Your name is entered incorrectly and the system rejects it
Chinese railway systems are strict about name order and spelling. Match your passport machine-readable zone exactly.
The system compares your name to the passport, character by character.
What you'll see
If the system rejects your name, it is almost always a format mismatch with the passport machine-readable zone:
"Name format error" · "Please enter name as on passport"
中国 App 里显示为：姓名格式错误 / 请按护照填写
Error-text level: L2 (observed wording). Exact in-app strings are being verified against a live device.
Why it happens
The railway system compares your typed name to the passport character by character. Order, hyphens, spaces and middle names all matter, and a wrong name can block boarding.
Fastest fix, free:Re-enter exactly as printed in the machine-readable zone: family name first, given name second, no hyphens or spaces unless on the passport.
Last verified:2026-09-20 ·
Confidence:Multiple sources (pending first-hand verification)
The full fix sequence (free)
Family name first, given name second.
Use the exact spelling from the passport machine-readable zone.
No hyphens, no extra spaces, no middle names unless on the passport.
When the fast fix isn't enough
In the kit
Some passports print names in an order the system rejects.
1. The name-format lookup table
Every common passport layout → the exact characters to type.