How do I buy China train tickets with a foreign passport: 12306 or Trip.com in 2026?

At a glance

• Official route: 12306.cn/en/ or the Railway 12306 app in English; the English platform accepts eligible foreign passports. [1] [3]
• Tickets are sold in RMB. MTR’s operator walkthrough lists International Card and China UnionPay at checkout. [3]
• Passenger setup: My → Passenger → Add a passenger; add each traveller’s own passport details. [3]
• A 15-day window includes the day of purchase: for travel on 10 October, the date enters the window on 26 September. [2]
• An itinerary sheet or reimbursement receipt is not your boarding credential; keep the original booking passport. [1]

What to do next

1. Open the official English website or install Railway 12306. Register and activate your account, then complete the identity checks requested. MTR says the English platform is for recognised foreign passports. Do this several days before tickets open, so an email or document problem does not consume the booking window.
2. Under My → Passenger → Add a passenger, enter each traveller’s name, document type and passport number accurately. The registered user is already in the passenger list; other travellers need their own entries. MTR lists email as a contact option as well as Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan phone numbers.
3. Search the departure station, destination and date. Check the actual stations on the result: a city search can include several stations. MTR’s example distinguishes Futian from Shenzhenbei. Open the train number to inspect intermediate stops, then choose the departure and seat class that fit your journey.
4. Tap Book, add the passengers, and review the date, stations, train and class before submitting. Finish payment within the countdown displayed for your order. Select International Card or another supported option shown at checkout and complete the issuer’s approval if requested.
5. After Payment Successful, open Check order details or the Order section. Keep the train, date, departure station, carriage and seat details available offline. A pre-booking request at another seller is not the same as an issued railway ticket; look for the final ticket details before you stop arranging the journey.
6. Travel with the same original passport used for purchase. Follow the station’s security and ID-check process; if your document will not work at a gate, ask staff for the manual check. Arrive about an hour before departure at an unfamiliar large station, earlier if you need counter help. Add time for a counter visit or assistance.

If your situation is different

Your identity status is Verification failed: MTR says the online restriction is removed once real-name verification is completed. Reconcile the entered data with the passport and follow the current verification prompt. If departure is approaching, take the original passport to a staffed railway ticket counter. Use a staffed counter if the online check remains unresolved before travel.

You would prefer Trip.com: use a booking service if its checkout and support suit you better than completing 12306 setup. Compare the final price and after-sales conditions before paying. Keep the same accurate passenger identity; changing sellers does not change the railway’s real-name or boarding rules. Trip.com has a dedicated China train booking route.

The journey is outside the sale window: wait until it enters the 15-day period. An advance request cannot itself establish that a railway seat has been issued. Keep an alternative departure in mind and inspect the train’s displayed sale-opening time rather than assume all trains release at midnight.

You are booking for a group: add the travellers first and check each identity status. MTR says a user can add up to 19 passengers; one ID can hold only one ticket for the same train on the same date. Do not submit duplicate purchases at different sellers for the same traveller and train.

You are departing Hong Kong West Kowloon: MTR specifies an online sales cut-off 30 minutes before departure and tells passengers to allow time for boarding procedures. Arrive earlier to complete the station and border procedures.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until ticket release to create the account: unresolved identity or email checks can then block the purchase. Prepare the account first.
• Using a familiar English city name without checking the station: compare the booking’s exact station with the address you give your driver.
• Entering a nickname, shortened passport number or another traveller’s details: real-name ticketing ties the ticket to the passenger’s document.
• Hunting for a printable QR after purchase: an itinerary sheet is not a ticket. Keep the train details and original passport instead.

Quick questions