The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has made Aadhaar verification compulsory for passengers booking train tickets online.
This means users must now link and verify their Aadhaar before booking tickets on the IRCTC platform.
The move is aimed at stopping misuse of the system and ensuring that genuine passengers get a fair chance at booking tickets — especially under high-demand categories like Tatkal.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the new rule is designed to streamline access to Tatkal and Advance Reservation Period (ARP) tickets.
Aadhaar Now Mandatory for Tatkal and First-Day Bookings
Under the new rules, only Aadhaar-verified users can book tickets on the opening day of the Advance Reservation Period.
If your account is not Aadhaar-authenticated, you won’t be able to book tickets on the first day when reservations open.
Aadhaar verification is also compulsory for booking Tatkal tickets.
Since Tatkal tickets are in high demand and often get sold out within minutes, this step aims to block fake accounts and prevent unfair bulk bookings.
IRCTC said Aadhaar-based checks have already helped reduce unauthorized accounts and improve fair access to tickets.
Phased Rollout Shows Positive Results
The Aadhaar-based One-Time Password (OTP) verification system was introduced in phases.
As of December 4, 2025, it was active in 322 trains.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on December 10, 2025, that confirmed Tatkal ticket availability time improved in nearly 65% of these trains after Aadhaar OTP verification was implemented.
In simple terms, more genuine passengers are now able to secure confirmed Tatkal tickets compared to earlier.
With this change, IRCTC hopes to make online ticket booking more transparent, fair and efficient for millions of railway passengers across the country.
