Last updated: 12 September 2026 · Every fact below is dated and linked to its official source · Jump to sources
Direct answer. Yes — foreign travellers can book China’s high-speed trains directly on 12306, the official railway platform, using a passport. Tickets go on sale 15 days before departure, so book early if your route is busy. You need an activated account, passport identity verification, and a card that works for international payments.
12306 (12306.cn and the Railway 12306 app) is the official ticketing platform of China Railway. Its English website and app are built for holders of foreign passports recognised by the PRC government — Chinese nationals use the separate domestic interface.
Two practical consequences:
That is the honest trade-off of booking direct versus using an agent — section 8 covers when an agent is genuinely the better call.
| Requirement | Detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign passport | Must be a passport recognised by the PRC government; the English platform accepts no other ID type | Your passport number is your ticket |
| 12306 account | Registered with email or mobile; must be activated and identity-verified before booking | Accounts that fail verification are restricted until verification is completed |
| Passenger list | Add travellers under “My Passengers” before booking (up to 19 passengers per account; up to 5 may share one mobile number) | You cannot add a passenger mid-payment |
| Payment card | “International Card” or “China UnionPay” are offered as payment options for overseas passengers | Tickets are priced and charged in RMB only |
| Email address | Order confirmations are sent to your registered email | Your only automatic record if the app order list breaks |
One-passport, one-ticket rule: a valid ID can be used to buy only one ticket for the same train on the same date of travel. One order can hold up to 19 single-journey tickets or 19 sets of return tickets, and seats are assigned by the system, not chosen.
Tickets on 12306 normally go on sale 15 days before departure and can be bought until 30 minutes before departure (for trains departing Hong Kong West Kowloon; for departures from mainland stations the cut-off is subject to each station’s own arrangements).
Service hours are not 24/7 for everything:
| Action | Hours (China time) |
|---|---|
| Information query & ticket refund | 24 hours a day |
| Ticket sales & alteration | 05:00 – 01:00 next day (Tuesdays: 05:00 – 23:30) |
Practical rule: if your route is a busy one, be online when your travel date enters the 15-day window. Because mainland cut-off times vary by station, do not treat “30 minutes before departure” as a universal number.
The flow is the same on the website and in the app; 12306’s own guidance recommends the app.
China Railway issues e-tickets as standard. There is nothing to collect and no voucher to print:
Tickets can be altered on the site or app rather than at a station. Key rules, per China Railway Group’s fee notice (Tie Ke [2021] No. 15), which 12306’s current refund/change page still reflects:
| When you change | Fee |
|---|---|
| More than 48 hours before departure, or changing to the same travel date or earlier | No change fee |
| 24–48 hours before departure, changing to a later travel date | 5% of the lower of the two ticket prices |
| Less than 24 hours before departure, changing to a later travel date | 15% of the lower of the two ticket prices |
| After departure but before 24:00 the same day, changing to the next day or later | 40% of the lower of the two ticket prices |
Also true, and easy to miss:
| How long before departure you refund | Refund fee |
|---|---|
| More than 8 days | No refund fee |
| 48 hours – 8 days | 5% of the ticket price |
| 24 – 48 hours | 10% of the ticket price |
| Less than 24 hours | 20% of the ticket price |
Additional rules that apply on top:
New in 2026 — 30-minute accidental-purchase window. From 19 January 2026, if you buy a ticket on 12306 for a travel date of 2 February 2026 or later and realise you made a mistake, you can cancel it online for free within 30 minutes of successful payment, provided departure is still more than 4 hours away. The service is limited to one order per person per calendar day, and does not apply to rescheduled tickets or to reservation/waitlist orders. Refunds made inside the normal free-refund window do not consume that daily allowance.
Book direct if you are inside the 15-day window, your plans are fixed, and you are comfortable paying with an international card.
Use an agent or travel platform instead when:
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Yes. 12306’s official English website and app accept valid foreign passports that can be used under the relevant regulations, and offer ticket purchase, alteration, refund and destination-change services. Registration, account activation and identity verification are required first.
Normally 15 days before departure, and up to 30 minutes before departure for trains leaving Hong Kong West Kowloon. For trains departing mainland stations, the cut-off time is subject to each station’s arrangement.
No. E-tickets are standard. You show the ID document used to buy the ticket to check in and out of stations and to board. An “itinerary sheet” can be printed for your records but is not a ticket and cannot be used to travel.
No fee more than 8 days before departure; 5% at 48 hours to 8 days; 10% at 24–48 hours; 20% under 24 hours. The fee rounds to 0.5-yuan units with a 2-yuan minimum. Since 19 January 2026 there is also a one-per-day free cancellation window: within 30 minutes of payment and more than 4 hours before departure, for travel dates from 2 February 2026.
No. Each ticket can be altered once, and an altered ticket cannot be refunded. Round-trip tickets must be altered separately.
All sources retrieved 12 September 2026. Railway rules change — check the current terms on 12306 before you rely on a figure.
| Fact used on this page | Source |
|---|---|
| Service hours (refunds 24h; sales & alteration 05:00–01:00, Tuesdays to 23:30) | 12306 official English site |
| Real-name ticketing; foreign passengers use valid passports; e-ticket shown by ID document; official channels; one ticket per ID per train per day; English site accepts only foreign passports; itinerary sheet is not a ticket; railway will not handle problems from other websites | 12306 official English FAQ |
| 15-day advance sale; 30-minute cut-off for Hong Kong West Kowloon (mainland per station); up to 19 passengers, 5 per mobile number; up to 19 tickets per order; RMB only; seats assigned automatically; International Card / China UnionPay; order cancellation limit of 3 | MTR High Speed Rail — purchasing on 12306 |
| Alteration & refund process; one alteration per ticket; altered ticket non-refundable; 3 refunds per day; 180-day receipt collection; pre-travel receipts block online alteration | MTR High Speed Rail — alteration and refund on 12306 |
| Refund fee tiers (0 / 5% / 10% / 20%), 0.5-yuan rounding, 2-yuan minimum, Spring Festival rate, change-fee tiers | China Railway Group notice Tie Ke [2021] No. 15 (12306 published notice) |
| Current refund/change rules, including the 180-day receipt rule and no refund after a post-departure reschedule | 12306 official refund & change page |
| Free 30-minute accidental-purchase refund from 19 January 2026 (travel dates from 2 February 2026; more than 4 hours before departure; one order per day) | Xinhua, 18 January 2026 |