No Aadhaar, no Tatkal: Railways' big rule change for train tickets from July 1; all you need to know

Only Aadhar-authenticated users will be able to book tickets under the Tatkal scheme from July 1, 2025, the Ministry of Railways said in a directive.

In a circular dated June 10, the ministry said only passengers verified through the government-issued Aadhaar identification will be permitted to book tickets under the last-minute Tatkal quota on the IRCTC website or app.

"With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under the Tatkal scheme can be booked through the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/ its app only by Aadhaar authenticated users," the ministry said.

The move, according to the government, will ensure that the benefits of the Tatkal Scheme are received by the common end users.

OTP authentication from July 15

Aadhaar-based OTP authentication shall also be made compulsory for Tatkal bookings at railway reservation counters or through authorised agents from July 15, 2025, onwards.

"Tatkal tickets shall be available for booking through computerized PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters of Indian Railways/authorized agents only after authentication of a system-generated OTP, which shall be sent through the system on the mobile number furnished by the users at the time of booking. This shall also be implemented by 15/07/2025," the circular stated.

Curbs on agents

The ministry has also barred authorised agents from reserving opening day Tatkal tickets in the first 30 minutes of the booking window to prevent bulk bookings during the critical period.

Agents will be blocked from booking air-conditioned class Tatkal tickets between 10:00 am and 10:30 am, and non-AC class tickets from 11:00 am to 11:30 am.

The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC have been tasked with implementing the new protocols and notifying all zonal railways, the ministry said.

"These changes are being implemented to improve transparency in Tatkal bookings and to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach genuine end users," it added.

The announcement comes days after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Aadhaar-based e-authentication would soon be introduced to make Tatkal bookings more transparent and accessible.

“This move will help genuine users get confirmed tickets during need,” Vaishnaw posted on X.

Tatkal tickets, which are sold one day before the date of travel, comprise nearly 20% of total railway ticket sales. The scheme, designed for passengers with urgent travel needs, charges a premium of 10–30% over regular fares depending on the class.

The ministry said it has recently upgraded its digital ticketing infrastructure by deploying advanced anti-bot systems and partnering with a leading Content Delivery Network (CDN) provider to curb automated bookings by “unscrupulous” agents.

According to the ministry, these measures led to the deactivation of 2.5 crore suspicious user accounts. On May 22, Indian Railways recorded its highest-ever per-minute ticket bookings at 31,814, it added.

In another change, newly registered users without Aadhaar verification are now subject to a three-day cooling-off period before they can book high-demand categories such as Tatkal or Premium Tatkal tickets. Aadhaar-verified users are exempt from this delay.