Using a Taiwan travel permit in Zhangjiajie

Book your tickets with the exact Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents you will carry in Zhangjiajie. On Chinese booking pages, select 台湾居民来往大陆通行证 or 台胞证. For 12306 train tickets, enter your name in simplified Chinese in the printed order. The card's eight-digit permit number and its two-digit issue count are separate fields.

Copy the right name and permit number

When reserving tickets in mainland China, use the details from your Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. On Chinese booking pages, select 台湾居民来往大陆通行证 or the shortened label 台胞证.

The five-year card permit uses an eight-digit document number. Enter all eight digits, including any leading zero. The separate 签发次数 field shows your two-digit issue count, so do not include that number in the document box. Single-entry paper permits use their own printed serial numbers.

For 12306 train tickets, type your name in simplified Chinese, in the exact order printed on your permit.

Register and add passengers on 12306

Use the Chinese 12306 interface for Taiwan permit fields. Permit holders can register with a mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan mobile number, or by email.

1. In the app, open 我的 (My), tap 未登录 (Not signed in), then tap 注册 (Register).
2. Select the Taiwan travel permit document type. Enter your simplified Chinese name, permit number, and requested personal details.
3. Complete contact verification and identity verification.
4. After signing in on the website, open 常用信息管理 → 乘车人 (Frequent information management → Passengers). Add each person who will travel. The 12306 passenger form shows the document, name, birth-date, and expiry fields.
5. Save the record and check its identity status before buying tickets.

已通过 means the identity check passed. 待核验 means verification is in progress. 未通过 means it failed; recheck the fields against the original permit. You can view your account status under 个人信息 → 查看个人信息 (Personal information → View personal information).

If a passenger's status remains unverified after 24 hours, take the original document to a railway ticket counter. Counters also handle names with rare characters that online forms reject. When verifying another passenger, bring both the passenger's original permit and the registered account holder's original document. Have the account's registered phone or email ready, as staff may ask for the phone's last four digits or the email's first three characters.

Book the train and enter the station

Choose your travel date, departure station, and destination, then select the train and saved passenger. Check the passenger's name and document before payment.

张家界西 is Zhangjiajie West. 张家界 is Zhangjiajie Railway Station. Match your ride drop-off to the exact station on your ticket.

Bring the original permit used to buy the ticket. Card-style Taiwan permits work at automatic railway ticket gates. If a gate cannot read your card, take the permit and your order number to the staffed passage (人工通道). Staff will complete the check or direct you to an active reader. Use the staffed passage if the gate fails at exit as well.

Your original permit serves as your travel credential for electronic tickets, so you do not need to print paper tickets. The 行程信息提示 (itinerary slip) provides journey details, but you tap your permit at the gate.

If your 12306 account has passed face and identity checks, you can use its live 乘车码 (boarding code). In the app, open 订单 → 本人车票 (Orders → Own tickets) and select your ticket. The code covers the account holder's journey; companions open their codes on their own phones. Use the live code directly from the app, as gates do not accept screenshots.

Booking Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Read the forest park ticket guide to choose your ticket type and mountain transport. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Tianmen Mountain use separate tickets.

Book forest park tickets through the official WeChat mini-program, 张家界旅游小助手:

1. Select Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, 张家界国家森林公园.
2. Choose your visit date, entrance gate, arrival time slot, and ticket type.
3. Select 台湾居民来往大陆通行证 or 台胞证 in the document list.
4. Enter each visitor's permit name and number, then submit payment.
5. Bring the original permit and order confirmation to the reserved gate to complete identity and facial verification.

Use the entrance guide to select the gate closest to your hotel. You must enter through the specific gate chosen on your reservation.

If a booking form only accepts mainland identity cards, buy your ticket at the gate ticket office using your permit. Staff can also process ticket discounts that require an original document check.

Reserve your gate and time slot for every return visit, including second entries on the same day. In the mini-program, open 门票改签、预约 (Ticket changes and reservations), then tap 再次入园预约 (Repeat entry reservation). Select your next gate and time under your active ticket. Ticket office staff can also assist with repeat entry bookings. Bring the same original permit on every entry.

Booking Tianmen Mountain

Pick your visit date before choosing a route. Use the Tianmen ticket and route guide to review operating routes and starting points for your date.

1. Open the Tianmen Mountain booking channel.
2. Select your date, operating route, and entry time slot.
3. Choose the Taiwan travel permit document type and enter your permit name and number.
4. Save your order confirmation and note any ticket pickup instructions.
5. If your order requires paper collection, take your original permit to the specified staffed counter.

Tianmen Mountain ticket pickup and forest park repeat entry reservations are separate systems.

First-issue permit admission discount

Check the 签发次数 field on your permit. Under the first-issued permit policy, permits marked 01 and used within one year of issue qualify for admission benefits at participating scenic sites.

Before buying standard forest park tickets, call 0744-5712345 or bring your original permit to a gate ticket office. Ask which admission benefits apply and check the cost of scenic transport like cable cars and elevators. This helps you plan your park transit costs alongside your admission waiver.

You can show staff this phrase: 我的台胞证签发次数是01，签发未满一年。请问可以享受什么门票优惠？景区交通需要支付多少？ (My Taiwan permit has issue count 01 and was issued less than a year ago. Which admission benefit applies, and how much is scenic transport?)

Hotel check-in rules

Present your room booking and original Taiwan permit at reception. Every staying guest must provide their own document, including guests sharing a room.

In Hunan, hotel staff register each guest's name, document type and number, room assignment, and arrival time. For overseas visitors, staff also record nationality or region and date of birth. Reception submits these records directly to local authorities through the hotel check-in system. This rule applies to both standard hotels and licensed tourist homestays.

When checking in with children, reception will request guardian contact details and note the relationship between staying guests. Select your hotel area with the where-to-stay guide, and match your booking name to your permit.

If a booking platform lacks a Taiwan permit option, reach out to the hotel with your reservation details. At check-in, staff can complete registration directly using your permit.

Practical tips

Keep your train and park booking confirmations accessible on your phone, with the passenger name, document number, date, and gate or station visible to help staff check details.

If you need staff to verify your booking details, show this phrase: 请帮我核对台胞证上的姓名和证件号码。 (Please help me check the name and document number on my Taiwan permit.)