Chinese Driver's License Photo Size: 22×32mm Rules and Requirements

Chinese driver's license photos are just 22×32mm — one of the smallest document photo formats in the world. That's 260×378 pixels at 300 DPI, with an extremely tight face framing. A passport photo is 50% wider. A Resident ID photo is also wider. The driver's license (驾驶证) has its own spec entirely.

Chinese Driver's License Photo Specifications (22×32mm)

Why Is the Chinese Driver's License Photo So Small?

The 22mm width is genuinely narrow. For comparison:

The tight crop means the face fills nearly the entire frame. There is almost no room for shoulders. The head must be centred, upright, and close to the edges on all sides.

Why so narrow? The physical driving licence card is credit-card sized, and the photo area on that card is small. The photo must match. It's a practical constraint of the card format, not an arbitrary rule.

China's Three Document Photo Sizes

China is unusual in having three distinct photo sizes across its major government documents. If you're applying for more than one, you need separate photos for each.

All three share the same 32mm height in print — but the widths differ by up to 11mm. The digital widths differ by up to 130 pixels. A photo correctly cropped for one document will not pass the specification check for either of the other two.

This is one of the more unusual aspects of Chinese government photo requirements. Most countries standardise on one or two formats. China uses three.

How to Get Your Driver's License Photo

For a new licence, the photo is captured at the Traffic Management Bureau (交通管理局) office or a designated driving test centre. The officer photographs you on-site before the licence is issued. You don't bring your own photo.

For renewals, the process is faster — same-day in most cases. Some driving licence offices accept user-submitted photos at renewal. If yours does, bring a 22×32mm print on matte photo paper, white background, taken within the past six months.

A few cities have introduced self-service kiosks for licence renewals, including automated photo capture terminals. These kiosks produce a photo in the correct format automatically.

Check your photo is correctly sized before heading to the Traffic Management Bureau for any submission process.

Chinese Driver's License Renewal Photo Requirements

The photo specification is identical for renewals: 22×32mm, white background, neutral expression, no glasses, taken within the past six months.

Chinese driving licence validity works in stages:

• First licence: 6-year validity
• Second issue: 10-year validity
• Third and subsequent: Permanent (无限期)

At each renewal stage, you provide a new photo. The Traffic Management Bureau updates the photo record whether you go in person or (where available) through the online renewal portal.

For the online renewal portal, the digital spec is 260×378px. File size limits vary by province — most portals accept files up to 500KB in JPG format.

Renewal for permanent-validity licences still requires periodic medical and eyesight checks — typically every 6 years after age 60. At each check, the photo is updated. The 22×32mm specification applies throughout. There is no exemption based on licence age or validity tier.

Tips for Getting a 22×32mm License Photo Right

The 22mm width leaves almost no margin for error. A slightly off-centre head, a shadow on one side, or a head that's rotated even a few degrees will be very visible in such a tight frame.

A few things that matter more at this size:

Even lighting. Shadows on the face are amplified when the frame is small. Shoot with flat, even frontal lighting — no harsh directional light from the side.

Head position. The face must be straight — no tilt, no rotation. At 22mm wide, a tilted head quickly runs into the frame boundary on one side.

Background evenness. A pure white background with no gradient or shadow is critical. Uneven backgrounds show up clearly at this crop ratio.

Compression. If uploading digitally, don't over-compress. A file this small (260×378px) will show JPEG artefacts at aggressive compression settings. Keep the file above 40KB. A well-compressed 80KB JPEG at this resolution is visually lossless and will pass any portal file size check.

The Chinese driver's licence photo is 22×32mm — narrower than any other Chinese government document photo, and narrower than driving licence photos in most other countries. Give the Traffic Management Bureau the correct spec, or confirm with your local office what they require at renewal. For the full list of Chinese document photo formats, visit the China country page. If you're also applying for a passport or Resident ID, read the Chinese passport photo requirements — the dimensions are different for each.

Check your photo before your appointment and avoid a rejected submission.

Expression and Appearance Rules for Chinese License Photos

• Neutral expression — mouth closed, no smile, no frown
• Eyes open — both eyes fully visible, looking directly at the camera
• No glasses — all eyewear must be removed, including clear prescription lenses
• Hair away from face — forehead and both eyes clearly visible; the tight 22mm frame makes partial face coverage obvious
• Head coverings — not permitted except for religious or ethnic reasons
• No hats or decorative accessories — nothing that alters the outline of your head
• Clean, even lighting — critical at this size; shadows are amplified in a 22mm-wide frame
• Recent photo — taken within the last 6 months

Chinese Document Photo Comparison (Full)

All four Chinese documents use a white background, ban glasses, and ban smiling. The key difference is size: 22mm, 26mm, and 33mm widths respectively. No two share the same width. One photo session cannot serve multiple Chinese document applications — each requires its own correctly sized crop.

Quick Checklist for Chinese Driver's License Photos

• Size: 22×32mm (260×378px at 300 DPI)
• Background: white (RGB 255,255,255)
• Expression: neutral, mouth closed
• No glasses (any type)
• Photo taken within 6 months
• Check if Traffic Management Bureau takes photos on-site (most do for new licences)
• For digital upload: JPEG, under 500KB