Do you need to book The Forbidden City in advance?
Yes — The Forbidden City in Beijing runs on real-name advance reservation. Release rule: 7 days out, 20:00. Booking window: 7 days. A foreign passport works as the real-name ID. Use the official channel linked below and confirm its current ID requirements before paying.
Verified 2026-06-11 · rules change; confirm on the official channel before you travel
The booking rule, in detail
- Reservation
- Required in advance
- Tickets release
- 7 days out, 20:00
- Booking window
- 7 days
- Foreign passport
- A foreign passport works as the real-name ID.
- Official channel
- https://intl.dpm.org.cn/index.html?l=en
How a foreign visitor actually books it
Book with your passport via the official channel only. No WeChat Pay? The museum takes booking requests by email at bookingticket@dpm.org.cn, and there is a manned window left of the Meridian Gate for passport holders when allocation remains.
What else to know
No same-day tickets; sells out within minutes. Closures as of 19 September 2026: Yanxi Palace (延禧宫) is closed from 1 September to 31 October 2026 for a conservation survey and reopens on 1 November 2026 (museum notice of 27 August 2026: https://www.dpm.org.cn/announce_detail/379516.html). The Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和门) has been closed for restoration work since 3 August 2026 and the museum has not announced an end date (notice of 31 July 2026: https://www.dpm.org.cn/announce_detail/379422.html). The rest of the palace, the Treasure Gallery and the Clock Gallery are not covered by these notices; check dpm.org.cn for anything newer.
If the official channel does not work
Do not assume an unrecorded booking route is available. Recheck the operator’s current instructions; where the interface itself is the obstacle, the practical mechanics are in buying tickets the official way and booking without WeChat.
Other Beijing sights and their booking rules
- Badaling Great Wall walk in
- Juyongguan Great Wall book ahead
- Ming Tombs book ahead
- Mutianyu Great Wall book ahead
- National Art Museum of China book ahead
- National Museum of China book ahead
Full city context, hotels that register foreigners, and what to eat: Beijing guide. Release times across every city we track are in Reservation Radar.