A foreign passport, an online account and a working phone number are separate parts of an appointment process. Confirm each one with the hospital or booking service. Being able to open an English page does not establish that you can complete its registration and verification steps.
This guide covers administrative questions for outpatient bookings in mainland China. Available appointments and registration rules must be checked for your chosen facility and visit.
Check four things before entering your details
| Requirement | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Identity document | Can I book this service with my passport or other specified identity document? Which fields and spelling should I use? |
| Account | Do I need a hospital account, a city-service account or another verified profile? |
| Phone | Does this route accept my country code and number? Is an SMS verification step required? |
| Confirmation | What final message or reference confirms the appointment, and is there an additional check-in step? |
Use the same identity details throughout. If you already have a patient record, ask how to link it before opening another profile. If a required field does not match your document, contact the service for the correct route instead of inventing a Chinese ID number or using someone else’s identity.
Two published city examples
Shanghai: the city’s Suishenban instructions include adding a patient and completing SMS verification before confirmation. The instructions do not establish support for every overseas phone number. Shanghai International Services: how to see a doctor.
Beijing: the city guide points to the English version of the International Service Beijing mini program on WeChat or Alipay for the Beijing 114 outpatient appointment service. Ask the service about the identity and number requirements for your booking. Beijing government: medical guide for foreigners.
If you do not have a mainland Chinese phone number
Check the channel before making it your only plan. Ask whether your overseas number is supported and whether you can receive the required messages while travelling. If that route cannot complete your registration, ask the hospital which official alternative it offers for your circumstances.
- Ask whether the facility can handle a booking inquiry through its published telephone or online contact route.
- Ask whether an in-person registration route exists, what documents it requires and whether availability is confirmed or only checked on arrival.
- Record the reply and the date. A listed phone number alone does not establish overseas-number support or an English-speaking booking service.
A message you can adapt
Hello. I would like to arrange an outpatient appointment at [campus/department] on or around [date]. I will use a [country] passport and my phone number has the country code [code]. Which official booking route should I use? Does it require SMS verification, and can it accept this number? Please also confirm the documents to bring, the language arrangements and how I will know the appointment is confirmed.
Replace the brackets with your details before sending this directly to the hospital. Send identity documents only through a channel the facility has confirmed; this checklist does not require you to upload them to WellInChina.
Keep the final booking record
- Exact institution, campus, department and visit date.
- Time to arrive, booking reference and the name used to register.
- Any payment, cancellation or rescheduling conditions you were given.
- A Chinese address and the official contact to use if plans change.
Your next step
Sources and scope
Public information checked on 31 October 2026. This is a guide to administrative arrangements. The checklists are questions to use with the relevant service; published information has not been tested through an appointment.