The Indian Railways has announced a major change in Tatkal ticket booking rules. Starting from July 1, 2025, only passengers with Aadhaar verification will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets.
This rule will apply to both the IRCTC website and mobile app. The Railway Ministry made this change to make the Tatkal booking system more transparent and easier for regular passengers to use.
The Railway Ministry issued this order on June 10, stating, “Only users verified with Aadhaar will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets.”
The ministry believes this move will help reduce black marketing of Tatkal tickets and make the facility more useful for genuine travelers.
Tatkal tickets make up about 20% of total railway ticket sales. This scheme is mainly for emergency or last-minute travel. Under Tatkal, passengers have to pay a 10–30% extra charge on the regular fare.
OTP Required for Counter Booking Too
The Railways has also clarified that from July 15, 2025, if someone books a Tatkal ticket from a railway counter or through an authorised agent, they will also need to go through OTP verification.
The OTP will be sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number of the passenger.
The OTP will be generated from the IRCTC system, and only the mobile number provided during booking will be accepted. This step is aimed at stopping suspicious or fake bookings.
Booking Restrictions for Ticket Agents
To bring more transparency, Indian Railways has also put restrictions on ticket agents. From now on, agents cannot book AC class Tatkal tickets between 10:00 am and 10:30 am.
For non-AC Tatkal tickets, booking will not be allowed between 11:00 am and 11:30 am.
These restrictions are meant to give priority to ordinary passengers and prevent agents from taking advantage of the system.
New Security and Digital Technology in Place
Railways has introduced strong anti-bot systems and partnered with a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to stop automatic or unethical bookings. Using this new technology, over 2.5 crore suspicious user accounts have already been removed.
On May 22, 2025, Railways set a new record by booking 31,814 tickets in one minute, showing the success of the updated digital system.
Stricter Rules for New IRCTC Users
Now, anyone creating a new IRCTC ID will have to wait three days before booking tickets in high-demand categories like Tatkal or Premium Tatkal.
However, this rule will not apply to Aadhaar-verified users, who can book tickets immediately.
Railway Minister’s Statement
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called the new rules a positive step for genuine travelers.
He said, “Aadhaar-based e-authentication will make ticket booking more fair and transparent. This will help more deserving passengers get confirmed tickets.”
