Indian Railways and IRCTC recommends that you authenticate your IRCTC User profile with your Aadhaar in advance to avoid any last-minute inconveniences.
As per Government guidelines, only Aadhaar-authenticated users will be eligible to book Tatkal Train Tickets through the IRCTC Website and Mobile apps, effective from July 1, 2025.
Indian Railways had announced recently that Aadhaar and OTP-based Authentication mandatory for booking Tatkal tickets online and offline.
While Aadhaar authentication is mandatory to book Tatkal tickets on IRCTC from 1st July 2025, OTP based identity authentication is mandatory from 15 July 2025 for Tatkal Bookings made online, at PRS Counters, and through authorised agents.
To ensure a seamless booking experience, Indian Railways and IRCTC recommends that you authenticate your IRCTC User profile with your Aadhaar in advance to avoid any last-minute inconveniences.
How to Aadhaar Authenticate your IRCTC User profile
You can authenticate your IRCTC User Profile with your Aadhaar using the following steps:
- Ensure that your Aadhaar-linked mobile number is active for OTP verification.
- Log in to the official IRCTC Website www.irctc.co.in or alternatively you may also use the IRCTC Rail Connect Mobile App for Android phones or for Apple iOS phones.
- Go to the "My Account" section.
- Click on the “Authenticate User” option and follow the on-screen instructions.
Your Aadhaar-linked mobile number will receive the OTP for verification on IRCTC. Once verified, your IRCTC account will be authenticated with Aadhaar.
If you're booking Tatkal tickets offline, you will not need to Aadhaar verify but you'll need to provide a phone number where you can verify through OTP. That is, from 15th July 2025 onwards, Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and through authorised agents, will require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.
Also, whether booking online or at the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters, the first priority to book Tatkal tickets is now given to individual people during the opening half-hour time period, from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM for AC classes, and from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM for non-AC classes, as travel agents or authorised agencies won't be able to book tickets during those initial 30 minutes time periods.
Individuals can book Tatkal even after the above initial periods also, whether it be online or at the counters, but now you've got the first priority during the first 30 minutes from the Tatkal opening time.
Tatkal tickets can be booked one day in advance for selected trains only, excluding the date of journey from the train originating station. They can be booked on the opening day from 10:00 AM for AC class (2A/3A/CC/EC/3E) and at 11:00 AM for Non- AC class(SL/FC/2S).
Also See : Aadhaar and OTP-based Authentication mandatory for booking Tatkal tickets. Here are the details.