Quick answer: Foreign visitors using 护照 (passport) in China's CAAC UOM system may encounter separate fields labelled 手持证件照片（正面） and 手持证件照片（反面）. The first calls for a photo of you holding your document; the second can be confusing because a passport is a booklet, not a two-sided ID card. The correct document for that second slot depends on the live UOM instructions and your immigration status. There is no verified universal substitute for a missing Chinese visa page.
If you are registering a drone before you travel to mainland China, do not create a visa image or upload someone else's entry stamp just to make the form accept a file.
Which passport images does UOM ask foreigners to upload?
Open the official UOM portal and choose the foreign passport identity route when it is available. Your document selection should match the one you legally hold. In the existing UOM reference flow, the important labels are:
| UOM label | Plain-English meaning | Your action |
|---|---|---|
| 证件类型 | Identity-document type | Select 护照 if your document is a passport |
| 证件号码 | Document number | Copy accurately from the passport on UOM, not in a help form |
| 手持证件照片（正面） | Photo holding the document, front | Take a clear photograph with your face and the passport identity page visible as UOM requests |
| 手持证件照片（反面） | Photo holding the document, reverse / other side | Read UOM's current example and instructions; do not automatically treat this as a second identity-page image |
| 其他 / 附加资料 | Other or supplementary material, if offered | Use only when requested by the official system |
A traveler's earlier published account describes using a passport-holding image for the front field and handling a visa/entry-related image in the second field. That is experience from one applicant, not a guarantee of what a new applicant must upload today.
How should I take the photo holding my passport?
The goal is to make both the person and the relevant document readable to the reviewing authority. Follow any framing, file-type and size instructions shown on your live UOM page.
- Use the passport you selected in 证件类型; do not mix two people's documents.
- Hold the passport open to the biographical/identity page if that is what the current UOM example requests.
- Include your face and the required document clearly, with no finger obscuring essential information.
- Avoid glare, blur, cropping, stickers or artificial edits. Check the live preview before submitting.
- Upload the unaltered image only on the actual official UOM portal. Never send it to a public comments form or publish it as proof of registration.
Do not follow online guides suggesting you blur your passport number before uploading to UOM if the authority requires the number to be legible. Redaction is for screenshots you publish or share for troubleshooting, not for a mandatory identity check.
What if I am entering China visa-free?
Being visa-free is not the same as having a physical Chinese visa page. Applicants planning a visa-free trip may reach an upload slot whose label or example appears to expect a visa, entry stamp or reverse-side evidence.
A 2025 traveler report described supplying an explanatory note about visa-free entry. Another account described correcting identity photos after receiving specific reviewer feedback. Neither story establishes that UOM will accept a handwritten note, blank page, hotel booking or future entry itinerary as a standard replacement.
Safer approach: Read the exact Chinese instructions and any example beside the field. If the platform requires a file you cannot truthfully provide before entry, obtain an answer from official UOM support or wait for the appropriate travel document to exist. Keep the unresolved field unresolved in your planning; do not represent a speculative workaround as verified.
What if the second upload field is marked required?
A required asterisk establishes that your current screen requests a file; it does not explain which substitute is legally acceptable for every nationality and visa status.
Ask these questions before submitting:
- Does the live field help text specifically mention a 签证页 (visa page), an 入境章 (entry stamp), or simply a second view of the document?
- Are you using a passport, visa, visa-free entry or another permitted travel document?
- Has UOM actually issued a correction request stating exactly what it wants?
If the answer is not clear, save a redacted screenshot of the field label and instructions for an official inquiry. Do not share your entire passport, face or application number to ask strangers online.
A real foreign-traveler obstacle in October 2026
While assisting an overseas DJI owner, we gathered the identity images and reached the foreign-document upload stage. The second document slot raised a genuine question about applicants who had not yet entered China. An identity-review submission was reported, but approval was not established when this account was written.
That case taught a narrow but useful lesson: assembling the right photos is not the same as satisfying the reviewing officer. The valid second document, and acceptance of any visa-free explanation, remain conditional on current UOM instructions and the applicant's situation.
This page deliberately does not display the visitor's real passport, face, hotel address, account details or unedited messages.
What happens after uploading the images?
You may still need to wait for personal-account identity review. That is a separate step from entering your drone's serial number and obtaining an aircraft 登记标识 (registration mark). A screen confirming an upload or submission is not proof that your drone can fly.
Use the UOM identity review guide to check the status. Once the account permits it, follow the English drone registration walkthrough and verify any actual aircraft result against your drone's serial number. Flight-location permissions are another separate question.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just upload the passport identity page twice?
Do not assume that works. If the second field calls for visa or entry-related evidence, duplicating the photo does not make it the requested document. Follow UOM's current field-specific instruction.
Do I need to be physically in China to upload my passport?
You may be able to reach online account screens while abroad, but that does not establish that every foreign owner's identity documents can be approved before arrival. The second upload requirement and reviewer decision are the unresolved parts.
Does my UOM account need to match my passport name?
Yes: use your own legal identity and reproduce the name in the format the live official form requests. Do not improvise alternate identities or assume another traveler's surname ordering is universal.
Sources
Use the official UOM site for the current form, the 2026 CAAC registration procedure for the applicable process, and the CTD UOM screenshots for the English labels. The September 2025 traveler example is provided only as an example of the problem, not official document-acceptance policy.
If you cannot determine what the live platform expects, ask for help identifying the correct next step before submitting inaccurate documents.