How do I book child tickets and free-travel children on Chinese trains?

At a glance

• Current mainland child-ticket rules are age-based:6 to under 14 uses a discounted child ticket, and 14 or older uses a full fare. Do not use an old height-only guide. [1]
• Each paid adult can bring 1 child under 6 free without a separate seat; additional children need discounted tickets. [1]
• Free-travel children must be declared when purchasing the ticket. A free child is not simply omitted from the passenger plan. [1]
• For children without their own eligible ID in the supported flow, the adult's identity information may be used for a child ticket within the same booking; use the child's passport where the booking supports it and carry the documents required for the record. [1]

What to do next

1. Before tickets open, list every traveller's age on the travel date and document details, including children travelling free. Decide whether a child under 6 needs a separate seat, since free travel without a seat may not be comfortable on a long journey.
2. Add the adult and children through the booking channel's supported passenger flow. Use matching names and passport details and select the child category where appropriate rather than choosing an adult fare simply because the interface is unfamiliar.
3. For a free child, complete the declaration linked to the accompanying adult's journey. If the app does not expose the correct foreign-passport child flow, ask the station's staffed ticketing desk or the booking provider to complete it before travel.
4. Review the issued passenger list, train, date, station and seat allocation. Confirm which children have their own seats and which are declared without a seat, and check that the adult booking used for the declaration remains in the trip.
5. Carry the original documents used for the reservation and declaration and allow time for staffed identity checking. Keep the family together through entry and boarding so the accompanying adult can explain the child's record if asked.
6. After a change or cancellation, review every family member's booking and free-child declaration. Do not assume changing the adult's train has automatically moved every child or preserved the intended seating arrangement.

If your situation is different

You have two children under 6 and one paid adult: the published rule provides one free no-seat child for that adult; arrange the additional child's discounted ticket. Choose seats that make the journey manageable rather than only minimising the fare.

A child under 6 needs a seat: request the supported paid child-ticket arrangement and inspect the issued allocation. The free entitlement described above does not include a reserved seat.

The child turns 6 or 14 during the trip: use the age applicable to each travel date and review the return journey separately. Do not assume the outward ticket category remains correct for a later date.

You use a cross-border train: read that service's specific child and immigration requirements, including each child's travel document. Do not transfer the mainland-only fare explanation to another railway product without checking its own terms.

Common mistakes

• Using an old height chart instead of the current age rule: book by the applicable age.
• Leaving a free child off the declaration: complete the supported no-seat passenger record.
• Assuming free travel includes a seat: buy the appropriate ticket when a separate seat is needed.
• Changing only the adult ticket: review the full family order and declarations afterwards.

Quick questions