ChinaPass中国生存包

🚄 Book trains with a passport

High-speed rail (12306)

Book trains with a passport

Reviewed 2026-09-07

Step by step

  1. Use the English site

    Register at en.12306.cn — name must match your passport exactly. Only foreign passports are accepted on the English site.

    Open en.12306.cn

  2. Pick your train

    Shanghai → Hangzhou is ~1h, ¥73. Second class is fine.

    Choose train

  3. Get e-ticket

    Show the QR + passport at the gate. First login may require verification at a station ticket office. Sales run 5:00–23:00.

    Done

Good to know

Book 2–3 days ahead in peak season.

Frequently asked questions

Changes and refunds?

Changes are free once per ticket. Refund fees scale with timing — free 8+ days before departure, then 5-20% closer in.

Need a paper itinerary?

Print or export an e-ticket itinerary from en.12306.cn — useful for reimbursement, not for boarding.

Which station?

Double-check! Big cities have several (Shanghai: Hongqiao vs Station). The station name is on your ticket.

Payment methods?

The English site takes international Visa/Mastercard. Or pay inside Alipay/WeChat mini-program.

If something goes wrong

verification-pending

Passport verification stuck on “pending” / activation email never arrives

Likely cause: Manual review queue (usually 1–3 working days, longer around holidays); 12306's mail gateway is unreliable with Outlook/Hotmail.

What to do: Don't resubmit — it puts you back in the queue. An unverified email usually doesn't block buying tickets. Stuck for days? Take your passport to a station's foreign-passenger service window for manual verification (5–10 min). Your name must match the passport machine-readable zone exactly.

payment-failed

Visa/Mastercard payment fails or 3-D Secure hangs

Likely cause: Bank risk rules, flaky in-app 3DS redirects, VPN interference, or system maintenance (01:00–05:00 China time).

What to do: Turn off your VPN. Pick seats in the app, then complete payment on the website. Or pay through Alipay/WeChat (bind your card there first). Last resort: Trip.com (adds a service fee) or the station ticket window. Don't hammer retry — it triggers risk control.

gate-wont-scan

The gate won't scan your passport

Likely cause: Gates are optimized for Chinese ID cards; foreign e-passports vary by station.

What to do: Use the manual staffed lane and show the physical passport — photos or screenshots don't work. Arrive 45–60 minutes early.

sold-out

Your train is sold out

What to do: Use the official Waitlist (候补): up to 6 orders with 60 train-seat combinations, prepaid and auto-refunded if unfulfilled, with a deadline as late as 20 minutes before departure. The official waitlist beats third-party ticket-snagging apps. Requires completed passport verification.

Official apps and links

More guides