New Cross Boundary E-tickets

[Ticket Is Linked with Your Travel Document. Simply Enter the Gate with Your Travel Document]

E-tickets are now are available for travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Your identification document becomes your ticket as the ticketing system will link up the ticket information with your identification document. With an E-ticket, you simply pass through the gates using your identification document. This is eco-friendly and time-saving and eliminates any worries about losing your ticket. Coupled with one stop real-name checking and ticket verification, your journey is now easier and even more convenient!

Quick tutorial of E-tickets:

Video Download Ticketing Guide

[Multi-ticketing Channels for Buying Cross Boundary E-tickets]

You can buy tickets and book seats up to 15 days before departure1. Tickets bought through Hong Kong ticketing channels are sold in HKD. Tickets sold in RMB are available through all Mainland ticketing channels as well as Ticketing Counters in Hong Kong West Kowloon Station.

Ticketing Channels Service Hours Booking Cut-off Time (before train departure) Payment Methods
Cash e-Payments
12306 Online Ticketing Platform
(www.12306.cn/China Railway 12306 Mobile App)
05:00 am – 01:00 am (next day)4 30 mins / 45 mins5 Not applicable International credit cards (e.g. Visa and Mastercard),
UnionPay and other Mainland designated payment methods
Ticketing Counters2
at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station
06:00 am – 23:00 pm 30 mins HKD
RMB
Visa, Mastercard
UnionPay, JCB, Octopus
Mobile Payment:
Alipay (HK & Mainland wallets)
WeChat Pay (HK & Mainland wallets)
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Huawei Pay, Samsung Pay
Ticket Machines3
at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station
06:00 am – 23:00 pm 45 mins Not applicable Visa payWave
Mastercard PayPass
UnionPay QuickPass
JCB Contactless
Mobile Payment:
Alipay (HK & Mainland wallets)
WeChat Pay (HK & Mainland wallets)
Apple Pay, Google Pay
Huawei Pay, Samsung Pay
Designated Hong Kong Ticket Agents

List of Ticket Agents
Subject to the arrangements of the individual agents
Ticketing Counters2 and Ticket Machines3 in Mainland stations Subject to the arrangements of the individual stations. If your accompanied child is eligible for free travel, you must declare and register his/her information by clicking the respective function on the main page after ticket purchase
Designated Mainland Ticket Agents

Click to find an agent (in Simplified Chinese only)
Subject to the arrangements of the individual agents

1 If you want to buy tickets 15 days in advance, the ticket selling time will vary depending on the individual Departure Station. Tickets for trains departing from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station start selling at 08:00 am

2 Please provide a valid identification document (including for any child eligible for free travel) when buying tickets at Ticketing Counters

3 Ticket Machines at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station only accept original Home Return Permits, PRC Resident Identity Cards, Mainland Travel Permits for Taiwan Residents and valid Passports. The identification documents accepted by Ticket Machines in Mainland stations are subject to the arrangements of the individual stations. If your accompanied child is eligible for free travel, you must declare and register his/her information by clicking the respective function on the main page after ticket purchase

4 Service hours on Tuesdays are 05:00 am – 23:30 pm. Ticket refund service is available 24 hours daily

5 If you want to buy tickets for trains departing from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, the cut-off time is 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time

Note:

  • Each passenger is required to provide a mobile phone number with SMS service (accept Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan mobile phone numbers only^) upon ticket purchase through 12306 online ticketing platform, Mainland stations or designated Mainland ticket agents
  • Alternatively, you may consider to buy round trip tickets through Hong Kong ticketing channels

^ For passengers who may be unable to register and buy tickets on 12306 online ticketing platform with their mobile number due to network or service plan issues, please contact the telecommunications operator

[12306 Offers a Comprehensive Ticketing Service]

12306 is the official one stop online ticketing platform of China Railway and is available on both their website and mobile app. If you are a registered user you can buy your Cross Boundary Tickets and Mainland Domestic Tickets online. You can also alter and obtain refunds for your tickets without going to a station. This makes journey planning so much easier!

Loyalty Programme:

Join the China Railway loyalty programme* and earn points for trips to redeem free tickets.

