COVA — China's online visa application — runs an automated check before it accepts your photo, and it is stricter than any other portal we build for. It also has a documented habit of rejecting photos that meet the published spec. Both problems have fixes; here they are in order, with the portal's own rejection messages decoded.
Fix it automatically — see the result free Free compliance check · download for $16.99at CVS; ours is $9.99 if it passes · refunded if the government rejects it
Updated August 10, 2026
Why this happens
Which message are you seeing?
The generic verdict — COVA measured the photo and rejected it without naming a rule. Work the causes above in order: the file window 40–120 KB first, then dimensions 354×472 to 420×560 pixels, then composition. If everything truly measures in spec, retry — the check has documented false rejections, and the same file often passes on a later attempt.
The check wants a dead-straight, full-face view: camera at eye level, chin level, head tilt inside 20° or less. A photo taken slightly from the side, or with the chin dipped toward the chest, lands here even when everything else is right.
Hair is the usual culprit — a fringe over the eyebrows, or strands crossing the outline of the face. Glasses glare and hard shadows land here too. Clear the forehead and the face outline, then run it again.
The rule is Plain white — and the check is stricter than your eye. Off-white walls, grey casts from indoor light, and shadows behind the head all fail it; so does a white shirt that melts into the background and erases your shoulder line.
The long form of the same verdict as “the photo check failed”, as applicants search it: COVA measured the file and turned it away without naming the rule. Work the causes in order — the file window 40–120 KB first, then 354×472 to 420×560 pixels as JPEG, then the composition and background rules above. If everything truly measures in spec, retry before reshooting: the check’s documented false rejections mean the same compliant file can pass on a later attempt.
The fix
We build the file to the published spec — background replaced, head at 58.4–68.7% of the photo's height, exported as 354×472 to 420×560 JPEG · 40–120 KB · pure white background — and show you every measurement free. If the portal still balks after that, you will know it isn't your photo.
Fix it automatically →If it keeps failing
The same compliant file often passes on a second or third attempt — the check’s documented false rejections cut both ways, and a retry costs nothing.
If it keeps failing, bring a compliant printed photo to your visa-center appointment — the standard fallback when the online check will not accept a compliant file. The online check is a pre-screen, not the final word on your photo.
The numbers
Every figure below is transcribed from the official source linked at the bottom of this page — the same numbers our checks measure against:
| Photo size | 354×472 to 420×560 pixels |
|---|---|
| File size | 40–120 KB |
| Format | JPEG |
| Head height | 58.4–68.7% of the photo's height |
| Eye height | at least 54% up from the bottom of the photo |
| Head tilt | 20° or less |
| Background | Plain white |
Rejected by the portal? We refund you.
Email us with your order id and the full amount goes back to your card. No screenshots, no proof — just tell us it was rejected.
30 DAYS FROM PURCHASE · NO PROOF UPLOADS · EVERY MEASUREMENT CHECKED AGAINST THE PUBLISHED GOVERNMENT SPEC BEFORE YOU PAY
Questions
The most common cause is the file-size window: the spec wants 40–120 KB, and both phone originals and over-compressed exports land outside it. After that come dimensions, format, head size, tilt, and background. And sometimes nothing is wrong — the check has documented false rejections.
Almost always hair: a fringe over the eyebrows, or strands crossing the outline of the face. Pull hair clear of the forehead, take the glasses off, and make sure nothing casts a shadow across the face — then run the check again.
Yes. The rule is Plain white, and when a white shirt melts into a white background the check loses the line of your head and shoulders. Wear something that contrasts clearly with the background.
Retry first — resubmitting a compliant photo sometimes goes through. If it keeps failing, bring a compliant printed photo to your visa-center appointment; that is the standard fallback when the online check will not accept a compliant file.
Sized 354×472 to 420×560 pixels, as a JPEG, with the file at 40–120 KB. Head at 58.4–68.7% of the photo's height, eyes at least 54% up from the bottom of the photo, tilt 20° or less. Background: Plain white.
Open the refund link in your receipt and tell us it was rejected — the money goes back to your card on the spot, no screenshots, no forms. Covers thirty days from purchase.