New Delhi: From October 1, 2025, Indian Railways will introduce Aadhaar-based authentication for passengers booking reserved general tickets online during the first 15 minutes of the reservation window. The Ministry of Railways announced that the step is intended to prevent misuse of the booking system and ensure that genuine passengers benefit from the facility.
The change will apply only to tickets booked through the IRCTC website or mobile app, while bookings made at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters will continue as before.
Agents’ Restrictions Unchanged
The ministry further clarified that the existing rule barring authorised ticketing agents from booking tickets during the first 10 minutes of the reservation cycle will remain in force, giving individual passengers priority access.
Extension of Earlier Aadhaar Norms
This policy comes shortly after Railways made Aadhaar verification compulsory for Tatkal tickets, effective July 1, 2025. Under that directive, passengers must complete Aadhaar authentication to secure Tatkal seats via IRCTC.
The July order also placed time-specific restrictions on agents, preventing them from booking first-day Tatkal tickets for 30 minutes after bookings open—between 10:00 am and 10:30 am for AC classes and 11:00 am and 11:30 am for non-AC classes.
Officials said the new rules form part of Railways’ broader effort to promote transparency, curb fraudulent bookings, and provide ordinary passengers with a fairer opportunity to secure tickets.