Traveling to Beijing for Medical Care: From Choosing a Hospital Campus to Taking Your Medical Records Home

If you are considering medical care in Beijing, confirm the specific department, hospital campus, and booking channel before arranging travel and accommodation. Once you have your appointment details, also ask whether the doctor needs your records in advance, how to pay, and who will take over follow-up care when you return home.

If your condition is worsening or you are unsure whether you can travel safely, contact your local doctor first. For a medical emergency in Beijing, call 120, give the address in Chinese, describe the main symptoms, provide a callback number, and follow the operator’s instructions. Do not delay emergency care to make an appointment.

Before traveling across a border to mainland China, check with the relevant immigration authority or a Chinese embassy or consulate abroad about the travel documents, visa or other entry permission, and conditions of stay that apply to your nationality, documents, and purpose of travel. A hospital appointment does not replace entry permission. China Consular Service Network

Key Points

• The Beijing Guide to Medical Services for Foreigners lists some institutions and appointment information. Inclusion in the directory does not mean that a hospital or doctor has accepted your case.
• You can access Beijing 114’s English appointment service through the “International Service Beijing” mini program in WeChat or Alipay. Whether your identity document is supported and appointments are available at your chosen hospital and department depends on the booking channel and the hospital’s response.
• One hospital may have several campuses. Check appointment, transport, and emergency arrangements for the specific campus and building.
• An English booking page does not mean interpretation is available for consultations, informed consent, or discharge instructions. Confirm each separately in advance.

Decide What Care You Need and Whom to Contact

Write the purpose of your visit in one sentence, such as: “I have pathology results and would like a doctor to assess my next treatment options.” List your current diagnosis, treatments you have received, and main questions, then look for a specialty that handles this issue. If the patient is a child, has a rare disease, or needs assessment by several specialties, mention this when making contact.

Find potential institutions through the Beijing Guide to Medical Services for Foreigners and official hospital websites. First compare whether their specialties match your needs, then contact the specific department or international medical department to ask whether they accept cases like yours, what records they need, and who will assess them. Standard outpatient clinics, special-service outpatient clinics, and international medical services may differ in price, language support, available departments, and insurance arrangements. Ask about each separately.

Record the hospital’s full Chinese name, campus, department, doctor or team, service type, and contact details. If you need mobility assistance, someone to accompany you, or equipment, ask the hospital in advance. You can check a doctor’s registration through the National Health Commission’s Medical Practitioner Registration Search, but you still need to verify the search results and whether the doctor will actually be seeing patients. Ask the hospital whether the doctor has reviewed your records: administrative staff accepting an appointment and a doctor confirming that a treatment is suitable are two separate things. If you have not received a response about acceptance or assessment, use a verified hospital channel to ask about progress and the expected response time. Also ask your current doctor whether it is appropriate to wait. Travel arrangements that allow refunds or changes are a more cautious choice.

Choose the Right Booking Channel and Campus

According to the Beijing municipal government, you can search for “International Service Beijing” in WeChat or Alipay, tap “En” to switch to English, and access Beijing 114’s medical appointment service. An October 2025 government response listed 15 hospitals or campuses that supported the full online booking process in English at that time. The list may change; check the actual booking portal. You can also use a hospital’s official website to find its official app or telephone booking channel. If passport registration, verification codes, or booking fail, contact your chosen hospital about staff-assisted patient registration and alternative booking methods. Do not send anyone your password or verification codes.

Example of checking the campus: The Patient Instructions for the International Medical Department at the Dongdan Campus on Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s official website explain that you can register and create a patient record in the official app using your own passport or another valid identity document, then follow “Appointment Booking—Dongdan Campus International Medical Department—Dongdan Campus Appointment Booking—Select Department.” The Beijing government’s 2023 guide and hospital pages published at different times give different information about booking numbers and their purposes. Confirm the appropriate booking method for your international outpatient visit through the hospital’s latest official channels or main switchboard. The department is on the south side of the Internal Medicine Building at Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s Dongdan Campus, near the south gate, at No. 1 Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing. The page was published in 2024; before departure, confirm the current booking channels, appointment availability, and check-in location with the hospital. This example helps you check the booking route; it does not mean the service is suitable for your condition or that you have been accepted for care.

The Beijing government’s information on Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s international medical services lists the Dongdan and Xidan campuses separately. It states that international emergency care is available around the clock at Dongdan and that Xidan does not offer this service. Do not assume one campus has the same emergency services as another. Confirm current emergency arrangements with the hospital. For a medical emergency, call 120 and follow emergency responders’ instructions.

After booking, ask the receiving service to confirm the patient’s name as shown on the passport, hospital and campus, department, doctor or team, date and check-in time, building and entrance, and contact number. If someone books for you, check that your identity document details match the hospital’s patient record. If you already have a medical record number, tell the hospital to help avoid records being split across multiple files. Save appointment screenshots, the Chinese address, and phone numbers separately on your phone, and print them if needed, so you can show them if you cannot log in. A screenshot confirms appointment details; it does not mean a doctor has reviewed your records.

Confirm Records, Language Support, and Costs Before Departure

Ask the receiving department how to submit records securely, which formats it needs, and the deadline. You can usually start by preparing a one-page medical summary, a dated treatment history, relevant test and pathology reports, current medicines and doses, allergies, and serious adverse reactions. Then provide original imaging or pathology materials and translations as requested by the hospital. After submitting them, ask: “Are the records complete and can you open them? Which department has received them? Does the doctor need anything else?” Submit your passport identity page and contact details only through channels confirmed by the hospital.

