Child Train Tickets guide
China Train Child Tickets: Ages, IDs and Seats
Book China train tickets for children with the current age rules, correct identity document, free-child declaration, seat decision, and station backup.
Railway child-ticket, identity, berth, and declaration rules can be updated. The current Railway Passenger Transport Regulations, live 12306 booking flow, and station instructions control the trip.
Quick answer
Apply the current age rule, declare every free child, match the identity document, and buy a separate ticket whenever the child needs a seat or berth.
Use this practical sequence to prepare, act, and recover if the normal plan does not work:
- Calculate the child's age for the travel date and determine whether the booking needs a free declaration, child discount ticket, or full-price ticket.
- Create the child passenger using the valid identity document that will be carried and keep names and document numbers exact.
- For one eligible under-six child per paid adult without a separate seat, complete the official free-child declaration before travel.
- Buy a ticket when the child needs a separate seat or berth, or when the number of under-six children exceeds the free allowance.
Applies to families taking china railway trains with children under 14, adults declaring one accompanying child under six who will not occupy a separate seat, foreign-passport families who need each child's identity details matched correctly.
Key facts
Calculate the child's age for the travel date and determine whether the booking needs a free declaration, child discount ticket, or full-price ticket.
Use the official free-child declaration function or ask a station ticket counter before boarding.
Share the accompanying adult's space as permitted or buy an available child ticket for a separate seat.
Correct the passenger or ticket through an official channel before travel and carry the matching original document.
The official system records each child passenger and ticket type.
Age, seat use, identity, and adult accompaniment determine the booking path.
Step-by-step plan
- 01
Calculate the child's age for the travel date and determine whether the booking needs a free declaration, child discount ticket, or full-price ticket.
- 02
Create the child passenger using the valid identity document that will be carried and keep names and document numbers exact.
- 03
For one eligible under-six child per paid adult without a separate seat, complete the official free-child declaration before travel.
- 04
Buy a ticket when the child needs a separate seat or berth, or when the number of under-six children exceeds the free allowance.
- 05
Carry the original adult and child documents and allow extra time for a staffed channel if an automated gate or online profile cannot verify them.
When the normal plan fails
The free child is missing from the booking.
Use the official free-child declaration function or ask a station ticket counter before boarding.
The child has no reserved seat.
Share the accompanying adult's space as permitted or buy an available child ticket for a separate seat.
The child's name or passport number is wrong.
Correct the passenger or ticket through an official channel before travel and carry the matching original document.
A family has two under-six children with one paid adult.
Buy the required child discount ticket for the additional child and verify seating before payment.
Practical details
Source cross-check
This guide was checked against China Railway 12306 child-ticket rules; the Railway Passenger Transport Regulations; the State Council age-rule explanation. They consistently support the age-based rule and the one-under-six, no-separate-seat allowance. Older height-based summaries are not used.
Phrase cards
Declare free child
English
Declare one eligible child traveling free without a separate seat.
中文
我要申报一名未满六周岁且不单独占座的免费乘车儿童。
Verify child ticket
English
Ask to verify the child's document and ticket type.
中文
请帮我核对孩子的证件信息和儿童票类型是否正确。
Find family gate
English
Ask which staffed gate the family should use.
中文
我们带着儿童和外国护照，请问应该走哪个人工检票通道？
FAQ
- Is the current rule based on height?
- The current real-name child-ticket rule is age-based. Use the child's age and identity details.
- Does a free child receive a seat?
- No. Buy an applicable ticket if a separate seat or berth is needed.
Sources and review
- China Railway 12306: child ticket rulesOfficial · checked Aug 22, 2026
- Ministry of Transport: Railway Passenger Transport RegulationsOfficial · checked Aug 22, 2026
- State Council: age-based railway child ticket explanationOfficial · checked Aug 22, 2026
Visible guide facts must be supported by the page sources and rechecked before the next update date.
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