Photo for a Chinese visa
Published
China
For a Chinese visa you need a photo in the special 33 × 48 mm format, not the 35 × 45 mm Swiss passport photo. The visa centres in Bern and Zurich require the image twice: as a file in the online form and as a print when you hand in your application. This page covers all the requirements, the upload limits and the procedure from Switzerland.
Key facts
- Format: 33 × 48 mm, colour, borderless
- Head height (chin to crown): 28 to 33 mm, head width 15 to 22 mm
- White or near-white background, without shadows
- No more than six months old, ears visible, mouth closed
- Glasses: the visa centre in Bern requires a photo without glasses
- Digital file for the online form: 354 × 472 to 420 × 560 pixels, JPEG, 40 to 120 KB
Create your China visa photo now – CHF 8.90 digital, CHF 14.90 with prints by post
Do I need a visa at all?
With an ordinary Swiss passport, you can travel to China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visits to family and friends, exchanges, conferences, trade fairs and transit. For now, this rule applies until 31 December 2026. It is not yet known whether it will be extended after that.
You still need a visa if you:
- plan to stay longer than 30 days
- plan to work (Z visa), study (X visa) or report as a journalist (J visa) in China
- are entering for family reunification (Q or S visa)
- live in Switzerland but hold a nationality that does not benefit from the visa exemption. What counts is your passport, not your place of residence.
What are the photo requirements?
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Size | 33 × 48 mm, borderless |
| Head | Height 28 to 33 mm from chin to crown, width 15 to 22 mm |
| Background | White or near-white, plain, without patterns and without shadows |
| Pose | Facing the camera, head straight, tilted no more than 20 degrees to the side or 25 degrees up or down |
| Face | Eyes open, mouth closed, neutral expression, ears visible |
| Glasses | No tinted, reflective or thick lenses; the visa centre in Bern requires a photo without glasses |
| Head covering | Only for religious reasons, the face remains fully visible |
| Age of photo | Six months at most |
| Colour on glossy photo paper, no creases, no plain paper |
Good to know: The 35 × 45 mm Swiss passport photo format is too wide and too short for China. If you trim an existing passport photo to size, you will almost always lose the correct head height.
Upload and print: you need both
Since August 2024, every application has gone through the online form on visaforchina.cn. There you upload the photo in the “Upload your photo” field. When you hand in your application at the visa centre, you also include a 33 × 48 mm print.
The upload is subject to tight technical limits:
- At least 354 × 472 pixels, at most 420 × 560 pixels
- JPEG in 24-bit colour
- File size between 40 and 120 KB
Photo Express delivers the China visa photo at 825 × 1200 pixels. This resolution is designed for a 33 × 48 mm print and is therefore too large for the upload. For the online form you need a scaled-down copy within the limits above. With the print option, you receive the print directly by post.
Procedure in Switzerland
Two Chinese visa centres (CVASC) accept applications in Switzerland:
- Bern: Weltpoststrasse 5, 3015 Bern
- Zurich: Maneggstrasse 33, 8041 Zurich (at this address since June 2025)
Step 1: Complete the online form
You fill in the application on visaforchina.cn, select Bern or Zurich and upload the photo. The centre checks your details online.
Step 2: Hand in your documents in person
Once the online check is complete, take your passport, the printed form and the photo print to the visa centre. No appointment is needed; the counters are open on weekdays from 9 am to 1 pm. You pay when you hand in your documents.
Step 3: Fingerprints only in certain cases
For short-term visas of up to 180 days, fingerprinting is suspended until the end of 2026. For work, study, journalist and family visas, fingerprints are still taken.
If you live or work in Switzerland and do not have to give fingerprints, you have also been able to apply by post in Bern since August 2026. This takes around ten working days.
Visa fees at a glance
These fees are charged by the authorities and visa centres, and you pay them directly there. Photo Express is not a visa agency: we only supply the photo and do not submit visa applications.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard visa, including service fee | CHF 163.90 |
| Express | CHF 291.20 |
| Urgent | CHF 366.10 |
| By post (both ways, Bern only) | CHF 326.10 |
These amounts apply to Swiss and Schengen nationals, regardless of the number of entries.
The most common reasons for rejection
- Shadows on the face or background, over- or underexposure
- Background not white, for example a grey wall or a room in the background
- Ears covered by hair or a tilted head
- Glasses with reflections, tinted lenses or thick frames
- Wrong format, such as a trimmed Swiss passport photo
- Photo too old or a matt, creased print
Photo Express automatically checks the crop, head size, background and sharpness before you pay. If an authority rejects your photo because of insufficient photo quality, we refund the full amount.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for China as a Swiss citizen?
Not for stays of up to 30 days for tourism, business, visits or transit, as long as the visa exemption applies, currently until 31 December 2026. For longer stays, work and study, you need a visa.
Can I use a normal Swiss passport photo?
No. China requires 33 × 48 mm, while the Swiss format measures 35 × 45 mm. The image has different proportions and usually the wrong head height.
Can I wear glasses?
The general requirements allow glasses without reflections and without tinted lenses. However, the visa centre in Bern requires a photo without glasses in its procedure, so take your glasses off.
How large can the file for the online form be?
Between 354 × 472 and 420 × 560 pixels and between 40 and 120 KB, in JPEG format.
Is the photo taken at the visa centre?
You should not count on it. The visa centres in Bern and Zurich require the file in the online form and a print when you hand in your application. Bring both with you, ready to use.
Does Photo Express apply for the visa for me?
No. Photo Express is a photo service, not a visa agency or an authority. We supply the photo in the right format. You submit the application yourself to the responsible representation or on the official portal, and you pay the visa fees there.
How much does the photo cost at Photo Express?
CHF 8.90 for the digital file, CHF 14.90 for printed photos sent by post to a Swiss address, digital file included. You pay only after you have seen the result.
Take the photo and prepare your application
Choose the “China Visa” format, take the picture with your phone and have the print for the visa centre sent to your home. No account, no waiting, processing in Switzerland.
