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12306

12306

铁路12306

Google PlayApp Store

12306 is the only official place to buy a Chinese train seat. Register with your passport, clear the identity check from home, then book high-speed rail, pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay, and board on the passport alone — no paper ticket.

At a glancePaidNeeds internetForeign card OKSet up before flyingNo English UINo VPN

Before you install — hard prerequisites

Before you start

  • Passport — valid, name matches exactly
  • Phone that receives SMS
  • Alipay or WeChat Pay
  • Internet access inside China
  • No Chinese ID or bank account needed
A

Phone number — by country

You need a phone that can receive SMS, because the account, the login code and the order alerts all arrive by text. A foreign number works — travelers report registering with a home-country mobile and receiving the code through international roaming. Keep the same number for the whole trip; changing it later forces a re-verification that can stall.

B

Passport — what the app actually checks

The name you type must match the machine-readable zone of your passport character for character, and the passport must be valid on the day you travel. The app runs an identity check before any ticket can be bought. Automatic matching often fails on non-Chinese documents, so plan for the manual route: upload the passport data page and wait three to five working days, or take the passport to any station ticket window. This is the single part of the journey you cannot rush.

C

International cards — what works, what gets rejected

Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay first — they clear fastest and are the route most travelers actually get to work. A foreign Visa or Mastercard is officially accepted, but travelers report refusals often enough that a wallet should be standing by. Cash works too, but only at a station ticket window — nothing inside the app settles in notes.

D

Network access

The app and www.12306.cn are reachable inside mainland China without a VPN, and the iOS listing is reachable from foreign App Store storefronts. If the installer will not run on your phone, the whole booking flow also works on the English site at www.12306.cn/en. An eSIM or roaming data plan keeps the SMS codes and your e-ticket reachable on the day.

E

Country‑specific restrictions

Release clock
each station opens its sales at a fixed local time in the morning; the exact hour is posted on the station notice board, so read it before the release date.

Step-by-step setup

Before you fly — checklist

  1. Install the official 12306 app
  2. Register with name exactly as passport
  3. Clear the passport identity check
  4. Link Alipay or WeChat Pay
  5. Mark the 15-day release date
1Install the official app

iOS: App Store → search 12306 → the listing published by China Academy of Railway Sciences. Android: there is no official Google Play entry; open www.12306.cn in a browser and take the mobile download link or QR code from the official site. Avoid third-party rail-booking apps that add a service fee — China Railway names 12306 as the only official channel.

2Create your account

Enter your name exactly as printed in the passport, then nationality, passport number, a mobile number and an email address. The spelling must match the passport machine-readable zone, or the later identity check will reject it.

3Start identity verification

Open the verification screen and let the app try to match your details automatically. When it works, you are done in minutes; when it does not, the status simply stays "not passed" and you move to Step 4.

4Clear the check if automatic fails

Upload a photo of the passport data page and let the manual review run — reported at three to five working days. If it is still not cleared, take the passport to any station ticket window and have it verified in person. Start this the week you book your flights, not the week you fly.

5Attach a payment method

Link Alipay or WeChat Pay first, with an international card as the backup. The wallet clears the fare fastest; the card is the second attempt if a route refuses it.

Costs & limits

Refund fee — 8+ days before
Free
Refund fee — within 8 days
5% of fare
Refund fee — within 48 hours
10% of fare
Refund fee — within 24 hours
20% of fare
Refund minimum fee
¥2

Daily use — real scenarios

What you can do with itSearch and book high-speed trains — G, D and C services are the fast ones; pick second class for the normal fare.Submit a waitlist when sold out — free of charge, the system fills it from returned seats.Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay — clears fastest; switch to a card only if the wallet is refused.Board on your passport alone — no paper ticket; show the passport you booked with at the gate.Refund and change — free more than eight days out, then a rising percentage as departure nears.

Book, board and fix the few things that go wrong — all inside the official app, then walk through the gate on your passport alone.

Booking on the release day

Count backwards from your travel date: seats appear 15 days before departure, so mark the release date rather than refreshing hopefully. Each station keeps its own release clock, posted on its notice board — most open in the morning, so check it before the date. Save the Chinese or pinyin names of your departure and arrival stations offline — big cities have several, and the wrong one costs an hour. On a holiday morning, submit a waitlist order and let the system fill it from returns instead of fighting the refresh button.

