How to book China train tickets with a foreign passport
Short answer
Book through the official English 12306 website using a valid foreign passport, checking your passenger details and full station names before paying. Confirm that payment produced a ticket, then bring the same original passport to the station. A saved itinerary helps you find your train but does not replace your travel document. 12306 travel guide
Source check: 12 September 2026.
Start with the right booking channel
Open the official 12306 English website. Its navigation includes Register, My passengers and Order center; the search asks for From, To and Departure date.
Keep your passport beside you and use an email address or other contact method you can continue accessing during the trip. Allow time to complete registration and identity checks before the journey becomes urgent.
Booking at a staffed railway ticket counter is also an option. Shanghai's government guide confirms that passengers can buy with a passport and use the Railway 12306 app in English. This is a useful fallback if online setup remains unresolved after following the official instructions. Shanghai's train-ticket guide
Enter your passport name carefully
Do not guess the name order from an airline booking. The railway's passport-entry instructions distinguish between passport layouts.
| Your passport's labels | What the official instructions say |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Enter the full-name field |
| Surname and Given Names | Enter surname, then given names, separated by a space |
| First Name, Middle Name and Last Name | Enter these in that order, with spaces between them |
Use the Latin-letter name information. Enter the passport number without spaces; a printed label such as "No" is not part of the number.
For a fictional passport showing surname SMITH and given names JANE ALICE, the surname/given-name rule produces SMITH JANE ALICE. This example only illustrates that layout.
Names containing punctuation, several scripts, brackets or unusually many characters need the relevant section of the official guide. Avoid deleting a middle name simply because a shorter version fits more comfortably.
Complete identity verification before relying on online booking
Registration and verification are separate tasks. Check the passenger's actual verification result after entering the details; an account you can log into does not establish that every passenger can buy tickets.
China Railway allows foreign-passport users to submit document photographs online. Its privacy policy describes two images for this service: the passport information page and a photograph of the passenger holding that page. Upload them only within the official process. 12306 identity-verification rules, 12306 privacy policy
If verification fails, compare the entered name, document type and number against the original passport. Follow the displayed correction instructions before submitting again.
For unresolved verification, the railway's rules provide a staffed station-counter route using original documents. If you are verifying another passenger, check which originals the rules require for both the passenger and account holder. Resolve this before a tightly timed departure. 12306 identity-verification rules
Search for stations, then choose a train
Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai South and Shanghai West are separate stations. Shanghai South can appear as Shanghainan and Shanghai West as Shanghaixi. Save the full name shown on your booking, not just "Shanghai station." Shanghai's station and ticket guide
- Enter your departure station, arrival station and travel date.
- Compare the available trains and seats. Check both station names again before selecting one.
- Select the class and passengers. Treat any seat preference as a request subject to availability.
- Review the date, departure time, journey direction and passenger details before payment.
- Open your order afterwards and check the confirmed journey and assigned seat details.
MTR's current guide describes this 12306 booking sequence and confirms that the platform handles both mainland domestic and Hong Kong cross-boundary tickets. MTR ticketing guide
Compare the trip to and from each station as part of the choice. A slightly earlier arrival is less useful if the station leaves you with a much longer transfer to your hotel.
Pay, then check the ticket itself
MTR lists international cards such as Visa and Mastercard among 12306 payment methods. Availability of a payment option does not guarantee that your bank will approve an individual transaction. MTR ticketing guide
Keep access to your bank's authentication method. If payment appears to fail, inspect Order center before retrying; record whether the order is unpaid, cancelled or confirmed and compare that with the bank's record.
A bank notification alone is not enough to organize departure around. If the bank shows a charge but the booking remains unclear, save the order number and contact the payment provider and 12306. The official English site lists +86 12306 for enquiries. 12306 contact information
Enter the station and find your train
Bring the original passport used for booking. E-ticket passengers can use a compatible passport reader or the staffed inspection channel; you do not need to collect a paper ticket for ordinary e-ticket boarding. Shanghai's e-ticket instructions
- Check that you have reached the booked station.
- Complete identity and security checks.
- Find your train number on the departure display and follow its waiting-area and gate information.
- Follow the gate announcement, then locate your carriage and seat.
- Keep the passport accessible until you have left the destination station.
Arrive with room for queues and walking. Gates close before departure, and the station announces its own cutoff; the departure time is not a safe target for reaching the entrance. If the passport reader fails, ask staff for help immediately. 12306 boarding guidance
Change or cancel as soon as your plans change
Request a refund through 12306 before the departure time on your ticket. Review the displayed deduction before confirming, then save the refund confirmation. If you cannot complete it online, go to a staffed station ticket counter before departure with the original passport used for booking. 12306 refund channels and documents
For an ordinary mainland ticket, the published cancellation charges depend on time before departure:
| Time remaining | Refund charge |
|---|---|
| At least eight days | No charge |
| At least 48 hours, but less than eight days | 5% of the fare |
| At least 24 hours, but less than 48 hours | 10% |
| Less than 24 hours | 20% |
Changed tickets and special circumstances can have additional conditions, and minimum-fee and rounding rules apply. Read the refund amount before confirming. 12306 refund rules
Hong Kong cross-boundary tickets have different after-sales rules; use the cross-boundary guide for those journeys. Do not apply a mainland refund percentage to a Shanghai to Hong Kong ticket. MTR cross-boundary rules
Before closing the booking page, save the order number, full station names, train number, time and seat. Then plan how you will reach that exact departure station with your passport.