China rail booking
Book passport-name train tickets before you land, then use this checklist to avoid name mismatches, station delays, and first-time gate problems.
First route to pre-book
Start with the first long-distance leg you actually need. Confirm the passenger details against the passport before paying, then keep the booking reference and station name available offline.
China high-speed rail is usually the best way to move between major cities, but foreign visitors hit one avoidable problem: the ticket is tied to the passport identity record. A small name mismatch can send you to the service desk instead of through the gate.
Treat the first train as a setup task, not a last-minute purchase. Book it with the same passport you will carry, save the confirmation offline, and leave enough time for manual verification at the station.
China Railway publishes the sales channels it supports, and states plainly that it will not handle ticketing problems that happened on other websites. A passport-name ticket is easier to fix when the record was created in the official system in the first place.
The official 12306 English website accepts valid foreign passports and covers purchase, endorsement, refund, and change of destination. It also publishes a service contact: telephone +86 12306 and email [email protected].
Source: 12306 official English FAQ and 12306 English site.
On 12306, a passenger record can sit in a state called "to be verified". China Railway's instructions for this case are specific: after buying the ticket, take the original passport used for the booking to a station ticket counter for identity verification. Once the status becomes "ready to be verified", you can collect the paper ticket.
Practical consequence: if your first departure is early or your connection is tight, finish any passport verification before travel day rather than at the station.
Refund fees follow a published schedule based on how close to departure you cancel.
| When you refund | Refund service fee |
|---|---|
| 8 days or more before departure | No refund service fee |
| More than 48 hours before departure | 5% of the ticket price |
| Less than 48 and more than 24 hours before departure | 10% of the ticket price |
| Less than 24 hours before departure | 20% of the ticket price |
The minimum refund fee is RMB 2, and a ticket can be endorsed or have its destination changed once only. The railway can adjust refund rules, and announces changes locally, so confirm at the station or on 12306 before cancelling a long-distance leg.
China train tickets are identity-bound. Put your family name, given name, passport number, nationality, and birth date exactly as shown on the passport. Do not shorten middle names unless the booking form forces you to.
For Beijing to Shanghai, Shanghai to Hangzhou, or Xian to Chengdu, reserve before arrival so you are not solving passport verification at a station counter with luggage.
Follow the station's signs and staff instructions for passport verification. Leave extra time for your first departure and during peak travel periods, rather than relying on a fixed queue estimate.
Save the e-ticket, order number, Chinese station names, departure time, and passport photo page. Station Wi-Fi and roaming can be unreliable underground.
Yes. Foreign visitors can book China high-speed rail and regular train tickets with passport details. The passenger name and passport number must match the passport you carry to the station.
Yes, a foreign passport can be used for China train tickets. Enter the passport name, passport number, nationality, and birth date exactly as shown, then keep the booking confirmation and passport ready for manual verification.
Do not wait until boarding time. Contact the booking platform or station service desk as early as possible, because a name or passport-number mismatch can block station entry or require ticket correction before travel.
China Railway lists ticketing counters and ticket agencies, automatic ticketing machines, 12306.cn and the 12306 mobile app, and the telephone booking hotline in areas where it operates. The official 12306 English site states that 12306.cn is the official website of the China Railway Customer Service Center, and that the railway department will not handle ticketing problems that occurred on other websites. Booking in the official system first avoids having to move an existing record later.
It is a passport verification state. China Railway says that after you buy a ticket for a passenger whose foreign passport is still 'to be verified', you take the original passport used for the booking to a station ticket counter for identity verification. Once the status changes to 'ready to be verified', you can collect the paper ticket.
Per the official 12306 English FAQ, no refund service fee applies eight days or more before departure; 5% applies more than 48 hours before departure; 10% applies between 48 and 24 hours; and 20% applies less than 24 hours before departure. The minimum refund fee is RMB 2. Treat these as the published schedule on the date you check it, because the railway can adjust refund rules and announces changes locally.
No. China Railway states that one valid ID can be used to buy only one ticket for the same train on the same date of travel.
The official 12306 English FAQ says information queries and ticket refunds are available 24 hours a day, while ticket sales and endorsement run from 5:00 to 1:00 the next day, and 5:00 to 23:30 on Tuesdays. Check the site for the current schedule before relying on a late-night purchase.
Arrival chain
A passport-name train works best when the rest of the first day is already covered: eSIM before station day, a foreign-passport first-night hotel, a payment backup, and a first-day planner you can follow when mobile data or queues slow you down.
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