Guides / Beijing / Tickets
How to book Forbidden City tickets with a foreign passport
Short answer: you can book with a foreign passport, but only through the official channel — the Forbidden City's own WeChat mini-program or its official website — and tickets are released exactly 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time. There is no walk-up ticket window. If you turn up without a reservation, you will be turned away at the gate, passport or not.
Verify before you rely on this
The release time and daily quota have changed at least twice in the last two years. Check the current rule on the official mini-program the day before your booking window opens — the mechanics below won't change, the timings might.
The short version
- Book on the official WeChat mini-program (故宫博物院) or the official website. Third-party "skip the line" sites mostly resell the same inventory at a markup, and some are outright scams.
- Tickets drop 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time. They are usually gone within minutes in peak season.
- One passport, one ticket, one date. Your name must match your passport exactly.
- Enter through the Meridian Gate (south). You cannot enter from the north — that gate is exit-only.
- Closed Mondays, except during national holidays.
- Tickets are 60 CNY from April to October and 40 CNY from November to March.
Why the passport gets rejected
Three things go wrong, and all three are fixable:
| What happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The form asks for an 18-digit ID number | Switch the document type from ID card to passport first. On the mini-program this is a small toggle above the field, and it's easy to miss. |
| "Invalid document number" | Type the number exactly as printed: no spaces, no hyphens, letters in capitals. A single trailing space will fail the check. |
| The page won't load a payment method | The official channel takes WeChat Pay and Alipay. Link a foreign card to Alipay before your booking night — this takes 10 minutes and is not something to attempt at 19:58. |
Step by step
- Set up payment first. Add your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay a few days early, and test it on something small. A failed payment at 20:03 means you lose the slot.
- Open the mini-program a few minutes early. Search 故宫博物院 in WeChat. The page gets slow at exactly 20:00 because everyone arrives at once.
- Have your passport in your hand. Name exactly as printed, including middle names. The gate staff check the name against the passport.
- Pick a date, not a time slot. You choose the day; entry is timed but the queue moves. Morning slots are the first to sell out.
- Pay and screenshot the confirmation. The QR code is what gets scanned at the gate. Screenshot it — mobile data at the entrance is unreliable.
Which gate, and how long it takes
Everyone enters from the south, through the Meridian Gate, off Tiananmen Square. Security screening is at the square before you even reach the gate, and that queue is the real bottleneck — allow 30 to 45 minutes at peak times, longer on weekends.
You exit at the north, onto Jingshan Front Street. If you want the classic photograph of the palace roofs, cross the street into Jingshan Park and climb to the pavilion at the top — that's the view, and it costs almost nothing.
Honest advice
If you have one day in Beijing and the palace is sold out, don't buy a "guaranteed entry" tour from a reseller at three times the price. Go to Jingshan Park in the morning, look down at the roofs, then spend the afternoon in the hutongs north of the palace. It's a better day than a rushed two-hour shuffle through the crowds.
If it's sold out
- Wait for the next release. Tickets free up 7 days ahead, every day. If you're in Beijing for a week, you get seven chances.
- Check for cancellations. Some slots are released back into the pool as people cancel. This happens most in the 24 hours before a date.
- Book a guided entry that includes the ticket. Licensed operators hold allocations, which is how the "ticket included" tours stay available after public slots are gone. You pay for the guide, but the entry is real.
- Skip it. The Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple are both extraordinary, cost a fraction, and are never sold out.
FAQ
Can I buy a ticket at the gate with my passport?
No. The Forbidden City moved to 100% real-name advance booking and there is no on-site ticket window for individual visitors. Turn up without a reservation and you will be refused entry regardless of your passport.
How far ahead should I book?
Exactly 7 days ahead, at 20:00 Beijing time. That is the only window — you cannot book earlier than that, and by the next morning peak-season slots are usually gone.
Is it free for children?
Children under 1.2 metres enter free but still need to be registered on an adult's booking. Bring the child's passport or ID if they have one.
Do I need a printed ticket?
No. The QR code on your phone is scanned at the gate. Screenshot it in advance, because the mobile network around Tiananmen is congested.
Before you go
Two things will slow you down more than the palace itself: getting online, and paying for things. Sort both before you fly.
Disclosure
Some links above are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only link to operators we would put our own guests on.