Tatkal Booking to Require Aadhaar Authentication from July 1, 2025: Railway Board
Reported by Amit Singh
New Delhi, 11th June 2025: The Ministry of Railways has announced modifications to the Tatkal ticket booking scheme, aimed at streamlining access and ensuring genuine users benefit from the facility. The changes will come into effect in two phases, beginning July 1, 2025.
As per the official notification, with effect from July 1, 2025, booking Tatkal tickets through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website or mobile application will be allowed only for users authenticated through Aadhaar.
Further tightening the process, from July 15, 2025, Aadhaar-based OTP (One Time Password) authentication will also become mandatory for all Tatkal bookings via IRCTC platforms.
Additionally, Tatkal tickets booked through computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and authorized railway agents will require OTP verification sent to the mobile number provided at the time of booking. This provision will also come into effect from July 15, 2025.
To curb misuse of the Tatkal system during high-demand hours, Indian Railways has barred authorized ticketing agents from booking opening-day Tatkal tickets for the first 30 minutes after the quota opens. For air-conditioned classes, agents cannot book tickets between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM, and for non-AC classes, the restriction will apply from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
Railway systems providers CRIS and IRCTC have been directed to make the necessary technical modifications and inform all zonal railways accordingly. The Ministry has also instructed all zones to issue necessary internal guidelines and ensure wide publicity of the changes for public awareness.
