Practical guide
China rail: complete 12306 identity verification before buying your ticket
Foreign travelers need real-name verification before purchase; use the English 12306 route or a staffed station fallback.
The State Council’s 2025 guide says foreign travelers must complete identity verification before buying China Railway tickets. It says travelers can use the 12306 English website or app to submit identity details and follow the verification flow, or use the published alternative process. After verification, the guide says tickets can be bought online with Chinese or foreign bank cards and mobile-payment apps, or at a station ticket office using listed methods. It also says to use the original ID document from purchase at automatic or manual gates. Payment availability, verification outcomes and station equipment remain live conditions.
A clear next step
- Start with the official 12306 English website or app and enter your identity details in the current verification flow.
- If verification or payment does not complete, use a staffed railway-station ticket office and ask for the current foreign-traveler purchase procedure.
- Carry the original valid ID document used for purchase to the station and ticket check.
Sources & verification
Last verified
- Guide to Working and Living in China (2025) | State Council of the People’s Republic of China real-name and foreign-traveler identity-verification requirement · 12306 English website and app purchase route · listed online and station-ticket-office payment routes · original-ID ticket-check guidance
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