How do I take a high-speed train in China with a foreign passport?

Start with Railway 12306. Enter your name and passport details as they appear on the document. The official guide offers three identity-check routes: automatic verification online, a passport-photo upload for manual review, or a station ticket office with the original passport. Do this before the day you travel, so a pending check does not become a station errand.

The passport used to buy the ticket is the one to carry. For an electronic ticket, the railway says to show that document when entering, leaving and boarding; the printed itinerary sheet and reimbursement receipt are not tickets. Railway guidance sends passengers using documents other than its listed machine-readable cards through a staffed identity and ticket lane. Follow the lane staff point you to, rather than treating a printed order as your ticket.

At the station, your bag and belongings go through security. Look at the departure display for your waiting room, gate and platform; the railway says announcements and staff also give those details. Ticket checks stop before departure, and stations post the cutoff. If you have another train, read the departure station and train number on that booking, then check its gate on the display. Give yourself room for the walk and any queue instead of guessing a universal arrival time.

As of September 30, 2026, Railway 12306 sets the presale window at 15 days, including the sale day. Check its announcements when planning a holiday trip: the railway says it announces any change to that window in advance.

A ticket can be changed once if another suitable train has space. Under the current 12306 rules, changing at least 48 hours before departure to a train within the presale window is free. Inside 48 hours, moving to a train on or before the original travel date is free; moving to a later date in the window carries a fee. After departure, you can still change the ticket before midnight on the original travel date: another train that day is free, while a later date carries a fee.

If you need to cancel instead, 12306 grades refund fees by the time left before departure; read the amount for your order before confirming. The railway does not give one arrival time for every station. Stations post when ticket checks stop, so look up your station's cutoff and allow for security and the staffed document lane.