies may set stricter rules than the MFA spec, so take your glasses off for the app photo unless you cannot.
How the app application works
The MFA's passport and travel document page describes these steps:
- Register with an email address or Chinese mobile number, and verify your identity with your Chinese ID card or passport number.
- Choose your embassy or consulate, fill in your details and sign the declarations online.
- Upload your ID photo and any extra documents.
- Complete the face-recognition check. If it keeps failing you can skip it, but you will then need a video interview and processing takes longer.
- Pay, track your application and send your old passport if asked, then collect the new one or have it posted.
Children, and applicants whose face check fails, may need a video or in-person interview. A passport is normally renewed when it has less than a year left, and the new one has a new number.
Electronic signature
You sign on screen in the app, and the signature is printed in your new passport. Applicants aged 10 or over sign themselves. For children under 10, a parent or guardian signs, and that signature is not printed in the passport.
Travel documents (旅行证)
If you apply for a travel document instead of a passport, embassies ask for two recent white-background photos as well as the upload. The Swiss embassy asks you to post them, and the UAE embassy asks for two glossy colour prints that match the uploaded photo.
How to upload a passport photo in the 中国领事 app
- Get a new photo on a white background. Use a photo taken in the last 6 months, ideally by a studio, with a dark top, both ears showing and no glasses, hat or jewellery.
- Check the size and file. Crop to the 33 × 48 mm layout with the head 28–33 mm high, and save it as a JPEG of 30–80 KB. If the file is not a JPG, such as a HEIC photo from an iPhone, convert it with the free 123PhotoTool JPEG converter.
- Upload it in the app. Choose your embassy or consulate, fill in your details and upload the photo at the ID photo step.
- Read the photo check result. If the check fails, fix any listed problem and upload again. If the photo is right, tap "下一步" and wait for manual review.
- Watch for requests. If the embassy asks for a new photo after its first review, upload it under the supplementary materials section the app message points to.
Passport renewal abroad FAQ
Not for a passport. The Chinese Embassy in Switzerland says you only upload a digital photo in the 中国领事 app. Travel document (旅行证) applicants are different: embassies ask for two recent white-background prints that match the upload.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spec says a JPEG of 30–80 KB. The Swiss embassy's app guide says uploads fail if the file is over 5 MB or not JPG or PNG. If your photo is rejected for size, save it as a JPEG within 30–80 KB.
The app's check is only a guide. Look for darkness, stains, a light-coloured top, low resolution, a cut-off head or covered eyebrows, eyes or ears. If you are sure the photo is fine, tap "下一步" (next) and wait for an embassy officer to review it.
The MFA spec allows glasses with clear lenses, no flash glare and frames that do not blur your eyes. The Chinese Embassy in the UAE tells applicants not to wear glasses, a hat or jewellery. Removing your glasses satisfies both.
No. The photo is printed in your new passport, so it must be a new photo taken within 6 months. The Swiss embassy says you may not re-photograph your old passport photo.
Applicants aged 10 or over sign in the app themselves. For children under 10, a parent or guardian signs, and that signature is not printed in the passport.
No. NIA's online renewal for residents of pilot cities is for people inside mainland China. Guangzhou police say you must be in China when you apply. Abroad, use the 中国领事 app.
Official sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Consular Services: 电子护照人像照片规格要求 (e-passport photo specification)
- China Consular Services: 护照/旅行证 (passports and travel documents)
- Chinese Embassy in Switzerland: 中国领事 app guide and FAQ (December 2024)
- Chinese Embassy in the UAE: passport and travel document app guide (May 2026)
- Guangzhou Public Security Bureau: online exit-entry document renewal guide
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.