Guide to Identity Verification for Buying Train Tickets in China_外事简讯

I User Registration

01 Enter the "Register" section

Foreign passport holders can access the 12306 China Railway App or the official website of the China Railway for user registration. Please click on "Register" (注册) on the login page to start registration.

02 Fill in personal information

In the information filling section, foreign passport holders may select the "Type" (证件类型) from the drop-down list and choose "Passport" (护照), enter the information according to the prompts and ensure that the filled information precisely match their passport bio pages. Each user is also required to enter either an email address or mobile phone number in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan for contact.

Bilingual guide to enter passport information

An example of information filling for registration on the App

The "Information Filling" section on the official website of the China Railway

03 Complete registration

After completion of information filling, please click on "Next" (下一步) at the bottom of the page to submit the information.

1. Any user who registered with a mobile phone number must verify the mobile phone number via a text message before completing the registration;

App – Verification with a mobile phone number in the Chinese mainland

App – Verification with a mobile phone number in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan

Website – Verification with a mobile phone number in the Chinese mainland

Website – Verification with a mobile phone number in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan

2. Any user who registered with an email address will receive an activation email from 12306@rails.com.cn after clicking "Complete" (完成注册), and shall click on the link for activation according to the email instructions. The user can also request a second activation email after logging in to the account to complete email verification.

For more specific instructions, please refer to the "Contact Information Verification" part at the end of this article.

App – Any user who registered with an email address must activate the account according to the email instructions.

Website – Successful registration via email

II Identity Verification for Users

Holding Foreign Passports

1. Upon submission of registration information, user identity will be automatically verified.

Users can log in to the 12306 China Railway App and check the current status of their identity review in the "Me" (我的) section. Users who have passed the identity verification will see "Authenticated" (已实名认证) while those who failed to pass the identity verification will see "Unauthenticated" (未实名认证) displayed on their account.

Users can also log in to the website to check the current status of their identity review via "View Personal Information" (查看个人信息). Users who have passed the identity verification will see "Successful" (已通过) while those failing the identity verification will see "Failed" (未通过) displayed on their account.

App – For a user who has passed real-name authentication

App – For a user who has failed real-name authentication

Website – For a user who has passed real-name authentication

Website – For a user who has failed real-name authentication

2. For Users Failing the Verification

Users who have failed the identity verification may make modifications in the section of "Personal Information" (个人信息) and resubmit or go to the ticket counters with valid ID documents for verification or complete the identity verification by uploading the photocopies of their ID documents online.

NOTICE

Users will not be able to purchase tickets or add any other passenger information before completing identity verification. To ensure successful ticket purchase, please complete identity verification as soon as possible.

The steps to upload a photocopy of an ID document online for identity verification are as follows:

01 Modify information

Via App: "Me" (我的) - Click on the avatar - "Personal information" (个人信息)

Via Website: "My 12306" (个人中心) – "View personal information" (查看个人信息) – "Edit" (编辑)

Modifying personal information via the App

Modifying personal information via the website

02 Upload photos according to requirements

Click on the "Upload Photos for Verification" (上传照片核验) button on the personal information page to access the ID verification page and upload a photo of "the passport's bio page" (护照信息页) and a photo of "the user holding his/her own passport bio page" (本人手持护照信息页) according to requirements. Click on "Upload Now" (立即上传) to submit the information.

"Person and ID Verification" section on the App

"Person and ID Verification" section on the website

03 Verification

The verification process usually takes three to five working days upon information submission. Users will see their status automatically changed to "Successful" if approved, or be notified through an App notification message if not. Please pay close attention to any updates regarding your status.

To check the review status, users can query via "Me" (我的) – "Common Functions" (常用功能) – "Person and ID Verification" (人证核验) via the App.

App - Explanation for manual review status

Website – Prompt of pending

Website – Prompt of failing the review

III Add Information of Passengers

01 Add Passenger Information

Via App: "Me" (我的) – "Passenger" (乘车人)

Via website: "My 12306" (个人中心) – "Passenger" (乘车人)

02 Identity Verification

After the passenger information is filled and submitted, identity verification will be automatically initiated.

The user may purchase train tickets for any passenger who passes the verification. If the passenger failed identity verification, please modify the information and resubmit for identity verification or choose to "Upload Photos for Verification" (上传照片核验) for manual verification or go to a ticket counter for verification with the original valid ID document used during registration to complete the verification process.

"Passenger Information Filling" section on the App

"Passenger Information Filling" section on the website

IV Identity Verification for Passengers

Holding Foreign Passports

1. For Passengers Failing the Verification

If a passenger failed the verification, the user may click on the passenger's name in the passenger list and follow the pop-up guidance for verification. The user may also click on "Upload Photo for Verification" (上传照片核验) button on the editing page to upload the ID photo of the passenger concerned for verification or go to a ticket counter for verification with the passenger's original valid ID document used during registration to complete the verification process.

2. Upload a photo of passport bio page and wait for review result.

"Person and ID Verification" section on the App

App - Explanation for manual review status

"Person and ID Verification" section on the website

Website - Prompt of pending

Website – Prompt of failing the passenger verification

Verification of Contact Information

Any user who registered with an email address needs to access his/her email and follow the instructions to activate the account after the registration is completed. The user may complete the verification of email contact information after logging in to his/her account. If the email link has expired, the user may resend the activation email. Specifically, the steps are as follows:

01 Send an Activation Email

Via App: "Me" (我的) - Click on the avatar - "Mailbox" (邮箱) - "Send email" (发送邮件)

Via website: "Me" (我的) – "View personal information" (查看个人信息) – "Verify email" (验证邮箱)

Steps to activate by email via the App

Steps to activate by email via the website

02 Confirm and Activate

Every user may receive an activation email from 12306@rails.com.cn and activate the account by clicking the link according to email instructions.

Any user who registered with an email address needs to activate the account according to email instructions.

(Source: 12306.cn)