Buy the train ticket on the official site

What the English site says

The 12306 English FAQ says the English site handles purchase, endorsement, refund, and a change of destination, and that the identity document it accepts is a valid foreign passport. The same passport is what you use at the station gate.

The English homepage states that ticket sales and endorsement run from 5:00 to 1:00 the next day, and until 23:30 on Tuesday, while information lookup and refunds run all day. Confirm that clock on the site the week you travel.

A provincial restatement of the same rules

A June 2026 page from the Hunan provincial government, citing a Ministry of Commerce guide, says foreign travelers complete identity verification in the 12306 English site or app, or with the passport at a station window, and can then pay. It also says a station window can take a Chinese or foreign bank card, cash, or a mobile wallet. If the app will not take your card, the window is the backup, not a forum thread.

The mistake that strands people

The name and passport number on the ticket have to match the passport you will carry. A shortened middle name, or a ticket bought on someone else's document, is a gate problem, not a spelling quibble.

• Register on the official English site and wait until the passport check passes.
• Book the city pair there, and pay inside the time the page shows.
• Arrive at a large station earlier than you would for a small-town train. The halls are the size of airports.
• Keep the same passport in your hand, not a photocopy.

• 12306 English siteOfficial China Railway
• 12306 English FAQWhat the English site accepts
• Hunan government Q&ATicket steps for foreign travelers

Questions

How many days ahead do tickets open?

The railway sets a pre-sale window and prints it on 12306. Use that calendar. A number remembered from a blog goes stale.

Is a photo of the ticket enough?

The gate reads the identity document you bought with. Carry that passport.