*The loyalty programme is available on the 12306 Chinese platforms only

Simple Steps to Buy a Ticket

  1. Account Registration: Set up an account with designated contact method and real-name verification. Holders of Home Return Permit and Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents can use a Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan mobile phone number or an email address for account registration
  2. Create a List of Passengers: The registered user is the default passenger on the passenger list. If you wish to buy tickets for your family or friends, simply add their details to your list and complete the verification process. Details of children eligible for free travel can also be added to the list
  3. Select Train: Choose a departure date and Departure and Arrival Stations, then check the available trains and seats. After selecting the train, choose the Class of Travel and add any accompanying passengers from your passenger list. For accompanying children eligible for free travel, please register his/her information* after ticket purchase. You can buy a maximum of 9 single journey tickets or 9 round-trip tickets for each transaction. Children eligible for free travel are not counted in the transaction limit
  4. Select a Seat: Seat preferences can be selected, however, this is subject to final availability
  5. Payment

* Click the "Order" section and open the "Paid" order page. Click "Declaration of children travelling for free" and select registration, then select the child from the "Passenger list" to complete the declaration. If the child is not on the "Passenger list", you can simply input their information directly. The declaration will be completed after real name verification.

Reminder: If you are a registered China Railway 12306 mobile app user, a QR Code Ticket will be generated by the app (Chinese platform only) after you buy your ticket. This QR Code can also be used to enter the gate

Click here to learn more

Click to buy tickets on 12306

[Simplified Travel Procedures Mean More Convenient Journeys]

Departing from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station

Passengers are required to use the Home Return Permit, PRC Resident Identity Card, Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents or valid Passport that used to buy the ticket for boarding procedures1.

  1. Real-name Checking and Ticket Verification
    Go directly to the Self-service Gate or the Staff Assistance Counter in the Ticketing Concourse (Level B1) and present your identification documents to complete the real-name check and ticket verification at the same time. The relevant procedures will cease 30 minutes prior to train departure
  2. Security Check and Immigration Formalities
    Follow the instructions for baggage and security checks, then go to the Departure Concourse (Level B3) to complete both Hong Kong and the Mainland immigration formalities
  3. Boarding
    Enter the boarding gate on Level B3 using the identification document or the QR Code on 12306 mobile app2 and board the train. The gates will open 15 minutes before departure time and close in the last 5 minutes
  4. Arrival at a Mainland Station
    Exit the gate using your identification document or the QR Code on 12306 mobile app2

Departing from Mainland Stations

If you are taking a train from a Mainland station, simply follow these steps:

  1. Real-name Checking and Ticket Verification
    Enter the Self-service Gate or the staff assistance channel directly with your identification document for real-name checking and ticket verification
  2. Boarding
    Enter the boarding gate using your identification document or the QR Code on 12306 mobile app2
  3. Arrival at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station
    • After exiting the train at the platform (Level B4), follow the signs to the Arrival Concourse (Level B2) for immigration formalities
    • Exit the gate using your identification document or the QR Code on 12306 mobile app2 to leave the station

1 Passengers may proceed for real-name checking, security check, Mainland Health Declaration Code checking, immigration and boarding procedures as early as 120 minutes prior train departure. Normally, these procedures can be completed in around 30 – 45 minutes. Passengers travelling during weekends, public holidays, festive seasons or summer holidays; or using traditional immigration counters; or passport holders should allow extra processing time.

2 QR Code is only applicable to those registered users who have completed facial verification on the 12306 mobile app. After ticket purchase, a QR code will be generated for using at boarding gates and exit gates. QR Code function is only available on Chinese version of the 12306 mobile app

Please note that this is a dynamic QR Code and a screenshot is not acceptable. When using a QR Code, log in to 12306 mobile app and your QR Code can be located in the "My ticket" of booking record section

[Different Ways to Check Your Bookings after Purchase]

Ticket details can be checked through the following two major channels:

  1. 12306 Account: Log in to your 12306 account and go to "Orders" or "My ticket" where you can view the details of all your ticket information and paid orders for the previous 30 days
  2. Trip Information Reminders*: Trip Information Reminders with details of train journeys are available at the Ticketing Counters, Ticket Machines or Ticket Agents upon ticket purchase. Please keep it properly for offline processing of ticket alteration and refund

* Reminders are not proof for travel and cannot be used to board the train. You can obtain the Reminders more than once before your train departs, however, if they are issued through Ticket Machines in a station, they can only be printed twice

[Flexible After-sales Service]

Reimbursement Receipt

You can collect a Reimbursement Receipt from the following locations either before you travel or within 180 days of the date of travel.