Boarding on the passport

Nothing is printed. Show the passport you booked with at the gate, and again on the way out. The automatic gates read the Chinese ID card, so use the staffed lane at the side of the gate line; allow extra time, because the queue there can be long during rush periods.

Refund and change

Refunds are free if you cancel eight days or more before departure, then 5% inside eight days, 10% inside 48 hours and 20% inside 24 hours, with a minimum fee of ¥2. A refund that has not returned to the original card, or a duplicate charge, is a call-first case.

Troubleshooting — common problems and what to do

Common problems foreign visitors may run into

"The identity check never clears"
— Automatic matching is weak on non-Chinese documents. Upload the passport data page and let the manual review run, or take the passport to any station ticket window. Support: 12306 customer service.
"The search returns no trains"
— The 15-day sales window has not opened yet. Work out the release date and search again then, or book through an agency that holds inventory. Support: 12306 customer service.
"Every seat is gone within minutes"
— A public holiday or the Spring Festival period. Submit a waitlist order, or split the journey into two legs; otherwise fly or shift the trip by a day. Support: 12306 customer service.
"The foreign card is declined"
— Cross-border risk control at the issuing bank. Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay before the order expires, or buy at a station ticket window where cash is accepted. Support: 12306 customer service.
"The automatic gate rejects the passport"
— The gates are designed for the Chinese ID card — travelers report that foreign passports require the staffed lane beside the gate line or the station service desk.

Need to talk to a real person?

Backup plan

Frequently asked questions about 12306

Can I book with a foreign passport?
Yes. The passport is a valid identity document, but it has to pass the identity check first — automatically, by manual review of an uploaded photo page, or at a station window.
How long does the identity check take?
Automatic matching is quick when it works. Manual review of a foreign passport is reported at three to five working days, so start it well before you fly.
How far ahead can I book?
Seats go on sale 15 days before departure.
Which dates are hopeless?
The public holidays: 1–3 January, 15–23 February, 4–6 April, 1–5 May, 19–21 June, 25–27 September and 1–7 October 2026.
What about the Spring Festival rush?
The 2026 travel period runs 2 February to 13 March, forty days in all, with the first day's seats released on 19 January.
Is there an official Android app on Google Play?
No. Take the package from www.12306.cn instead.
Will my Visa or Mastercard work?
Officially foreign cards are accepted, but travelers report refusals often enough that Alipay, WeChat Pay or an agency should be standing by.
Do I need to collect a paper ticket?
No. Travel is on the identity document you booked with; you show it to enter and to leave.
What do the letters in front of the train number mean?
G, D and C are high-speed services; K, T and Z are the slower long-distance ones.
What happens if my train is sold out?
Submit a waitlist order. It costs nothing extra and the system fills it automatically from returned seats.
How much does a refund cost?
Nothing if you cancel eight days or more before departure. After that it is 5% of the fare, then 10% inside 48 hours and 20% inside 24 hours, with a minimum of ¥2.
Can I still pay cash?
At a station ticket window, yes — that route also takes RMB in notes.
Can I change the name on a ticket?
No. The real-name system ties each seat to one identity document; to swap the traveler you cancel and rebook, which triggers the refund-fee tiers above.
Does every traveler need their own passport?
Yes. Every passenger — including children — must have their own verified document on the booking; you cannot ride on one person's passport.

Sources

  • Official Foreign passport can buy on 12306 and pay by card or wallet · +
  • Official Automatic passport verification often fails; manual review takes working days
  • Official 12306 is the only official sales channel; iOS publisher identified · -001 + -005
  • Official Android package is distributed from the official site, not Google Play · -002 + -005
  • Official Pre-sale window is fifteen days · -004 + -005
  • Official Official 2026 public holiday calendar · -010 State Council
  • Official 2026 Spring Festival travel period and first sale date · -011
  • Official Refund fee tiers and the minimum fee · -006 + -007
  • Official Electronic ticketing; identity document checked at the gate · -003
  • Official Three verification routes for a foreign passport · -008 + -009
  • Official Domestic and foreign cards, mobile wallets, cash at windows · -009
  • Traveler report Foreign cards work inconsistently; agencies used as fallback · -013 + -014
  • Official Waitlist ordering exists and is free · -005
  • Official Train letter prefixes and high-speed seat classes · -002 + -003

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