IRCTC Mandates Aadhaar Verification for First 15 Minutes of Online General Ticket Booking from October 1, 2025
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New Delhi — Starting October 1, 2025, the Indian Railways will roll out a significant update in the rules governing online reservations for general reserved train tickets via IRCTC’s website and mobile application. According to directives issued by the Ministry of Railways, only Aadhaar-authenticated users will be permitted to book general reserved tickets during the first 15 minutes after the reservation window opens for any train.
This change is intended to curb malpractice and ensure fairness in the ticket booking process, preventing bots, bulk bookings by agents, or misuse by unauthorised individuals from grabbing seats immediately when bookings open. It further extends the requirement of Aadhaar-verification which already applies to Tatkal ticket bookings.
Notably, the policy will not affect bookings made through PRS counters (Passenger Reservation System counters). Passengers can continue using counters without this Aadhaar restriction. Also, the existing 10-minute restriction on authorised ticketing agents for booking tickets on opening day remains in force.
The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC have been instructed to implement necessary technical modifications well before the deadline. Additionally, Zonal Railways are tasked with widespread awareness campaigns to ensure travellers understand the change in procedure. Users of IRCTC are urged to link their Aadhaar or Virtual ID to their IRCTC accounts in advance, so as not to face delays when bookings open.
