Need to call a Chinese government office and can’t get through in English?
There is a free English option and you should use it — 12345, the city-service hotline. But 12345 is a complaint-and-referral channel for city governance. It is not the number for a hotel that can’t find your booking, a courier holding your parcel, a supplier who won’t answer, or the specific counter that decides whether your document is acceptable. Those calls are in Mandarin, and the answer usually depends on who picks up.
Need us to make the call?
Emergency Rescue — $59. One stuck call, made in Chinese, reported back to you in English.
Pay $59 with PayPalNot sure it fits what you need? Message me on WeChat 13368344745 first and describe the problem. I'll tell you honestly if I can help.
What I can do on the phone
- 12345 — what it will and won’t take on, and which department your case gets routed to (I’ll say plainly if you don’t need me)
- Exit-entry administration (出入境管理局) — stay permits, visa questions, registration after a lost passport
- Consumer complaints about a specific company via the 12315 hotline — a shop, a tour operator or an online seller that won’t refund
- Tax and social insurance offices — appointment rules and which documents they want to see
- Notary offices and translation requirements for documents you need stamped
- Vehicle and licence offices — the temporary driving permit route for foreign licence holders
- Cities outside Beijing and Shanghai, where 12345 often has no English at all
- Companies that simply don’t appear on any hotline list: hotels, suppliers, couriers, landlords, clinics
What this doesn't cover
- I am not a government service and I am not affiliated with any government office. I am one private person making a phone call.
- No legal or immigration advice. I relay what the office tells me, in English; I don’t tell you what your position is.
- I can’t issue, speed up or influence any document — passport, visa, permit, certificate, licence.
- I don’t submit applications or pay fees for you. Anything needing your signature or your presence is yours to do.
How it works
- Tell me the office, the city, your nationality and the exact question you need answered.
- I call in Mandarin, get routed to the right desk, and ask what they actually require — documents, hours, whether you can walk in.
- You get it in English: which office, which counter, what to bring, in what order.
Questions people ask before paying
In Beijing and Shanghai, yes — 12345 answers in English, free, 24 hours (Beijing also in French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Arabic; Shanghai in 18 foreign languages). Use it. What 12345 does is take your complaint and route it to the responsible government department — a closed loop that can take days. It is not the number for a hotel booking, a courier holding your parcel, or a supplier who won’t pick up, and many smaller cities’ 12345 has no English at all. Call it first if it fits; call me for the rest.
Yes, for non-emergency enquiries. I call the office or hotline in Mandarin, tell them who I’m calling for, and report their answer back to you in English.
No. China On-Call is a private service run by one person in China. It is not a government body, not an emergency service, and not affiliated with any government office.
No. If it’s an emergency, call the emergency number yourself — it’s free, immediate and going through me only adds delay. I handle the slow, non-urgent calls before and after.
Because 12345 answers city-service questions, and most of what actually ruins a trip isn’t one — it’s a hotel that can’t find a booking, a refund stuck at “processing”, a parcel held for a bad address. If a free hotline can fix yours, I’ll tell you to use it and not take your money.
Send me the details and I'll make the call
WeChat 13368344745 — tell me what's stuck and I'll confirm what I need to fix it.
Pay $59 with PayPal