Your passport is part of the ticket
Rail travel uses real-name booking. Enter the identity exactly as shown in the passport, complete any verification requested by 12306 and carry that original document for the journey.
China Railway 12306 ↗Tickets & reservations
Book with the passport you will carry.
China’s trains and many popular attractions use real-name or passport-linked booking. The safest routine is simple: use the official channel, enter one consistent identity, save the confirmation and check it again before travel.
One identityMatch the passport used on the travel day
One sourceBegin with the railway or venue itself
One final checkReopen the confirmation before departure
China now
What it’s actually like in China now
Booking is digital and identity-linked, but fragmented across the railway and individual venues. The original passport and a confirmed status matter more than a screenshot of payment.
There is no single attraction-booking app
A venue may use its own website, official account or an Alipay or WeChat mini program. Passport support, language, release timing and the meaning of “confirmed” vary by attraction.
Palace Museum booking example ↗Popular dates reward an early official check
High-demand trains and timed attractions can have limited inventory, especially around public holidays. Release windows can change, so check the official channel early rather than relying on a fixed rule from a blog.
State Council visitor guide ↗Payment is not the same as admission
Save the page that says the order is successful, plus the visitor, date, time and entrance. A charge, email or pending request alone may not prove that a passport-linked reservation is complete.
Official booking channel ↗The common flow
Six checks from search to entry.
The interface changes between a train and a museum, but the safe booking sequence stays remarkably similar.
- 01
Confirm the official channel
For trains, start with China Railway 12306. For an attraction, open the venue’s own website, verified account or mini program and check whether it names any authorised alternatives.
- 02
Prepare the passport used for travel
Use the passport you will carry on the day. Enter the number, nationality and full name exactly as requested; do not shorten, translate or casually reorder names.
- 03
Check the exact product
For rail, confirm both full station names, date, departure time and train number. For attractions, confirm the venue, visit date, entry period, visitor and any separately reserved exhibition.
- 04
Read the change rules before paying
Look for the provider’s current cancellation, refund, modification and missed-appointment terms. A reservation request is not necessarily a confirmed ticket.
- 05
Save proof offline
Keep the order status, booking reference, date, time, station or entrance, traveller name and support contact in a screenshot or offline document.
- 06
Recheck shortly before travel
Open the official channel again for schedule changes, closures, entry instructions and document requirements. Carry the original passport used for the booking.
Two booking systems
Rail is centralised. Attractions are not.
China Railway provides a national official channel. Each attraction controls its own admission system, accepted documents and booking rules.
Train tickets
Begin at 12306.
The 12306 English website identifies itself as China Railway’s official customer-service website and explains real-name tickets for foreign passport holders.
- Use the official 12306 English website or app where practical.
- Complete any passenger identity verification requested before relying on a purchase.
- Check the complete station name—large cities can have several distant stations.
- Make sure the passenger details belong to the person travelling on that ticket.
- Keep the original passport used to buy the ticket available for station entry and boarding.
- Start changes or refunds through the original booking channel and read the current rule before confirming.
Attraction reservations
Verify venue by venue.
A museum, palace, scenic area and city landmark can all use different channels. The Palace Museum’s official page, for example, publishes its own passport and entry instructions.
- Find the attraction’s own current booking instructions; China does not use one universal attraction system.
- Check whether admission is ticketed, free but reservation-only, or split into several bookable areas.
- Confirm that the channel accepts passports and international visitor details.
- Read the opening-day, entry-period, entrance-gate and security instructions together.
- Check whether every visitor—including children or people eligible for free entry—still needs a reservation.
- Treat an email, payment record or pending request as unconfirmed until the channel shows a successful reservation.
After booking
Keep the confirmation useful without a signal.
A screenshot should help you identify the booking, prove its status and find the right place even when the app will not load.
01
Booking identity
Traveller name, passport number with most digits hidden in your personal note, and the document type used.
02
What you booked
Date, time or entry period, train number or venue, full station names, entrance and any add-on reservation.
03
Proof and support
Confirmed status, order reference, QR code if supplied, official support contact and the page showing change terms.
If something changes
Verify first. Then change through the proper channel.
Check the official booking record rather than relying only on a notification, travel blog or old screenshot. Confirm which passenger, date and product the change affects.
Use the original booking channel unless the official provider directs you elsewhere. Read any refund, missed-appointment or rebooking consequence before pressing the final button, then save the updated confirmation offline.
Primary sources
Check the owner of the rule.
These official pages were reviewed for this guide on 23 August 2026. Reopen the relevant source for your own travel date.
Official railway bookingChina Railway 12306 English ↗Train searches, ticket purchases and current passenger services.Official railway guidance12306 real-name ticketing FAQ ↗Passport use, e-tickets and identity-linked railway travel.Official attraction exampleThe Palace Museum — Book Tickets ↗An example of venue-specific passport and reservation rules.Government visitor portalVisit China ↗Official entry and visitor guidance from the State Council portal.
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