China trains with a foreign passport: 12306 and boarding
Start here
- 12306’s English website accepts valid foreign passports; register with details matching your document.
- Check identity-verification status before relying on online booking. Passport-photo verification and station assistance are available under the published rules.
- Bring the original travel document used for your booking and check the exact station, date and train.
Register with your own passport
SOURCE AOfficial sourceCHINAThe English 12306 FAQ says its English website accepts valid foreign passports. In the identity-verification rules, passport names are entered in English in the document’s name order, retaining spaces within and between names. Follow the live form for all other fields.
- Open the official English 12306 website or official app.
- Enter the passport details and required account information accurately.
- Check your identity-verification status and, when booking for companions, their passenger details too.
If verification is pending or fails
SOURCE AOfficial sourceCHINA12306’s published rules provide passport-photo upload as another verification channel for foreign-passport users. If the information cannot be verified, check the document details and seek assistance at a station ticket counter with the original document. Account creation alone does not mean verification has succeeded.
- Handle verification before your planned departure day when possible.
- Keep the error message and use 12306’s official assistance channels.
- For unusual or long names, follow the official name-entry rules or ask a station counter.
Check your booking
- Compare the full departure and arrival station names; a city may have several stations.
- Check the date, departure time, train, seat class and each traveller’s details.
- Review the available fare and payment options in the booking interface.
- After payment, check the order shows a successful booking and save its information.
- For changes or cancellation, review the rule and cost for your actual order.
Board using the document used for your ticket
SOURCE AOfficial sourceCHINAThe official FAQ requires the valid document used for booking for station entry, exit and boarding. A downloaded itinerary sheet is not itself a ticket or a substitute for that document. Follow the signs for identity checks, security screening and ticket inspection; ask staff for an assisted lane if equipment cannot read your passport.
- Allow time for travel to the correct station and the checks inside it.
- Follow station screens and announcements for the gate, platform and boarding deadline.
- If your passport changed, check your passenger record and ticket details before travelling.
我用护照买了车票，请问人工检票通道在哪里？
Travelling with someone using a Taiwan travel permit?
The English website’s foreign-passport rule does not cover a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. That traveller should follow the Chinese website or app’s relevant document option and the separate Traditional Chinese guide.
Sources and check dates
Source pages were checked on the date above. Government rules, operator information and editorial planning suggestions are distinguished in the text; services may change.