China has optimized its train ticket purchasing and checking services for foreign travelers, the China State Railway Group announced on November 28 on its official WeChat account. Foreign travelers holding ordinary passports can now upload their personal information online at the platform of 12306, by providing their name, nationality and passport number. They can also upload pictures of their passports to the platform to be verified. After finishing verification, the international travelers can buy train tickets online. Previously, verification of the personal information of foreign passport holders could only be done on-site by staff at railway stations, making buying railway tickets less convenient compared to Chinese citizens, who only needed to provide their name, ID card number and a picture of their ID card. On-site services at railway stations will remain available, in addition to the online procedure, the Beijing Service mini app on WeChat reported.
