How to Use 12306 with a Foreign Passport

12306 is China Railway’s booking service. This guide focuses on the account, passport verification and order checks that can interrupt a foreign traveler’s booking. For train types and broader booking choices, start with our China train ticket guide; for a specific journey, use a route guide such as Beijing to Shanghai.

The key distinction: being able to log in, receiving a contact code, having a traveler’s identity accepted, completing payment and holding an issued ticket are separate checkpoints. Do not treat success at one as proof of the next.

Create an account and keep access to it

Start at the official English 12306 site. Its public navigation shows Register, Login, My 12306, User information and Account security. Follow the form actually presented to you, using your passport details where requested. Keep access to the email address or phone number you provide so you can receive codes and recover the account later. The available contact fields and verification prompts may differ by session; do not assume that every traveler must have a Chinese phone number, or that a particular foreign number will work.

If a code does not arrive, check the address or country code you entered, your spam folder and whether your phone can receive messages on that number. Request another code only as the site permits. If the form still rejects your contact method, use 12306’s displayed support channel rather than changing passport details to get past the form.

The booking sequence

1. Plan the route. Decide which cities and travel date you need. Our Beijing to Xi’an and Xi’an to Chengdu guides help with route planning.
2. Prepare the account. Register or log in while you can still receive contact messages.
3. Verify each traveler. Enter the identity details for yourself and anyone else whose ticket you will buy.
4. Find the correct train. The public 12306 search has From, To, Date, Search and a High-speed trains only option. Check the full station names: Beijing South and Beijing West, or Shanghai and Shanghai Hongqiao, are different stations. Save the names you select for maps and navigation.
5. Inspect the order before paying. Recheck each passenger, passport number, departure and arrival station, date, train and seat choice.
6. Pay, then inspect the result. A bank notification alone does not establish that a ticket was issued.
7. Confirm the issued ticket and save its details offline. Keep the train, date, stations, passenger details and booking reference accessible without a connection.
8. Go to the named station with the original passport used for the booking. Allow time to ask staff for help with document checks.

These are planning checkpoints, not a claim that every screen displays them in this order. The public labels above were checked on the 12306 English homepage on September 24, 2026.

Verify your passport and add other passengers

China Railway uses real-name ticketing. A 2025 interagency guide for overseas visitors describes online identity verification using a traveler’s name, nationality and document details. It also describes uploading the passport information page for manual review, or taking a valid passport to a railway station ticket office for verification. Follow the current prompt; neither route is a promise of immediate approval.

For companions, the public My passengers section is the place to look. Enter each person’s name, document type and number accurately, then follow the verification prompts shown for that person. Check every traveler separately before paying. The 12306 FAQ explains adding other passengers and using their own valid identity details; a successful account login does not replace checking each passenger.

Pay without mistaking a charge for a ticket

At checkout, use a payment option the current 12306 screen offers. The interagency guide describes online bank card and mobile payment options, while directing travelers to the available channel for specifics. If your payment fails, check your bank or payment app and the order before trying again. Our payment failure guide covers broader payment troubleshooting.

If money appears to have left your account but the page times out, do not immediately place a duplicate order. Save the time, amount and any payment or order reference. Sign back in and inspect Order center for the same passengers and journey. If the result remains unclear, contact 12306 with those details and wait for an authoritative order status before paying again.

Check what you actually have

The public 12306 navigation includes Order center. Use it to distinguish an issued ticket from an unpaid, processing, pending, failed or cancelled order, using the status words actually shown in your account. A payment authorization or debit is financial evidence; it is not, by itself, proof of a seat. A pending result is a reason to investigate, not a confirmed ticket.

Keep the issued trip details and the original booking reference. The 12306 FAQ advises retaining e-ticket information and the identity document used to buy it. It also says an itinerary sheet or reimbursement receipt is not a boarding document. Bring the original passport used for the ticket. If an automatic gate does not accept it, ask station staff for the appropriate manual check; do not assume every passport will pass every automatic gate.

Five common failure branches

1. No email or SMS code: Check the entered contact details, inbox or spam folder, and phone reception; then follow the site’s resend prompt. Stop when the form will not validate your available contact method. Use 12306 support instead of creating repeated accounts with inconsistent details.
2. Passport verification does not complete: Recheck the information against the passport and follow any document-upload prompt. Stop when the result remains unresolved or departure is approaching; take the valid passport to a station ticket office for help.
3. A companion cannot be selected: Inspect that person’s entry under My passengers for a typo or outstanding verification prompt. Stop before payment if the intended traveler is missing or their identity details are wrong.
4. Payment appears successful but the page fails: Record the payment evidence and inspect Order center after signing in again. Stop before retrying while an order may still be processing; ask 12306 to clarify an ambiguous result.
5. The order exists but no ticket is issued: Read its current status and any required next action. Stop treating it as travel-ready until an issued ticket appears. If the status is unclear, contact 12306 with the booking reference.

If account access fails close to departure

Use any recovery option actually offered on the Login page and preserve any order reference you already have. If you cannot retrieve an issued ticket or resolve identity verification online, bring your original passport and available booking evidence to a railway station ticket office. Give yourself time for the queue and for staff to check the record. Do not assume that a screenshot of a payment replaces a ticket.

Change or refund a trip

Open the issued order and check the change or refund options currently offered for that ticket. Availability, timing and charges depend on the applicable rules and the ticket’s circumstances; review the result before submitting. The 12306 FAQ covers online and station handling, while the interagency guide identifies station ticket offices as another channel. Keep the original passport and order information handy if you seek help in person. If a printed reimbursement receipt is involved, mention it to staff.

After a change is confirmed, recheck the date, departure and arrival stations, train and seat, then replace your old offline trip record with the updated details.

Quick questions

Does a paid order mean I have a seat? Check for an issued ticket for the correct passenger and train. If the order is pending or the payment result is ambiguous, resolve that status first.

Where should I go next? Once the 12306 account and ticket are settled, check the named station on a map and plan your arrival there. For the rest of the trip, see China trip costs and China hotels.