Book tickets in advance:

High-speed rail tickets are in high demand during holidays. Plan your trip early and book as soon as possible. Tickets generally become available up to 15 days in advance.

Verify your ID information accurately:

When booking online, ensure that the name and passport number you enter exactly match your travel documents. The 12306 system does not allow spaces or hyphens ("-") in the name field, and the character length may be limited. For example, a passport name like "Martin Jeffery Thomas James" should be entered as "MartinJefferyThomasJames".

Arrive at the station early:

Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to allow enough time to locate the correct gate, pass through the security check, and complete real-name verification.

Ticket check & boarding:

Paper tickets are not required. You may scan the "Ride Code" generated in the 12306 app to enter the station. If you booked using your passport, you may also present the original passport at the manual inspection channel for verification.

Selecting train type & seat class:

Train types: G-series trains are the fastest (300+ km/h), while D-series trains operate at slightly lower speeds (200–250 km/h).

Seat classes: Options generally include Second Class (most economical), First Class (more spacious), and Business Class (most comfortable).