How to book a hospital visit in China
The exact path depends on the hospital and your condition. This page separates the published booking rules from the booking service: we do not take your details or book on your behalf.
The short version
Appointments at Chinese public hospitals are made in advance, usually through an app, a WeChat or Alipay mini program, or a phone line, not by turning up and joining a queue. Your passport is an accepted identity document for booking, in writing. Beijing also runs an English-language booking route for foreigners.
挂号 and 预约 are not synonyms
In Chinese hospital usage the two words describe different actions, and the difference is which day the appointment is for. 挂号 is an appointment for today; 预约 is an appointment for a future day.
The Beijing Municipal Health Commission regulation on outpatient appointment services defines them explicitly in Article 29: on-site appointment (现场预约) is for non-same-day outpatient care, while on-site registration (现场挂号) is for same-day care.
The walk-in question: two official sources disagree
Beijing's health commission says secondary-level and above hospitals operate on an all-appointment basis for non-emergency outpatient care, and its explainer says on-site registration has been abolished, apart from a green channel for older patients.
But the National Health Commission's patient flow for foreign outpatients shows a walk-in route: after arrival with an ID, one branch is labelled a walk-in visit, with the next step being to make an appointment at the nurse station and complete payment. The NHC chart is national and general; the Beijing rule is municipal and specific.
The honest answer is that the published rules do not fully agree, and neither source says whether international departments or foreign patients are exempt. The safest assumption is to book before you travel.
Your passport is accepted, in writing
This is often described as something you can probably do. Article 15 of the Beijing regulation lists the identity document number an appointment must record, and explicitly includes the passport alongside the resident ID card and other documents.
Some hospital pages accept a passport for booking but still list only the national ID card for the day-of-visit step. The regulation is on your side, but the wording on some pages has not caught up. Bring your passport; if a self-service kiosk will not accept it, go to a staffed counter.
The English booking route for foreigners (Beijing)
Beijing operates an English version of its 114 appointment platform and says multiple hospital campuses offer fully English online booking. The route is usually: open the Jingtong / International Service Beijing mini program in WeChat or Alipay, then switch the interface to English.
The list of participating campuses changes. Check the current Beijing municipal government medical guide and the hospital's own international department page before relying on a specific hospital or phone number.
International departments: same platform, plus their own line
International departments are usually reachable through the same public booking platform, and many also publish a dedicated appointment line or email. Contact details differ by hospital and change; use the hospital page in this guide as a starting point, then confirm on the hospital's official site.
Do not look for Jingyitong
Jingyitong was a major Beijing booking platform and shut down on 24 April 2023; its services were taken over by the 114 platform. Some hospital pages still mention it, including pages that otherwise look current. Do not spend time trying to register there.
What we could not verify
We mark these as open because they are. If a guide gives a confident answer to any of them, ask where it comes from.
- The 114 platform's own registration page: its website did not return usable content to us, and the mini program cannot be read without a device.
- Any rule saying appointments are limited to Chinese ID cards: we did not find one, which does not prove none exists.
- Whether every hospital on a platform accepts passport registration; Guangzhou's health commission has said platform-level support does not mean every hospital is enabled.
- Whether international departments are exempt from Beijing's walk-in rule; neither source addresses it.
After booking: the planning sequence
1. Clarify the procedure, passport, preferred city and budget. 2. Verify the hospital, department, international office and languages. 3. Check the visa or entry route and the documents the hospital can provide. 4. Ask for an itemized estimate with inclusions, exclusions, device brand, length of stay and validity. 5. Allow time for checks, the procedure, recovery and follow-up. 6. Bring records, medication list, passport, insurance and payment method, and ask for discharge instructions in a language you understand.
Sources
Last verified: 2026-10-05