  • We suggest you collect your Reimbursement Receipt after completion of your train journey. If a Receipt is collected before you travel, tickets cannot be altered on the 12306 online ticketing platform and the refund procedure will also be affected. The Receipt must be returned upon ticket alterations and refunds
  • Reimbursement Receipt is not a proof of travel and cannot be used to board the train
Ticketing Channels Collection Points
Hong Kong West Kowloon Station Mainland Stations
Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Hong Kong Ticket Agents Ticketing Counters and Ticket Machines Not applicable
12306 Online Ticketing Platform, Mainland stations, and Ticket Agents Reimbursement Receipt Collection Machines1 Ticket Machines and designated Ticketing Counters

1 Accept original Home Return Permit, PRC Resident Identity Card and Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. Passport holders can collect Receipts at the Ticketing Counters operated by China Railway (Hong Kong) Holdings Ltd. A service fee of HKD10-30 per ticket applies according to fare tiers

Reminder:

A ticket bought from Hong Kong ticketing channel and is altered through Mainland ticketing channel afterwards. It will be treated as ticket bought from Mainland ticketing channel, and vice versa. Reimbursement Receipt should be collected from the above designated collection points

Alterations

Tickets can be altered once only for the departure date, train number or Class of Travel. Altered tickets are non-refundable. If a booking contains multiple tickets, alterations can be made for selected tickets. The cut-off time is 45 minutes before the train scheduled departure from Hong Kong and 30 minutes before the train scheduled departure from the Mainland. Cut-off times may vary with individual Ticket Agents. You may check with them for details.

Alteration channels and procedures for tickets bought in cash may differ from tickets paid by e-Payments. Tickets bought by Octopus at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, or by any payment method with Hong Kong Ticket Agents will be treated as tickets bought in cash. Alteration can be processed through the following channels:

12306 Online Ticketing Platform

  • Applicable to 12306 registered users
  • Process alteration of tickets bought by e-Payments through any ticketing channels while Reimbursement Receipt has not been collected

Stations

  • Process alteration of tickets bought from any ticketing channels
  • Present the identification documents used to buy the tickets together with the order number
  • The fare difference is using RMB when you top-up or obtain a refund. Alterations at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station will be processed either in HKD or RMB, subject to the currency used to buy the tickets. Alterations in Mainland stations will be processed in RMB only
  • If a Reimbursement Receipt has been collected, it must be returned when a ticket alteration is made

Hong Kong Ticket Agents

  • Limited to tickets bought through the original Ticket Agent. Please present the identification documents used to buy the tickets together with the order number

Refunds

You will receive a proportion of the fare as a refund for any unused or unaltered ticket you cancel, depending on the length of time from cancellation to departure. If your booking contains multiple tickets, refunds can be made for selected tickets. The cut-off time is 45 minutes before the train scheduled departure from Hong Kong and 30 minutes before the train scheduled departure from the Mainland. Cut-off times may vary with individual Ticket Agents. You may check with them for details.

Before Train Departure Refund Ratio
Within 48 hours of the designated refund cut-off time 50% of paid fare
48 hours to 7 days 70% of paid fare
8 days or more 95% of paid fare

Note: Refunds are processed in dollars and any amount less than one dollar will be rounded up to the nearest dollar

Refund channels and procedures for tickets bought in cash may differ from tickets paid by e-Payments. Tickets bought by Octopus at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, or by any payment method with Hong Kong Ticket Agents will be treated as tickets bought in cash. Refunds can be processed through the following channels:

12306 Online Ticketing Platform

  • Applicable to12306 registered users
  • Process refund of tickets bought by e-Payments through any ticketing channels and Reimbursement Receipt has not been collected
  • 12306 registered users who have already passed facial verification on the app can first apply for an online refund for tickets bought in cash or tickets with Reimbursement Receipts being collected. They can then bring their original identification documents used to buy the tickets and Reimbursement Receipt (if applicable) to any station within 180 days from the processing date to collect the refunded amount

Stations

  • Process refund of tickets bought from any ticketing channels
  • Present the identification documents used to buy the tickets together with the order number
  • For tickets bought in cash, refund will be processed either in HKD or RMB at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, subject to the currency used to buy the tickets. Refund in Mainland stations will be processed in RMB only
  • For tickets bought by e-Payments, refund will be credited to the original payment means in original currency
  • If a Reimbursement Receipt has been collected, it must be returned when a ticket is refunded

Hong Kong Ticket Agents

  • Limited to tickets bought through the original Ticket Agent. Please present the identification documents used to buy the tickets together with the order number

Reminder: If a Reimbursement Receipt has been collected, ticket refunds must be obtained at stations. 12306 registered users can apply for an online refund and collect the refunded amount at Ticketing Counters in any station. The Receipt must be returned upon fare refund

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions