身份證號

[vellocet]

Yes, Wechat does change its features depending on if it's Chinese mode or not.  It defaults to the system setting but can be overridden in settings.  This is the first I've heard of it being a plus.  Usually, it's we who are cursing as some awesome new feature only works on the Chinese mode.  I suppose it's gotten better as the international market has gotten more important.  It used to be features like mobile payments or ride sharing were only available in Chinese mode.  

[Brian US]

I remember my first time going through the high speed rail station, I bought the ticket through Ctrip and lined up for the automated machine. I was a little worried when I saw everyone scanning their ID cards, and it didn't look like a scanner for passports. Yet, I thought this is a brand new station and the pride of China! Surely I would be able to enter my passport number.

 

We all know how that ended up, but there was a bright side to it. Man behind me tried to help asking if I had my 身份证, which I replied that I only have a passport. He seemed confused that I'm probably the only person he has ever met that doesn't have a 身份证. After the puzzled look he repeated if I had my 身份证?

 

I opt for the mail delivery, but I'm sure many of you have had the misfortune to wait in line for window service only to listen to 90% of people in line for services they can easily do at the automated machines.

 

 

[889]

To update that, there are now ticket machines at some stations that claim to accept passports: there's a slot where you slide through the machine-readable text on the bottom of your passport page. I haven't gotten it to work yet, but I hear some others have.

 

Exiting stations, there are now some places where exit control is by machine only, and there's a window in the gate for passports. It scanned my passport and the gate opened. Perhaps station entrances will soon have similar gates.

[abcdefg]

1 hour ago, 889 said:

Exiting stations, there are now some places where exit control is by machine only, and there's a window in the gate for passports. It scanned my passport and the gate opened. Perhaps station entrances will soon have similar gates.

 

Machines are set up to scan either 身份证 or foreign 护照 as you exit baggage claim and enter the customs area 海关 at Kunming's airport 长水国际机场。They are in the part of baggage claim used for international arrivals (not domestic.) I've used them several times without any difficulty with my US passport. 

 

These machines, and their programming, seems to be getting smarter. 

[suMMit]

There are a few stations in South China that you can pick up your tickets at the machine with your passport. My colleague tried at zhongshan and didn't work for him, his passport was very ragged though. I do it every time at Shenzhen Luohu. So far I know Guangzhou east station and SZ Luohu let you scan passports to get through. 

[suMMit]

As of the last couple weeks, picking up train tickets at automated machine not working for me anymore?

[889]

I just picked up an airline boarding pass using one of those machines, the sort with a slot where you slide through the bottom of your passport data page.

 

I first tried several times and, like the train station machines, it wouldn't read my passport. Then as I was about to give up and head like a hopeless foreigner to the check-in counter, an attendant came over to help the hopeless foreigner at the machine. It seems there's a knack to using the slot -- you have to slide the passport through pretty quickly -- and when she did, it worked.

 

I'll try this approach with train station machines next.

 

Note it's the slot machines that seem finicky; the ones where your passport sits flat on a scanner are more reliable.

 

[889]

Another thing you can't do unless you have a Chinese ID number: use one of those WeChat mini-apps to pay your bus fare. At least for the few cities I sampled, you ultimately get blocked during the registration process with a notice that says the required real-name verification -- for riding a city bus! -- is available only for ID card numbers.

[dtcamero]

ya want to create a wechat pingtai 微信平台 mini-website, but they have to be registered to a 身份证号. passports don't work for that...

so I ended up using my girlfriend at the time's number to register and create the site.

problem is every time I want to update it I need her help to confirm the changes, and after we broke up it's kinda weird to keep going back to her asking for help with my website