How Foreigners Can Book China Train Tickets on 12306
Foreign travelers can register for China Railway's official 12306 service with a valid foreign passport. The English website asks for nationality, passport name and number, expiry date, date of birth, gender, username, password, and email address. After identity verification, the account can buy, change, and refund eligible train tickets.
Quick answer
Can foreigners register for 12306 and buy China train tickets?
Yes. A foreign traveler can create a 12306 account with a valid foreign passport, complete the required identity verification, add verified passengers, and buy eligible China Railway tickets. Enter the passport name and number exactly, book from the correct station, and carry the original passport to enter the station and board.
Overview
For a Yiwu buying trip, 12306 is most useful for Shanghai Hongqiao to Yiwu, Hangzhou East to Yiwu, and the return journey. The part that causes most failures is not finding a train; it is entering the passport name incorrectly, leaving verification until booking day, or selecting the wrong station in a large city.
A China Railway e-ticket is linked to the passenger's identity document. Save the order details, but carry the original passport used for booking; an itinerary sheet or reimbursement receipt is not a boarding document.
Useful Chinese at a China railway station
Swipe to view all columns
| English | Chinese | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket Office | 售票窗口 | Passport verification, ticket help, or an unresolved booking problem |
| Staffed / manual gate | 人工通道 | The automatic gate does not read the foreign passport |
| Boarding gate | 检票口 | Find the gate shown for the train before boarding begins |
| Waiting hall | 候车室 | Follow the station display after security |
| I bought the ticket with my passport. Which entrance should I use? | 我是用护照买的票，应该从哪里进站？ | Show this to staff when the correct passport channel is unclear |
How to apply this
- Register with the official service — Use the English 12306 website or official Railway 12306 app. Select nationality and enter the passport number, expiry date, date of birth, gender, username, password, and an email address you can access.
- Enter and verify the passport carefully — Use the English name in passport order, preserving spaces within and between name components. Follow the current online verification prompt when shown. If verification fails, compare every field with the passport; if it remains unresolved, take the original passport to a station ticket window instead of creating duplicate accounts with different spellings.
- Add each traveler — Enter every companion under My Passengers with that person's own passport details and complete the verification requested by 12306. One passport cannot hold two tickets for the same train on the same travel date.
- Search and choose the exact journey — Check travel date, station, departure time, duration, and seat class. For Yiwu routes, common station names are Shanghai Hongqiao (上海虹桥), Hangzhou East (杭州东), and Yiwu (义乌). If a train is sold out, use the official waitlist when offered or choose another service rather than paying an unknown seller for a promised seat.
- Pay and confirm the order — Use a payment method displayed in the official booking flow. After payment, verify that 12306 shows a confirmed order and save the train number, date, station, carriage, seat, and order number. A bank debit by itself is not proof that a seat was issued.
- Travel with the original passport — Arrive early for security and identity handling. Use a staffed or manual gate if the automatic reader does not accept the passport, then follow the display to the waiting hall and boarding gate. A printed itinerary or reimbursement receipt does not replace the passport.
- Manage changes before travel — Open the confirmed order in 12306 to see whether a change or refund is available and what fee applies before confirming it. Online refunds normally return to the original payment method under the current ticket rules.
Mistakes to avoid
- Entering a nickname, reversing the passport name, or removing meaningful spaces.
- Waiting until tickets go on sale before discovering that passport verification is incomplete.
- Booking from the wrong station in a city with several railway terminals.
- Assuming an itinerary sheet, screenshot, or reimbursement receipt replaces the original passport.
- Treating a payment debit as proof of a confirmed seat without checking the 12306 order status.
- Using an unofficial seller when a verification or refund issue must be resolved by China Railway.
Practical recommendation
Recommended next move
Create and verify the account before the intended booking date, then run a station search without placing an order so the names and station choices are familiar. For a Yiwu trip, confirm both the intercity train and the final transfer from Yiwu Railway Station. Visiting Help is most useful for several travelers, a complex connection, unresolved passport verification, or a near-term trip; submit the route and traveler count, but treat tickets as booked only after written confirmation.
Useful related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner register for 12306 without a Chinese ID card?
Yes. The English 12306 registration page accepts valid foreign passports and asks for nationality, passport details, personal information, username, password, and email.
How should I enter my name in 12306?
Enter the English name in the order shown in the foreign passport. Preserve spaces within the name and separate name components with spaces. Do not use a nickname or a different spelling from the passport.
Why is my 12306 passport verification failing?
The most common cause is a mismatch in name order, spaces, nationality, passport number, or expiry date. Compare every field with the passport and follow the online verification prompt. If it remains unresolved, take the original passport to a station ticket window.
Can I buy 12306 tickets for other foreign travelers?
Yes. Add each traveler under My Passengers with their own valid passport details. Their identity status must meet the requirement shown by 12306 before the booking can be completed.
Do foreigners need to collect a paper train ticket in China?
Normally no for an e-ticket. Carry the original passport used for booking and keep the confirmed order details. An itinerary sheet or reimbursement receipt cannot be used as the ticket for boarding.
What if the automatic railway gate does not read my passport?
Use the staffed or manual inspection channel and show the original passport. Arrive with enough time for security and identity handling rather than going to the gate at the last minute.
Can I refund or change a 12306 ticket?
Eligible tickets can be changed or refunded through 12306 before the applicable deadline. Availability and fees depend on timing and ticket status, so review the amount and conditions displayed before confirming the action.
Feedback
Was this guide useful?
Related guides
More guides for deeper reading on this topic.
Next action
What to do next
Move from reading into a practical next step for your current stage.