Booking a train in China with a foreign passport used to mean queueing at a station counter with a printout of your itinerary. Not any more. China Railway now runs real-name ticketing for foreign passports on its official English service, so you can register, verify, pay and board with nothing but the passport you travelled on. What still trips people up is the order of the steps: verification comes before payment, tickets open 15 days out, and the document you booked with is the document you must carry. This guide walks through the 2026 process from registration to the gate, using the rules as published by China Railway.
What a Foreign Passport Can and Cannot Do
China Railway sells by real name, and a valid foreign passport is one of the accepted identity documents. The official 12306 FAQ states that foreign passengers may buy real-name tickets with valid passports, and that the English website accepts valid foreign passports as the document type.
Where you buy changes what is accepted. At a station counter, an authorised ticket agency, or on board, the list is wider and includes the foreign permanent resident ID card, the foreign passport, entry and exit permits, seafarer's books, and visa application receipts issued by a Chinese public security bureau. Online, through the 12306 English website, the app, or the booking hotline, only the foreign permanent resident ID card and the foreign passport are accepted. Self-service ticket machines generally take only the resident ID card, so do not count on them.
Worth repeating: the 12306 website and its mobile app are the only official sales channels, and the railway will not handle problems that start on another website.
Step 1: Verify Your Passport Before You Try to Pay
Registration is free and needs no Chinese phone number; the English service asks for an email address. Choose passport as the document type and copy the number, name, nationality and date of birth exactly as they appear on the passport. Punctuation and word order matter: the system reads two differently ordered versions of the same name as two different strings, and a mismatch can block you at the gate later.
Verification is the step people skip. You cannot complete a purchase until your identity is verified, and there are two routes. The system may verify you automatically on submission. If it does not, you can upload a photo of the passport data page for manual review, or take the passport in person to any station ticket window and have staff verify it there. Register as soon as you know your travel dates, not the week you fly.
Step 2: Tickets Open 15 Days Before Departure
China Railway's published presale period is 15 days, including the day of departure. That applies to internet sales and to station and agency counters alike, and regional railway groups can adjust it temporarily, so check station notices if a date looks unavailable.
Release times are staggered by station, which is why two travellers on the same train can book in the same hour yet see different results. Check the release time for your departure station in advance and be at the booking page when it opens. Holiday departures, and short segments on long-distance trains, are the first to sell out.
When the Train Is Sold Out: The Waitlist
China Railway's waitlist is free, and per the railway's own guidance it is where most sold-out tickets come back to life. A single purchaser can hold up to six waitlist orders, each covering up to 19 passengers and up to three travel dates, with no more than 60 train-and-date combinations across them. Fulfilment runs around the clock and closes 20 minutes before departure. The railway puts the overall success rate above 70 percent, and about half of the fulfilled tickets are short-distance ones.
The waitlist lives inside the 12306 system. The English service is documented for purchase, ticket change, refund and change of destination, so if you cannot find the waitlist function there, use the 12306 app or ask at a station counter.
Booking Channels Compared
| Channel | Language | Payment | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12306 English site or app | English | domestic and international bank cards, mobile payment apps | Official fares, no booking fee, needs a verified passport |
| Station ticket counter | Staffed, limited English | domestic and international bank cards, RMB cash, mobile payment | Widest document list and the best fallback if verification fails |
| Railway ticket agency | Varies | Varies | Sells under railway rules; start any problem with the seller |
| Third-party travel platform | Full English | International cards, home currency | Books on your behalf for a per-ticket fee; the railway will not handle problems that start there |
Paying from a Foreign Account
Official guidance for foreign business visitors states that buying through the 12306 English website or app accepts domestic and international bank cards as well as mobile payment apps, and that station counters also take RMB cash. Acceptance is not identical at every outlet, so confirm at the point of payment. Online sales and ticket changes run from 5:00 to 1:00 the next day, and on Tuesdays until 23:30. Queries and refunds are available around the clock.
