Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any age limit for 12306 account registration?

Online ticketing service is mainly for adults although age limit is not applied on account registration. Minors aged below 18 (especially children aged below 14) who wish to register a personal 12306 account, please make sure they fully understand the terms and conditions and ask for assistance from their parents or guardian if necessary.

Why does 12306 online ticketing English platform not accept all kinds of personal identification documents for registration?

The English platform is a simplified version to facilitate foreign passport holders for ticket purchase. Passengers holding other types of personal identification document should use the Chinese platform in order to enjoy a more comprehensive ticketing service.

Can I buy tickets immediately after account registration?

The 12306 registered users whose identity status is either "Pass" or "Pre-pass" can buy tickets, after verification of mobile phone number. However, foreign passport holders with identity verification status as "To be verified" can still buy tickets before they complete identity verification at Ticketng Counters at station, provided they have verified their mobile phone number.

What should I do if the identity verification result is "To be verified"?

Please bring your original identification document for account registration to the designated Ticketing Counter at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station or Mainland stations for verification. You can authorise another person for identity verification at station on your behalf. The authorised person should also present his/her own original personal identification document for checking.

Can I buy ticket if the identity verification result is "To be verified"?

Except registered users holding foreign passport, users whose status shown as "To be verified" must pass the identity verification at station in order to buy tickets or add others to their passenger list.

What is facial verification?

Facial verification is for checking the facial characteristics against the registered personal identification document through the China Railway 12306 mobile app (Chinese platform only). Those 12306 registered users who have passed the facial verification can enjoy more ticketing services on top of ticket purchase.

What should I do if I cannot pass the facial verification via the China Railway 12306 mobile app?

Foreign passport holders or any registered users, who cannot pass the facial verification through the mobile app, may process the verification in person at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station or Mainland stations by presenting the original personal identification document.

Can the same person be added to the Passenger List in different 12306 China Railway registered accounts?

Yes. The same person can be added to no more than 5 Passenger Lists of 12306 registered users (including his/her own account).

Can tickets for those people in the Passenger List be bought only after identity verification?

Yes, except passengers holding foreign passports before identity verification.

Why the registered users cannot remove their passengers from the list?

Information of passengers with status of "Not pass" and "To be verified" can be removed any time while passengers with other status can only be removed after 30 days of registration.

Why are seats not assigned according to my preference?

If there are insufficient seats according to your preference, the system will assign the seats randomly from the remaining seats.

Seats will be assigned to passengers on English platform.

Are all train tickets be shown on the 12306 online ticketing platform?

12306 online ticketing platform displays all trains of cross boundary and Mainland domestic journeys during the pre-sale period except those departed trains. "Standby" will be shown if tickets are sold out for a particular train.

Why can't I open two browsers at the same time for ticket purchase on China Railway 12306.cn?

You are not allowed to make a new purchase before completing the payment of the existing order.

What is "Standby ticket"?

"Standby ticket" is a unique service of 12306 online ticketing platform (Chinese platform only). If ticket or Class of Travel of particular train is not available, you can place a Standby ticket order specifying travel date, train and Class of Travel, etc. The order must be fully paid in advance. The system will automatically put your order in the waiting list according to your pre-set cut-off time of order commitment.

Can all registered users buy "Standby tickets"?

No, registered users can buy the "Standby tickets" after passing the facial verification or activating their 12306 loyalty programme account.

What are the train selection criteria for "Standby ticket"?

Each registered user can hold 2 "Standby ticket" orders. You can choose two consecutive travel dates for each order with five different combinations of "train and Class of Travel" for each travel date.

Can I choose different Class of Travel for "Standby ticket"?

Yes, but all passengers on the same departure should choose the same Class of Travel.

What fare should I pay if I have selected tickets of different Class of Travel for my "Standby ticket"?

The system will charge the highest fares. The fare difference will be refunded to the original payment account If the tickets of lower fare are bought finally.

Can passengers change the departure date of "Standby ticket"?

No. If you wish to change the departure date or Class of Travel, you may cancel the standby order and place a new order.

Is there any notification if the "Standby ticket" is successfully fulfilled?

Notification of successful fulfilment or order expiry will be sent to the passengers via their pre-set notification method. They can also check the standby ticket status in their 12306 account.

Can I alter or refund the "Standby ticket"?

Yes, ticket alteration or refund will be handled according to regular rules.

How many times can a "Standby ticket order" be cancelled?

Standby ticket order cancellation is limited to five times a day. You cannot submit a new standby ticket order if exceeding the cancellation limit of the day.

Can all passengers in the same order sit together?

Seats are subject to availability. Passengers may be arranged to sit in different coaches.

Why does the online ticketing platform show an overtime error and that the ticket purchase cannot be completed?

When booking tickets on 12306 online ticketing platform, passengers must complete the purchase process within the time limit once submitting the order after selecting passengers from their pre-set passenger list.

Why can't I buy tickets after order cancellations?

You can only cancel up to three orders a day via China Railway 12306 online ticketing platform which includes order not completed within payment time limit. If you reach the cancellation limit, you cannot buy a ticket within the day.

How many times can I request for ticket refund online?

You can only get a ticket refund up to three times a day. If you exceed the limit, you cannot buy, alter or get a refund on the same day.

Why can't I cancel 12306 account?

You are not allowed to cancel your account if you still have outstanding a standby order or ticket not yet used.