Indian Railways has announced a major change in online ticket booking rules.
Starting October 28, 2025, passengers will need to complete Aadhaar authentication to book reserved train tickets between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
This decision aims to stop fraudulent bookings and prevent multiple ticket reservations made through automated software or agents during peak hours.
According to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), this two-hour slot is the busiest period for ticket booking, especially for popular trains that sell out within minutes.
From now on, only Aadhaar-verified users will be allowed to book tickets during this time.
During all other hours, passengers can continue booking tickets as usual without Aadhaar verification.
How to Link Aadhaar with Your IRCTC Account
If your IRCTC account is not yet linked with Aadhaar, you can complete the process easily online.
Steps to link Aadhaar:
Visit www.irctc.co.in
Go to the ‘My Account’ tab and click on ‘Authenticate User’
Enter your Aadhaar number or Virtual ID
Your name, date of birth, and gender will appear on the screen — verify that they match your Aadhaar details
Click ‘Verify Details’ to receive an OTP on your registered Aadhaar mobile number
Enter the OTP and submit
You’ll see a message saying ‘Successfully Authenticated’ once the process is complete
After linking, your account will be Aadhaar-verified, allowing you to book tickets in the restricted time slot.
New Rules for General and Tatkal Ticket Bookings
From October 1, 2025, IRCTC will also implement a similar rule for general reservation tickets.
Only Aadhaar-verified users can book general tickets during the first 15 minutes after booking opens in the morning. Regular users can book after that period.
There is no change for passengers booking offline through PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters or authorized railway agents.
Aadhaar verification has already been made mandatory for online Tatkal bookings since July 1, 2025.
Moreover, from July 15, 2025, an OTP-based verification is required even for Tatkal bookings made at PRS counters and through authorized agents.
In short:
Aadhaar verification is compulsory for booking reserved tickets between 8 AM and 10 AM (from Oct 28, 2025).
Optional for bookings at other times.
Applies only to online bookings (IRCTC website and app).
Offline bookings remain unchanged.