Ask the hospital separately who will provide language help, and in which language, for booking, consultations, tests, informed consent, and discharge instructions. Ask whether medical interpretation is available and what it costs. If you need to arrange your own interpreter, first ask whether the hospital allows this and what requirements apply to people accompanying you.

Ask the hospital for a cost range that matches the services you need. Check whether appointment registration, tests, treatment, hospital admission, interpretation, and deposits are charged separately, and which payment methods are accepted. Prepare a backup payment method. If using insurance, ask both the hospital and insurer to confirm the specific campus, outpatient or inpatient services, preauthorization, whether the letter of guarantee has arrived, deductibles, and exclusions. A hospital listing your insurer does not prove that your policy qualifies for direct billing. If the guarantee has not arrived, ask both parties whether you can pay first and claim reimbursement later, and what supporting documents you will need.

Plan your journey using the specific campus and entrance on your appointment confirmation, taking account of the patient’s mobility and any possible tests or follow-up visits. Before buying tickets that cannot be refunded or changed, confirm whether your condition allows travel and verify the arrangements for your care. The receiving clinical team should tell you, based on your individual circumstances, whether to fast, adjust medicines, or bring pathology slides from another hospital. Do not stop medicines on your own.

At the Hospital and Before Leaving Beijing

Bring the passport used for booking, appointment confirmation, medical records, medicine list, payment methods, and interpreter contact details. On arrival, check in as instructed. If the system cannot find your appointment, show your confirmation and contact the booking channel or outpatient service desk to check your name, identity document number, campus, and medical record number.

After the doctor orders tests, ask whether separate payment and booking are required, where to go, how to prepare, and when and where to collect the results. If the results will not be ready before your planned return journey, ask the treating team whether they can review them remotely, when you should have a follow-up visit, and who is responsible for notifying you of the results. Confirm these arrangements before changing your travel plans.

Before leaving, ask the treating team for outpatient records, test and imaging results, diagnosis and treatment recommendations, an updated medicine list, and follow-up requirements. For pending results, record how to obtain them, when they are expected, and whom to contact. If claiming insurance reimbursement, keep itemized bills, proof of payment, and the medical documents required by your insurer. Give these records to the doctor taking over your care in your home country or place of residence, and agree on who will explain pending results and when follow-up should take place. Also check in advance with your doctor and the relevant authorities whether you can take your medicines home and how to obtain further supplies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I definitely book through Beijing 114 with a foreign passport?

An English interface does not mean that all identity documents, institutions, and departments are supported. Try the official portal first. If you cannot register or complete verification, ask your chosen hospital about creating a patient record with your passport and booking by phone or in person.

If no appointments are available, can I go directly to another campus?

Contact the hospital first to confirm whether that campus has the relevant department, accepts your identity document, and how to book. Do not assume your original appointment transfers automatically. For emergencies, follow the instructions from 120 and emergency responders.

My appointment is confirmed. Can I buy a flight ticket that cannot be refunded or changed?

First check whether the hospital has only confirmed an appointment slot, whether the doctor needs to assess your case in advance, and whether your condition allows travel. Even confirmed arrangements may change. Choosing travel that allows refunds or changes can reduce losses if plans change.

What if I cannot communicate with staff at the hospital?

Contact the interpreter confirmed during booking or the hospital service desk. Ask for the agreed language support when care, consent forms, and medicines are explained. If you do not understand, ask for a clear explanation before making a decision.

Direct billing was approved, but the hospital cannot find the letter of guarantee. What should I do?

Contact your insurer and the hospital’s commercial insurance desk to check the patient’s identity, campus, service dates, and whether the letter of guarantee has arrived. If it still cannot be confirmed, ask whether you need to pay first, whether you can claim reimbursement, and which documents to keep. Do not assume the costs are covered.

What if my test results will not be ready until after I leave Beijing?

Before leaving, confirm with the treating team when and how to obtain the results, who will review and explain them, and whether a follow-up visit is needed. Also arrange for a doctor where you live to take over your care. If these arrangements cannot be confirmed, discuss with your doctor whether to change your return journey.

Can I ask EastMedGo to help arrange medical care in Beijing?

You can first discuss your needs. The Services and Fees page explains what needs to be confirmed for an initial inquiry and paid coordination. The specific Beijing hospital, campus, language support, services that can be coordinated, and fees must be confirmed separately in writing. An initial inquiry does not mean an appointment has been booked or a doctor has accepted you for care.

If it is not urgent but I do not know which public service department to contact, what should I do?

Beijing’s 12345 is a non-emergency public service channel offering services in several languages. Questions about hospital departments and acceptance of individual cases should still be directed to the hospital. For a medical emergency, call 120.

Sources

• Beijing Guide to Medical Services for Foreigners: Institutions, booking portals, and payment information.
• Beijing Municipal Government: Questions and Answers on Beijing 114 English Appointment Booking (2025-10-16): Institutions supporting online booking in English at that time.
• Peking Union Medical College Hospital: Patient Instructions for the International Medical Department at the Dongdan Campus (2024-06-19): Creating a patient record with a passport, booking, and campus location.
• Beijing Municipal Government: Peking Union Medical College Hospital International Medical Services: Differences between international medical services and emergency care at Dongdan and Xidan.
• Beijing 12345 Service Information: Non-emergency hotline and emergency medical number.
• EastMedGo Services, Fees, and Next Steps: Initial inquiries and written confirmation of services.

The pages above were checked on November 6, 2026. Specific appointment availability, acceptance for care, campus, language support, and payment arrangements are subject to the hospital’s response at the time.