From October 1, 2025, Indian Railways will start a new rule. It will require Aadhaar-based authentication for booking reserved general tickets on the IRCTC website or app during the first 15 minutes of ticket opening. This step is to make sure that only genuine users get the benefits of the reservation system and to stop misuse by unauthorised people, according to the Ministry of Railways.
The current schedule for booking general reserved tickets at computerised PRS counters of Indian Railways will stay the same. Also, the 10-minute limit for authorised railway ticketing agents to book opening day reserved tickets will continue without any change, the ministry said.
Aadhaar Authentication Already Required for Tatkal Tickets
The new rule comes just months after Indian Railways made Aadhaar authentication mandatory for Tatkal ticket booking from July 1, 2025.
From July 1, 2025, passengers booking tickets under the Tatkal scheme must complete Aadhaar verification to book tickets only through the IRCTC website or app.
The rule also sets limits for authorised railway ticketing agents for Tatkal bookings.
These agents cannot book first-day Tatkal tickets during the opening 30 minutes. This applies from 10:00 am to 10:30 am for AC classes and 11:00 am to 11:30 am for non-AC classes.
Who Is Affected?
This change applies only to online bookings via IRCTC. Passengers booking at computerised PRS counters will not see any changes. For authorised ticketing agents, the existing 10-minute restriction for booking opening day reserved tickets stays the same.