Forbidden City booking form for foreigners, field by field

Booking the Forbidden City as a foreigner is not hard, but it is strict: the ticket is tied to your passport, and small details decide whether you get in. Here is the booking form field by field, from preparation to the gate. Prices, opening hours and what to do if tickets are sold out are on our main Forbidden City tickets page.

Before you start

Have these ready before tickets for your date go on sale:

• Every visitor’s passport. Booking is one ticket per passport per day, so each person needs their own passport details.
• An email address you can open on the spot: the site sends a verification code.
• A way to pay: bank card, WeChat Pay or Alipay; payment must be completed within 30 minutes of reserving. If you plan to use Alipay or WeChat Pay, set it up at home: foreign Visa and Mastercard cards can be linked to Alipay and WeChat Pay, so you can pay by scanning QR codes like locals. See how to pay in China.
• The release moment in your time zone. Tickets go on sale 7 days before the visit date, around 20:00 Beijing time. Our release time calculator converts it and adds a calendar reminder.

The booking form, field by field

1. Open the official site: intl.dpm.org.cn. Be careful with look-alike sites.
2. Pick the date and the session. Tickets are for a morning or an afternoon session; afternoon entry starts at 11:00. The palace is closed on Mondays, except Mondays that are public holidays.
3. Enter each visitor: an email address (to receive a verification code), and for each visitor: name, country/region and passport number. Up to 5 visitors per booking. Copy the passport number exactly as printed, without spaces.
4. Add the extra galleries if you want them: the Treasure Gallery (+10 CNY) and the Clock Gallery (+10 CNY), both added during booking.
5. Pay: bank card, WeChat Pay or Alipay; payment must be completed within 30 minutes of reserving. Don’t wait: unpaid reservations expire.

Passport details: the part that goes wrong

• Use the passport you will travel with. A new passport with a different number is refused: your booking must match the passport you bring.
• One passport, one ticket. One ticket per passport per day: you can’t put two people on one passport.
• Check the name order and spelling against the passport page before you pay.

More examples in our guide to passport mistakes.

On the day

• Your passport is scanned at the Meridian Gate; there is no paper ticket.
• Enter through the Meridian Gate on the south side (Wumen, the only ticketed entrance). Cars cannot stop at the Meridian Gate, so expect a 10–15 minute walk.
• There is a security check; going without a bag (bagless lane) is usually faster.

If something goes wrong

• Tickets gone? Unpaid tickets are often released back around 20:05–20:30 Beijing time on release day. You can also book a Forbidden City tour with entry included.
• Plans changed? Cancel before midnight the day before for a refund with no penalty; cancel on the visit day before 20:00 for a refund, but it counts as a missed visit; after 20:00 on the visit day, there is no refund. And remember: 3 missed visits within 180 days block booking for 60 days.

Not sure you can enter China without a visa? See China 30-day visa-free entry.