How to Buy China Train Tickets as a Foreigner

Buying China high-speed rail tickets is straightforward once you know your two options. Both work with a foreign passport — the difference is language and fees.

The two ways to book

• Trip.com — fully in English, accepts foreign passports and international cards, and shows times and prices clearly. It charges a small service fee per ticket for the convenience.
• Official 12306 app — the railway’s own system, the cheapest option, now with English support and foreign-passport registration. The interface is less polished and payment can occasionally reject foreign cards.

Most first-time visitors book on Trip.com for the smoother experience, then switch to 12306 later if they travel often.

Booking on Trip.com

1. Search your route and date, then pick a train by departure time and class.
2. Enter each passenger’s name exactly as printed in the passport.
3. Pay with an international card; you receive an e-ticket confirmation.
4. At the station, scan the same passport at the gate — there is no paper ticket.

Booking on the official 12306 app

1. Register an account and add your passport as an ID document (this can take a short verification step).
2. Search, select, and pay with Visa/Mastercard/Amex (expect a roughly 1% FX spread).
3. Board by scanning your passport at the gate, the same as Trip.com.

When tickets go on sale

Tickets usually open 15 days before departure. On busy corridors like Beijing–Shanghai, and especially around the Lunar New Year, National Day, and other holidays, seats sell out — book as early as you can.

What you need

• A passport valid for your travel dates (the booking name must match it).
• An international payment card.
• For 12306, a working phone number for the account and verification.