Signing in to 12306 does not establish that every companion is verified for booking. Check both the account holder and each passenger, and match the ticket to the document used for travel.
What to have ready
Before you start
Current 12306 guidance includes Mainland Travel Permits, including non-Chinese permits, and applicable passports, with document-specific passenger and verification arrangements. Enter the name from the original rather than arbitrarily simplifying characters, inserting spaces or changing romanisation. Official guidance directs certain long, rare-character or traditional-character name cases to a station counter. Keep the error and account contact details so the staff can identify the actual record rather than creating a duplicate under a modified name.
What to do, step by step
- Select the correct category on official 12306 and compare name, number, date of birth and expiry with the document. Do not substitute a Chinese-permit category for a non-Chinese document to pass validation.
- Inspect the current result for the registrant and every passenger. Follow the displayed upload or reporting instruction instead of assuming an old tutorial's status labels or a saved passenger entry establishes successful verification.
- For failure or a special-name case, check the official counter requirements and bring relevant originals and account-contact clues. If another person attends, confirm both parties' required documents under the applicable instructions.
- After verification, book the actual date and check passenger, station and document details again. Allow time for the appropriate manual or gate validation rather than using account approval as a boarding guarantee.
Costs, timing, and things to check
A travel permit, residence permit and passport represent different records. Ask the railway about existing tickets after replacement or a document change; changing a profile image or display name does not update ticket identity.
A third-party purchase service and official 12306 identity verification are different processes. A booking agent's promise still requires an actual issued ticket with correct passenger and document information before travel is established.
A practical example
A family of three logs in and finds two verified passengers and a child awaiting further action. The parent checks the child's actual document category and name and follows railway instructions, without substituting the parent's permit for the child. Before departure, all three tickets are checked against their own originals. One verified adult account does not establish a child's booking eligibility or remove individual document requirements at boarding.
Verify each person's document separately and resolve special-name cases through the official counter.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.