12306 passport verification in 2026: what to do when it says Verification failed

12306 passport verification: the short answer

12306 checks every foreign passport used to buy a train ticket. If your account shows Verification failed, the app lets you upload a photo of your passport and a photo of yourself holding it. If the details you typed do not exactly match the passport, fix them. The other route is the original passport at a railway station ticket window. Buying online is safe to count on only once your status shows passed.

For the full booking steps after verification, see our 12306 train tickets guide.

12306 says Verification failed. What do I do?

Start by checking the status. On the English app, log in, tap “Me”, then tap the icon at the top left. Your verification status shows there (MTR High Speed Rail). If it says “Verification failed”, you have two ways forward.

1. Reupload online. Tap “Reupload the photo of passenger's ID document” and send a photo of your passport and a photo of yourself holding your passport.
2. Verify in person. Take your original passport to a railway station ticket window. The April 2024 Ministry of Commerce guide lists this as one of the two routes for foreign travelers.

For passport holders, the Chinese 12306 FAQ uses three statuses: 已通过 (passed), 待核验 (pending verification) and 未通过 (not passed). The Chinese site does not use the English words, so we can't tell you which Chinese status your app label matches. Its rule for 未通过 is clear, though. Correct the details on the site so they match the original passport exactly. When the status changes to 待核验, go to the station window. Once your status is 已通过, your identity information cannot be edited.

How to re-upload your passport photo on the 12306 app

The app opens in Simplified Chinese. To switch, tap 我的 (Me) at the bottom right, tap “Set up” at the top right, tap “Language Settings”, then choose “English”. The English platform is for foreign passport holders only.

Then follow the steps above. The MTR guide asks for two photos: your passport, and you holding your passport. It gives no file size, format or lighting requirements.

Why does 12306 reject a passport? How to fill in the name

The 12306 Chinese FAQ gives one reason for a rejection: the information filled in does not exactly match the original passport. None of the 12306, MTR or Ministry of Commerce pages lists common mistakes, so here are the rules they do state.

• Name order. The 12306 Chinese FAQ says to enter the English name from the passport in the order printed on it (item 11). MTR says surname followed by given name, as it appears on the passport.
• Length. MTR says a maximum of 30 characters, and if your name is longer, enter the first 30. The Chinese FAQ says the same for names over 30 characters, and adds that English letters are not case-sensitive.
• Spaces. The two pages differ. MTR says the 30 characters include spaces. The Chinese FAQ says spaces are not entered. Follow what the app shows on the screen.
• Scan or type. MTR recommends “Scan to entry”, which reads the passport for you. “Later on” lets you type the details instead.
• Nationality and passport number. The Beijing government page lists name, nationality and passport number as the fields. Neither that page nor the MTR guide says how to pick or spell the nationality.
• Dates. Neither the Beijing page nor the text of the MTR guide lists date of birth or passport expiry as fields. The 12306 Chinese FAQ (item 22) and English FAQ (item 9) say only valid passports that may be used under the rules can be verified.

How long does 12306 passport verification take?

The 12306 identity-verification FAQ, the MTR guide and the April 2024 Ministry of Commerce guide give no review time. The Ministry of Commerce guide says two things. If you fill in name, nationality and passport number, the system verifies automatically. If you submit a photo of the passport information page, the back office verifies it manually.

To see the result, check your account status. On the English app that is “Me”, then the icon at the top left. On the Chinese site, the account holder's status is under 个人信息 (personal information), and each added passenger's status is under 常用信息管理 (frequently used information) then 乘车人 (passengers).

Can I buy a train ticket if my passport is not verified yet?

Plan on no. The pages say this in different ways, so here is who says what.

Four of those five say you buy after verification passes. Only the English FAQ also names “ready to be verified”, and it does not explain what that status means. Don't count on a pending account being able to buy.

Boarding

The April 2024 guide says you enter and leave the station with the original of the valid ID used to buy the ticket, through automatic gates or staffed channels. The 12306 English FAQ says the same ID must be shown at check-in and boarding (item 2). Neither says what happens to a ticket if the passport is later not verified.

How to verify your passport in person at a railway station

The 12306 English FAQ has no item on station verification. The wording is in the Chinese FAQ, item 7: a passport holder with status 待核验 takes the original passport to the station ticket window. That item names no particular station or window and gives no window hours. If you are in Beijing, our Beijing railway stations guide shows which station is which.

• Not accepted. A temporary ID certificate issued by the police cannot be used for station verification.
• Long or unusual names. The Chinese FAQ says names that are too long, or have rare or traditional characters, can only be handled at the ticket window. You also give the last 4 digits of the registered phone number or the first 3 characters of the registered email.
• “Duplicate identity”. If 12306 shows 身份信息重复, the account holder must go in person, with no agent, with the original ID used to register. The alternative is to follow the prompts online in the mobile app.

Do I need a Chinese phone number for 12306?

The 12306 English FAQ says nothing about phone numbers. MTR describes the rules like this.

• The English platform registers foreign passport holders with an email address only.
• A phone number added to the account for verification before ticket purchase must be a Mainland number (MTR).
• Each passenger gives a mobile number with SMS when buying. Only Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan numbers are accepted.
• Email or a number from those four places works as a contact method for added passengers, and at most 5 passengers on the list can use the same mobile number.

MTR does not list foreign numbers.

Do the people I add as passengers need verification too?

Yes. Each added passenger has their own status, and you add them to “My Passenger” before you buy (MTR). Enter the name, ID type and number accurately. MTR says passengers must pass real-name verification, and its tip says someone who cannot finish online shows “Verification failed” until it is done.

• Limits. MTR says up to 19 passengers per user. The 12306 Chinese FAQ says a total of normally no more than 30, with at most 5 added in 待核验 status at once. The same FAQ adds that the upper limit may be adjusted for Spring Festival and summer travel peaks. The two pages give different totals, so use whichever the app enforces.
• Who can add. Only an account holder with status 已通过 can add passengers. Users with 待核验 or 未通过 cannot.
• Deleting. A passenger with status 已通过 cannot be deleted for 30 days.
• Who you can add. A foreign passport account can add foreign passport holders, Chinese passport holders and Mainland Travel Permit holders. It cannot add holders of a Chinese resident ID card, Hong Kong or Macao residence permit, Taiwan residence permit or foreign permanent resident ID card. On the English platform, MTR says only foreign passport holders recognized by the PRC can be added, and that holders of a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, a PRC Resident Identity Card or a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents should use the Chinese platform.
• Children without ID. The 12306 English FAQ says a child without an ID card can have a ticket bought with the accompanying adult's identity information, under the same order. MTR adds that a child eligible for free travel needs personal identification information at purchase.

When can I buy on 12306?

The 12306 English FAQ says the website provides information queries and ticket refunds 24 hours a day, and ticket sales and endorsement from 5:00 to 1:00 the next day (5:00 to 23:30 on Tuesday). Our 12306 refund and change fees guide covers what happens after you buy.

Once your passport shows as passed, the booking steps are in the 12306 train tickets guide. For the cities on your route, see Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.