If you often travel by train and book Tatkal tickets at the last moment is included in your habit, then this news is very important for you. Since 1 July 2025, IRCTC has implemented a new rule, in which verification from Aadhaar has now been made mandatory while booking Tatkal tickets. That is, every time every time you book tickets from Tatkal quota, you will have to prove identity through Aadhaar OTP Verification.

Its purpose is clear, preventing fake booking from brokers and bots and prioritizing passengers who book tickets properly. If you have not already linked Aadhaar in your IRCTC account, then this step can become a headache for you at the time of booking. The good thing is that linking Aadhaar is an easy and one -time process, which will make your ticket booking journey more smooth than before.

How to link Aadhaar in IRCTC account?

Step 1: Go to the IRCTC website and log in to your registered account.

Step 2: Go to the ‘My Account’ section in the above menu and choose ‘Aadhaar KYC’ option.

Step 3: Enter your 12 -digit Aadhaar number and click on Submit.

Step 4: Now an OTP will come on the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. Record and verify it.

Step 5: After successful verification, your Aadhaar will be linked to your IRCTC account.

Now whenever you book Tatkal tickets, this process will be done automatically and you will not need to upload or confirm the document again and again.

What if Aadhaar did not link?

If you have not added Aadhaar, the OTP verification window will open during TATKAL booking and if you are not able to complete it immediately, the booking process may fail. That is, you can leave behind on the last occasion of taking tickets.

Some important things and benefits

This verification is currently mandatory for Tatkal booking at the moment, but it can also be applied to normal booking later.
This will prevent fake booking by bots and agents and will give a better opportunity to general passengers.
This feature is also available for users who use mobile apps.

IRCTC has announced that from 1 July 2025, Tatkal tickets will be available only to those users whose IRCTC account has both Aadhaar number link and authenticate. The objective of this new policy is to bring transparency in ticket booking and ban bot/agent based booking. Services will be able to run smoothly only when users complete Aadhaar link and verification ahead of time.

Extremely easy to link Aadhaar to IRCTC

It is very easy to link Aadhaar to IRCTC account. For this, first login on the IRCTC website or mobile app. After login, go to the “Account” section and click on “Authenticate User” or “KYC” option. Here you will see the option to link Aadhaar and Pen Card. After this, click on Aadhaar and enter the 12 -digit Aadhaar number and generate OTP.

OTP will come on the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. Your Aadhaar will be successfully linked as soon as you fill this OTP. If there is a difference in the name or date of birth in your Aadhaar and IRCTC account, then the system will give alert and the linking may fail. In such a situation, first of all, you should get your data corrected.

There will be so many tickets in a month

Under the new system, a maximum of 24 tickets can be booked in a month. Earlier this limit was only 12 tickets without Aadhaar linking. Also, OTP verification on Aadhaar -linked mobile number will also become mandatory from 15 July 2025. This rule will apply to online booking, PRS counter and agent booking.

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Linking Aadhaar is mandatory!

Railways say that this will tighten the tickets on ticket brokers and common passengers will get tickets easily. If you have not yet done Aadhaar linking, then complete this process soon, otherwise it can be difficult to book Tatkal tickets after 1 July.

Also read: Trains canceled till this date in June, passengers of this route will have difficulties