How to book train tickets in China as a foreigner (2026)

Trains are the best way to travel between most Chinese cities, and foreigners can book them the same way locals do. Every ticket is tied to your passport. There is no paper ticket to print: your passport is your ticket.

Option 1: the official 12306 site and app

China Railway sells tickets on 12306.cn and the Railway 12306 app, both with an English version open to foreign passport holders.

1. Register with your passport details, an email address and your own phone number. You do not need a Chinese number.
2. Complete the passport check. It can take up to 24 hours, so do it at home, not at the station.
3. Search, pick a train and seat, and add each traveller by passport.
4. Pay with an international card (Visa, Mastercard and others) or with Alipay or WeChat Pay.

Tickets normally go on sale 15 days before departure and can be bought up to 30 minutes before the train leaves. Popular trains, weekends and Chinese holidays sell out early, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.

Option 2: Trip.com and other agencies

Trip.com sells the same tickets in English and accepts foreign cards, Apple Pay and PayPal. It usually costs a few dollars more per ticket than 12306, but it is a good fallback if registration or payment on 12306 fails. The ticket still ends up on your passport, so boarding works the same way.

Seat classes

• Second class: five seats per row (3 + 2). Comfortable for trips of a few hours and the cheapest option.
• First class: four seats per row (2 + 2), more legroom, quieter.
• Business class: a few seats per train that recline almost flat. Often several times the second-class fare.
• On slower overnight trains you will also see soft sleeper (four berths per cabin) and hard sleeper (six berths, open compartment).

Refunds and changes

You can cancel online until shortly before departure. China Railway’s refund fee depends on how early you cancel:

• 8 days or more before departure: free.
• More than 48 hours before: 5% of the fare.
• 24 to 48 hours before: 10%.
• Less than 24 hours before: 20%.

Each ticket can be changed once (date, train or seat). Changes made more than 48 hours ahead are free apart from any fare difference; later changes can cost a fee. Agencies such as Trip.com follow the railway rules but may add their own service fee. Rules can change, so check the conditions shown before you pay.

At the station

You do not need to collect anything. Scan your passport at the entrance, go through security, then scan it again at the boarding gate. Many stations have automatic gates that read foreign passports; if yours is not read, use the staffed lane. If you want a paper record for expenses, you can print a travel itinerary at a counter or machine.

Gates close a few minutes before departure, usually 3 to 5, and at some stations earlier. Read the high-speed train guide for the day of travel, and see our routes for journey times between the main cities.