Checking Passport Name and Document Details on 12306

The quick answer: read the passport labels, then the current 12306 instructions

The public 12306 English registration guide labels the name as “Surname+Given Names”: surname first, followed by given names. Read the separately labelled fields in your current passport rather than reversing the name from memory or using your everyday introduction order. The plus sign is the diagram's heading; it is not an instruction to type a literal plus sign.

The official English registration page has a single “Name” field and a link called “Check the rules for filling out passport information.” Its first passport example maps surname and given names to that name heading, alongside the other document fields. Checked 31 October 2026. This describes the public English website and the reviewed example, not every possible version of the app or every passport format.

For spaces, hyphens, accents, long names, a single name or any unclear prompt, follow the current applicable instructions or ask 12306. The reviewed diagram does not establish a universal character limit or a rule for rewriting those names. Successful typing, a saved passenger or a payment attempt should not be treated as proof that all identity checks are complete.

Read surname and given names as document fields

Place the current original passport beside the booking record. Find its surname or family-name field and its given-name field. Include the document's name components in your comparison; do not substitute a nickname, an initial or the first name you normally use. A person who uses a middle name socially may have several names together in the passport's given-name field.

For an invented label-reading example, suppose a passport shows Surname: RIVERA and Given names: ALEX MORGAN. Under the official diagram's surname-then-given-names structure, the surname component is RIVERA and the given-name components are ALEX MORGAN. This example identifies the components and their order. It does not demonstrate a tested 12306 input string, required spacing or a valid passport record.

The official illustrated passport itself shows separate surname and given-name labels. Do not copy its sample name, number or dates into your own record. Its layout is a field-finding example, not a template to change a person's identity.

Use the current form's guidance for how those components must be entered. If the fields in your document do not fit the guide clearly, keep the question unresolved and seek official assistance. Do not invent a surname, discard a name or copy the filler symbols in the passport's machine-readable lines into a name field simply to make a form accept it.

Compare the required fields before selecting the passenger

The public English registration form shows nationality, name, passport number, passport expiration date, date of birth and gender, alongside separate account fields. Its notice says that only foreign passports are accepted for registration at present. The English FAQ's accepted-document answer likewise describes valid foreign passports usable under the applicable requirements. That is the English website's scope; it does not describe every document accepted through every railway channel.

Read account fields separately. “Username” is an account identifier, while “Name” is passenger identity information. A rule shown beside an account field is not automatically a rule for the passport-name field. Likewise, the account holder and the passenger in a companion booking may be different people.

For a group, repeat the check for each selected passenger. A correctly entered account-holder passport does not verify a companion's record. Compare the actual selection, rather than assuming a similarly named saved passenger is the one you intended to book.

If a name or system prompt is unclear, ask the specific question

Pause before editing identity information by trial and error. A form may accept text without showing whether that text satisfies the later identity process. Keep the exact non-sensitive error wording and field label so you can ask a focused question.

Ask, “For this passport's name structure, what should I enter in this field on this channel?” If a ticket already exists, also ask about the appropriate correction procedure for that booking. A general name-format answer does not by itself resolve an existing order.

You can first describe the structure without publishing a full passport image. If the official service needs document information, provide it through the appropriate private channel and follow its instructions. Do not send a passport scan, password or payment details to a public forum while asking how a field works.

Check the saved passenger and the actual order separately

The 12306 English FAQ tells users buying for others to add them to “My Passengers” and enter their name, valid document type and number accurately. It also refers to identity-information statuses and corresponding website prompts. Read the actual status and instruction shown for your passenger; this article does not promise a verification time or interpret every app status as identical.

For a renewed passport, compare its current number and dates with the saved record before a new purchase. If an existing order uses the old document, explain that specific situation to the booking channel or railway staff. Do not assume you can silently change an order's document or use whichever passport is easiest to carry.

Describe the problem precisely: selected wrong passenger, mistyped number, renewed passport, unclear name entry or unresolved verification prompt. These are different questions. Keep the original reference and any official response so you can follow the instructed next step. Ticket availability, correction, rebooking, change and refund outcomes remain subject to the applicable process.

Keep the required document accessible and the help note private

For e-tickets, the English FAQ says to retain the ticket information and the valid identity document used to buy the ticket, and show that document for station entry, exit and boarding. It also says an itinerary sheet and reimbursement receipt are not tickets. A screenshot can help you recall a reference; it does not replace the required original identity document.

Keep the passport accessible rather than buried in luggage. Save the train number, date, exact stations and booking reference privately. For interpreting the journey fields, use the Chinese train-ticket field guide. Identity details and journey details both matter, but are different parts of the check.

A shared group itinerary usually needs meeting time, train and station details; it does not need everyone's complete document numbers or scans. Keep the private identity check separately and share only what the relevant person or official service needs. This article's blank records intentionally let you use a passenger reference instead of writing a full passport number in every working copy.

Four fictional examples show the check to make

These examples are invented to illustrate questions, not tested bookings or railway decisions.

1. Everyday name order replaces the passport labels

A traveler introduces themself using a given name first and copies that order without reading the labelled surname field.

Check: locate surname and given names in the current passport, then use the applicable official name-entry instructions.

The official diagram provides surname-then-given-names structure. It does not settle every punctuation or spacing question.

2. A saved record belongs to the previous passport

A traveler has renewed their passport and recognizes their name in “My Passengers,” so assumes all the details are current.

Check: compare the current number, expiry and required fields with the actual saved passenger before a new purchase.

If an order already exists under the older document, ask about that order's procedure rather than assuming a saved-profile edit fixes it.

3. A companion shares a similar name

A group organizer selects a familiar saved name without comparing the document details of the companion travelling this time.

Check: match the selected passenger to that companion's current passport, then review the identity information in the actual order.

The organizer's account identity cannot substitute for the selected passenger's identity.

4. A hyphen is removed to clear an error

A traveler sees a name-field error and wants to remove punctuation because an online comment says that always works.

Check: retain the non-sensitive field prompt and ask 12306 how to enter that name structure on the current channel.

Acceptance of a text field alone is not evidence that the changed identity will satisfy later checks. Do not promise a fix from another person's experience.

Copy two private records and check six interpretations

Use the first record before payment and the second when you need official help. Put the exact field and stage into the question. Keep full document details private and do not use this worksheet as a boarding credential.

12306 — PRIVATE PASSPORT FIELD CHECK
Passenger reference used in this working note:
Current original passport checked on:
Surname and given-name labels located:
Name entry compared with the current official instructions:
Document type and number compared privately:
Nationality, birth date and expiry checked:
Other required document fields checked:
Saved passenger selected for this actual booking:
Order identity details checked before payment:
Unresolved field or prompt requiring official help:
Keep full document numbers and passport images out of shared copies.

12306 — QUESTION FOR OFFICIAL HELP
Channel or page I am using: English website / app / other:
Stage: saved passenger / unpaid order / paid order / station:
Exact field label and non-sensitive error wording:
The discrepancy or unusual name structure:
Whether the passport was renewed since the saved record:
Question about the permitted entry or correction procedure:
Official response, date and next action:
Booking details to provide privately through the appropriate channel:
Do not include passwords, payment details or full passport scans in this note.

Download the two blank records, three field-check tables and six explained cases. Check the current official instructions again when using the records.