At the Station: Your Passport Is Your Ticket
Chinese rail is fully electronic. When you book, the reservation is linked to your passport number, and that number is what the gate reads. Pass through the automatic gates where a passport reader is available, or use the staffed lane, which major stations keep for documents the gates cannot read. Carry the original document you booked with. A photograph of it will not do, and the rules allow one ticket per document per train per departure date.
Two pieces of paper cause confusion every week: an itinerary sheet and a reimbursement receipt. Neither is a ticket, though both can be printed at a station counter or machine.
Luggage Rules Foreign Travelers Get Wrong
Each adult traveller may carry 20 kg free of charge, a child 10 kg, and diplomatic personnel 35 kg. Every item must be no more than 160 cm in the sum of its length, width and height, dropping to 130 cm on high-speed and EMU services, with pole-type items capped at 200 cm and a maximum of 20 kg per item. Foldable wheelchairs and folding strollers for infants travel free and are not counted against the allowance. Anything over the limits must be checked as luggage, which takes time at the station.
Changing or Refunding a Ticket
Refund fees follow a published ladder: no fee at 8 days or more before departure, 5 percent of the fare from 48 hours to under 8 days, 10 percent from 24 to under 48 hours, and 20 percent under 24 hours, with a minimum charge of 2 yuan. Refunds return through the original payment method; tickets bought with a printed reimbursement receipt must be settled at a counter.
One recent change is worth knowing. On 19 January 2026 China State Railway Group announced a mis-purchase free-refund service on the 12306 platform: a booking paid for by mistake can be cancelled online with no fee if it is done within 30 minutes of payment and more than four hours before departure. Check the current scope on the official site before relying on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Chinese phone number to book? No. The English service registers with an email address, and verification can be completed online or at a station ticket window. A mobile number helps with notifications, not with eligibility.
Can I use the automatic ticket machines at the station? Usually not with a passport. Self-service machines are set up for the foreign permanent resident ID card. Use the staffed counter instead.
How far in advance should I book? Tickets open 15 days before departure, so book as close to that moment as you can. Outside peak dates, day-of booking often works; on holiday dates it usually does not.
My passport number changed after booking. What happens? The reservation is tied to the document you booked with. Contact the official channel early, because a new passport does not automatically transfer the ticket.
Is it cheaper to book through a third-party site? No. Official fares are the same everywhere; third-party platforms add a per-ticket service fee for English-language support, not a lower price.
Planning the Rail Leg of Your Trip
If you would rather hand the logistics over, we build rail-based itineraries around this network: leisure tours for private and small-group trips, study tours for student groups, and corporate visits for business delegations. For train types, seat classes and routes, browse the China Trains column.
Sources
- 12306 English service FAQ: real-name ticketing, accepted ID documents, service hours: https://www.12306.cn/en/faq.html (checked 21 September 2026)
- 12306 ticket presale period, official help page: https://help.12306.cn/cms/answer/h5/001531826595438842083440b580b2e0 (checked 21 September 2026)
- 12306 baggage allowance and item limits: https://help.12306.cn/cms/answer/h5/001531826612098986493440b580b2e0 (checked 21 September 2026)
- 12306 refund and ticket change rules: https://mobile.12306.cn/otsmobile/h5/otsbussiness/info/orderWarmTips.html (checked 21 September 2026)
- Foreign Passport Identity Verification Instructions, 12306 announcement dated 27 November 2023: https://www.12306.cn/mormhweb/zxdt/202311/t20231127_40375.html
- Guide for Foreign Business Visitors in China, Chinese Embassy, published August 2025: https://md.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/gdxw/202508/P020250811718776837870.pdf
- Mis-purchase free refund service, China State Railway Group, reported 19 January 2026: http://www.china-railway.com.cn/xwzx/mtjj/rmrb/rmrb/202601/t20260119_151673.html
- China State Railway Group waitlist guidance on orders, limits and success rate (checked 21 September 2026)