What the Chinese Resident Identity Card is
The Resident Identity Card (居民身份证, jūmín shēnfèn zhèng) is the main identity document for Chinese citizens in mainland China. Citizens need it for banking, domestic travel, healthcare and most government services. The portrait is printed on the card, and the digital file goes to the Public Security Bureau (PSB). Getting the photo right before your PSB appointment saves a return trip. The ID card photo rules below come from two Chinese sources: the Beijing Municipal Government guidance and the national standard GA461-2004.
China ID card photo size explained
The Beijing Municipal Government guidance sets the printed size at 26 mm wide by 32 mm high: narrower and taller than a standard passport photo. This matches the portrait area reserved on the card. The national technical standard GA461-2004 sets the digital image at 358 × 441 pixels at 350 DPI, 24-bit true colour, saved as JPEG with quality factor 70. That resolution keeps the printed portrait sharp enough for the face matching used at security checks across China.
Face position in the portrait
The Chinese standard defines the face position in exact pixels, so the database stays consistent across the country:
- Face width: 207 ± 14 pixels in the digital image, 15 ± 1 mm in print.
- Hairline: 7–21 pixels from the top edge.
- Eyes: at least 207 pixels above the bottom edge.
- Head: about two-thirds of the total photo height.
These tolerances are tight. A photo cropped by hand can look right and still fall outside the range, which is why our AI measures the face position in pixels before you download the file.
White background, not light blue
Many websites describe a light blue background for Chinese documents. For the Resident Identity Card this is wrong: both the Beijing guidance and the national standard specify pure white with no border (白色背景无边框). Light blue belongs to a different Chinese document type. If you are also preparing a China visa photo or a China driving license photo, check the rules of that document separately.
Glasses: the opposite of the passport rule
The glasses rule for the identity card is the reverse of the rule for Chinese passport and visa photos. If you normally wear glasses, you must wear them in the photo, so the card shows how you look every day. Passport and visa photos generally do not allow glasses. If you renew several Chinese documents at once, you need separate photos taken under different conditions.
Applying online and at the PSB
This photo is suitable for online submission, and the national standard defines the digital file: 358 × 441 pixels, JPEG, quality factor 70. Our tool keeps the file under 40 KB, so it is ready for an online application or for the PSB office. If the office asks for a paper print, print the photo at 350 DPI and cut it to 26 × 32 mm.
Other Chinese documents need other photos
Each Chinese document has its own photo format, so one print rarely works for all of them. The ID card photo is 26×32 mm with a white background and glasses on; China's passport and visa photos follow different sizes and rules. Use the matching page for each document: the China passport photo, the China Green Card photo, the China visa or the China driving license photo linked above.
Clothing and expression
The official guidance does not allow uniforms or white clothing: a white top merges with the white background and disturbs face detection during card production. The photo must be a frontal, bareheaded portrait, with a natural expression and no obvious distortion. Avoid a wide smile, raised eyebrows or a tilted head; they push the face measurements outside the tolerances of the Chinese standard.
Photo checklist for the identity card
- Correct photo size: 26×32 mm in print, 358×441 pixels as a file.
- Pure white background, no border and no shadows.
- Bareheaded, facing the camera, natural expression.
- Glasses on if you normally wear them, with no glare on the lenses.
- No uniform and no white or off-white clothing.
- Sharp colour photo with no spots, marks or filters.
