China Train Ticket Change, Cancel, Refund – Online / at Railway Station
For your China tours by train, this article introduces China train ticket change, cancel, refund policy, for you to learn How to change and cancel train tickets in China.
Passengers who purchase China train tickets can go to the ticket window of railway station or 12306 China Railway website to reschedule their itinerary or change to a new destination, at least 48 hours before departure time. Passengers can change the departure date, train number, class of seats (sleepers), seat (sleepers) number. Currently, you cannot change the departure station.
China Train Ticket Change Policy
1. Passengers can choose any train to take with more than 48 hours prior to the departure of the original ticket. Those who have obtained paper tickets can apply for them at the designated ticket sales window of the railway station. Those who have not exchanged for paper tickets can also go to 12306.cn.
2. There is no handling charge for China train ticket change.
3. China train tickets can only be changed for only once. Tickets that have been changedwill not be changed again. This service is not available for group tickets.
4. If the price of the new ticket is higher than that of the original one, the difference will be made up. If the price of a new ticket is lower than the price of the original ticket, the difference shall be refunded, the difference shall be verified and a refund fee shall be charged and the current standard of refund fee shall be implemented.
Change China Train Tickets at Railway Station:
(1) The railway e-ticket purchased through the station ticket window, ticket vending machine or railway outlets through the electronic payment method can be changed through the designated window at the station. Passengers who have registered on 12306.cn and completed facial identity verification through their mobile APP can also change their railway e-tickets purchased using electronic payment methods through ticket Windows, ticket vending machines, railway outlets and 12306.cn.
(2) ■ You can change the booking to other trains in the pre-sale period, more than 48 hours prior to the departure of your train;
■ You can change the ticket for other trains before the start of the train, or for other trains between the start of your train and 24:00 on the date of the ticket, within 48 hours prior to the departure of your train. The ticket change for the next day or after the date of the ticket will not be handled.
■ Passengers can still change to another train of the day after starting off.
Change China Train Tickets Online:
(1) The e-ticket purchased through 12306.cn can be changed through 12306.cn or the designated window at the railway station. The railway e-ticket with the printed reimbursement voucher should be changed at the designated window of the railway station, and the passenger must return the reimbursement voucher.
(2) ■ You can change the booking to other trains in the pre-sale period, more than 48 hours prior to the departure of your train;
■ You can change the ticket for other trains before the start of the train, or for other trains between the start of your train and 24:00 on the date of the ticket, within 48 hours prior to the departure of your train. The ticket change for the next day or after the date of the ticket will not be handled.
■ Passengers can still change to another train of the day after starting off.
Items you change for a China train ticket
| ＞48 hours | ≤48 hours | After departure | |
| Seat Class | √ | √ | √ |
| Later time of the same day | √ | √ | √ |
| Earliertime of the same day | √ | √ | × |
| Later date | √ | × | × |
| Earlier date | √ | √ | × |
| Arrival station | √ | √ | √ |
| Arrival city | √ | × | × |
| Departure station | √ | √ | √ |
| Departure city | × | × | × |
Documents Needed to Change Train Tickets in China
At present, valid ID cards are not required for train ticket changes or station changes. However, passengers who purchase tickets on 12306.cn using their resident ID cards when changing tickets or arriving at a station at a ticket window should provide the original valid resident ID cards of the passengers they used to purchase the tickets. If the resident ID card cannot be automatically read or other valid ID cards other than the resident ID card like passport are used to purchase the ticket, the original valid ID card of the passenger used at the time of purchasing the ticket and the order number shall be presented.
Please note
If a passenger wants to change his or her seat or berth during the train journey, the train shall be handled if the transport capacity is available. If the changed ticket price is higher than the original ticket price, a premium ticket shall be sold, and the difference between the ticket price and service fee shall be collected after verification. If the price is lower than the original ticket, the difference will not be refunded.
Further reading:
China Train Ticket Cancelation/Refund Policy
1. If the ticket is refunded more than 15 days (excluding) before the departure, the refund fee will not be charged. 5 percent of the ticket price will be charged when the ticket is refunded if it is more than 48 hours (excluding) before the departure of the ticket station. If the ticket is refunded more than 48 hours (excluding) before the departure, the ticket can be changed to other trains within the pre-sale period.
2. For special circumstances, China train tickets can be refunded within 2 hours after the departure of your train.
3. Group tickets can only be cancelled more than 48 hours before departure.
Cancel China Train Tickets at Railway Station:
China train e-tickets purchased through station ticket windows, ticket vending machines, railway outlets and 12306.cn can be refunded through 12306.cn website or designated windows of railway station before departure. Passengers who have registered on 12306.cn and completed facial identity verification through their mobile APP can also use 12306.cn to refund electronic railway tickets purchased through ticket Windows, ticket vending machines, railway outlets and 12306.cn.
For train e-ticket purchased in cash or with printed reimbursement voucher, the ticket can be changed and refunded at the designated window of the station.
Cancellation fees charged by the China Railway
| Time before train departure | Cancellation fee |
| 15 days before departure | No cancellation fee charged |
| More than 48 hours and within 15 days | 5% of the ticket price |
| More than 24 hours and within 48 hours | 0%of the ticket price |
| Less than 24 hours before departure | 20% of the ticket price |
Cancel China Train Tickets Online:
Train tickets purchased on 12306.cn and not checked can be refunded through 12306.cn or the designated window at the railway station before departure.
When refund ticket on 12306.cn, the amount of refund shall be refunded to the online payment tool used when purchasing the ticket at the specified time according to relevant regulations.
Documents Needed to Refund Train Tickets in China
(1) If you refund a China train ticket for yourself, please provide the ticket and the original valid identity certificate used when purchasing the ticket for refund.
(2) If you refund a China train ticket on behalf of another person, please provide the original copy of the ticket and the valid identity certificate of the passenger and the original copy of the valid identity certificate of the passenger used when purchasing the ticket.
(3) If the ID card cannot be automatically read or other valid ID cards other than the ID card like a passport are used to purchase the ticket, please provide the order number.
Further reading: