China Travel Decisions · Travel troubleshooting
12306 Passport Verification Failed? Fix Pending or Rejected Status (2026)
Choose the failure you can observe and follow a verified next step.
Which screen is in front of you?
Select what you see. Your specific fix and success check appear below.
What this screen means
Select a card above. Only that fault opens.
What went wrong
Foreign passport names are relatively complex, and inaccurate or non-standard information entry is common, so automatic passport verification succeeds less often and many checks need manual comparison, generally taking 3 to 5 working days.
Do this immediately
Check the verification status of the registration user under personal information and of the passenger under the passenger list before trying to buy again.
Log in to 12306 and open the personal information and passenger list to confirm the record is still pending.
You are done when
The registration user or passenger record shows a passed status, and the verified passenger can be selected when buying a ticket on 12306.
Step 1
Log in to 12306 and open the personal information and passenger list to confirm the record is still pending.
Step 2
Follow the system prompt to fill name, nationality and document number, or optionally upload a photo of the passport information page for manual review.
Step 3
Wait for the manual comparison, which generally takes 3 to 5 working days, and check the status again before buying.
Step 4
If time is short, take the passport original to a station ticket window to verify in person.
If this is not resolved
If time is short, take the passport original to a station ticket window to verify in person. If this still is not resolved, use the fallback below.
What went wrong
The identity information entered on the site does not exactly match the valid passport original, so the record fails verification and must be corrected to match the document before re-checking.
Do this immediately
Check the verification status of the registration user under personal information and of the passenger under the passenger list before trying to buy again.
Compare every field entered on 12306 with the passport original, including name order and spelling.
You are done when
After the details are corrected to match the passport and verification is completed, the record shows a passed status and online purchase is no longer blocked.
Step 1
Compare every field entered on 12306 with the passport original, including name order and spelling.
Step 2
Correct the details so they exactly match the passport original and save; the status should return to pending.
Step 3
Complete verification online, or take the passport original to a station ticket window.
Step 4
If the name is very long, contains rare characters or traditional characters, handle verification only at the station ticket window and provide the last 4 digits of the registered phone number or the first 3 characters of the registered email.
If this is not resolved
If the name is very long, contains rare characters or traditional characters, handle verification only at the station ticket window and provide the last 4 digits of the registered phone number or the first 3 characters of the registered email. If this still is not resolved, use the fallback below.
What to do for that state
Do not do this
- Do not create multiple slightly different passenger records for the same traveler to get around a pending review.
- Do not use a temporary identity certificate issued by the police to complete identity verification at a station window; it is not accepted.
- Do not expect a not-passed record to buy a ticket on the 12306 online platform.
If that still fails
Online passport verification does not complete in time or the record stays not passed close to the travel date.
- Take the passport original to a railway station ticket window and ask staff to verify the identity information.
- If a passenger record must be verified, bring the passenger's valid document original and the registrant's registration document original.
- If you cannot go in person, entrust someone else to handle verification at the station ticket window with both the agent's and the registrant's valid document originals.
Write down: The verification status shown before and after the window visit, The station, window and date of the in-person check, The passport details as entered on 12306.
Show this to staff
Railway station ticket window staff
我的外国护照在12306身份核验没有通过，网上无法购票。请帮我核对注册信息与护照原件是否完全一致，并办理身份信息核验。
My foreign passport did not pass 12306 identity verification and I cannot buy a ticket online. Please check that my registered details exactly match my passport original and complete the identity verification.
If you are still stuck
The record stays pending or not passed after correcting the details and visiting a station ticket window.
Check the next official step
This page covers what to check and do when 12306 passport verification is pending or not passed, based on the fetched official reply and help pages. It does not state a success rate, a guaranteed processing time beyond the general 3 to 5 working days for manual comparison, or any fee.
Read the official reply on foreign passport verification timing and causes
Sources
Checked 22 October 2026.
Official sources — expand evidence and links
No public operator page with usable verification instructions was fetched for this run; the 12306 help page supplied is treated as traveler-tier evidence.
Traveler case reports — expand evidence and links
Traveler case reports
- 中国铁路12306 身份核验常见问题 2026-10-22. Help page describing statuses and window procedures; not a measured failure rate.
- 铁路部门优化外籍旅客出行服务（外国护照在线身份核验） 2026-10-22. News report on the online verification service; not a measured success rate.
- VisaMemo 如何使用外国护照注册 12306 2026-10-22. Third-party guide; case guidance only, not a measured rate.
Official rules and service procedures can change. CTD is an independent travel resource, not the responsible authority or service provider. Check the linked official source before acting.