Railway Ticket Receipts to Go Fully Digital

[Photo via VCG]

From October 1, 2025, all receipts (fapiao) of China's entire railway passenger transport sector will be fully digitized. Paper receipts for reimbursement will no longer be issued to passengers traveling on or after this date. Within 180 days after their completion of a journey or their processing of a refund or ticket change, passengers can apply for a digital receipt via the Railway 12306 platform, as well as ticket counters and self-service ticket machines at railway stations.

How does the new service work?

To help passengers who may have difficulty with online activities, such as senior citizens and people without Internet access, railway authorities have added application channels and services allowing them and their agents to request receipts offline. Passengers can present their valid ID used for ticket purchase at a station's ticket counter or a self-service ticket machine to apply for a paper slip with a QR code on it (扫码开票单). After they or their agents scan the QR code with the Railway 12306 (铁路12306) App and fill in the required information, a digital receipt will be issued after verification.

Ticket purchasers and their agents may apply for digital receipts on behalf of passengers for purchased tickets, refund fees, or alteration fees. For any ticket purchased, refunded, or changed via the Railway 12306 platform, a digital receipt can be applied for at a ticket counter by presenting the passenger's valid ID used at the time of purchase, or by providing the order number and the purchaser's (or agent's) valid ID. For any ticket purchased at a ticket counter, if a receipt is required, it can be obtained on-site by using the passenger's valid ID; if the passenger's ID cannot be provided, the purchaser's ID may be used instead. If an agent requires a receipt after applying for a refund or change of a ticket, a digital railway receipt for the refund or alteration fee may be obtained on-site by using the passenger's ID. The ticket counter will provide a paper slip with a QR code on it, allowing the purchaser (or agent) to scan the QR code to complete the required information, and after verification, a digital receipt will be issued.

After obtaining digital receipts, passengers can check, download, and obtain them via email through the Railway 12306 platform or the "Personal Income Tax" (个人所得税) App. In case of receipt information errors, changes in enterprise information, etc., applications can be made for the receipt re-issuance within the original receipt issuance deadline three times. Digital receipts for group tickets (tourist groups, student groups, and study trips) cannot be applied for by specific passenger(s). Instead, the purchasers can follow the prescribed procedure to obtain the receipts. The extant railway receipts for reimbursement will remain unaffected for non-real-name tickets, paper tickets for emergencies, and cross-border/boundary passenger transport tickets processed outside the railway ticket system.

Notice

Passengers traveling on or before September 30 can still obtain paper receipts for reimbursement. After the discontinuation of paper receipts, railway authorities will send digital travel information via the Railway 12306 APP and SMS notifications, and will provide printing services for trip information slip (行程信息提示单) for passengers upon request. The slip can be printed out at railway stations' service counters and self-service machines.

Detailed procedures are available on the Railway 12306 website and its APP, station notices, and the official Weibo and WeChat accounts of China Railway (中国铁路).

Source: China Railway