CSCA Registration Passport and Photo Checklist
A practical checklist for CSCA registration documents: accepted passport, validity, matching details, photo format, background and identity checks.
A registration form is easiest to finish when your identity documents are ready first. CSCA's official identity-document rules say the accepted document is an original ordinary booklet passport. Its photo guidance gives specific size, file and background requirements. Use this checklist to prepare your own genuine documents; the official registration page is the final authority for the current sitting.
Passport: check these details before you type
- Use your own original ordinary booklet passport. A passport card, national identity card, student card, visa page, scan or photocopy is not a substitute for the original on exam day.
- Check that the booklet includes your photo, name, date of birth and validity information. If it has a signature page, sign it as required.
- The passport must stay valid from registration until results are released. If it is near expiry, resolve renewal timing before you submit.
- Enter your name, date of birth, passport number, nationality and other identity fields exactly as they appear on the passport.
- Keep the original passport safe for identity verification on exam day; a digital image alone is insufficient.
If your passport is lost, renewed or changed after registration, the official rules describe a correction request before admission-ticket generation, with supporting documents. Use the official channel and deadline shown for your sitting. Do not create a second identity or silently change details, because the registered identity must match the document shown at the exam.
Photo: technical and visual checks
The official CSCA photo rule calls for a recent, unobstructed standard ID photo taken within six months. It specifies a 33 × 48 mm photo, JPG or JPEG file, 40–200 KB, clear colour, correct proportions and a plain white background. Your head and facial features should be visible, facing forward, with even light and no distracting shadow. Review the full official guidance for head placement and any religious head-covering exceptions.
- Do not stretch the image to hit a file-size target; that can distort your face.
- Do not use a screenshot, a cropped group photo, a lifestyle photo or a heavily filtered selfie.
- Do not upload an AI-generated, face-swapped or synthetic image. The official rule explicitly prohibits these, and home online exam identity verification uses the submitted photo.
- Check that the saved file remains JPG/JPEG and within the stated size range after exporting it.
A ten-minute pre-submission review
Check before you submit
Compare every identity field
Read the passport and registration form side by side, including spaces, order and digits.
Open the final photo file
Confirm the white background, clear face, file type and size of the exact file you will upload.
Review the sitting
Verify subjects, language, exam mode, dates and the displayed local or Beijing time before any final submission.
Keep your records
Save the official confirmation and receipts in a private place. Follow the portal if a correction is needed.
This checklist covers identity preparation, not every registration rule. Available subjects, sitting dates, exam location and any payment step depend on the official current registration notice. A correct passport and photo prevent avoidable friction, but they do not replace reading that notice.
After registering: connect the exam to your program plan
Keep university research separate from identity verification. A program may ask for specific CSCA subjects and other records; choosing them is a university admissions question. WiseAdmit's China guide is a useful place to build a shortlist, then check each university's official admissions page for its final requirements.
