IRCTC-Aadhaar Link- Big news for train passengers. IRCTC has announced that from July 1, 2025, Tatkal tickets will be available only to those users whose Aadhaar number has been linked and authenticated with their IRCTC account. The aim of this new policy is to bring transparency in ticket booking and to stop bot/agent based booking. Services will run smoothly only when users complete Aadhaar linking and verification before time.
Linking Aadhaar to IRCTC account is very easy. For this, first login to IRCTC website or mobile app. After logging in, go to the “Account” section and click on “Authenticate user” or “KYC” option. Here you will see the option to link Aadhaar and PAN 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. As soon as you fill this OTP, your Aadhaar will be successfully linked. If there is a difference in the name or date of birth in your Aadhaar and IRCTC account, the system will give an alert and the linking may fail. In such a situation, you should first get your data corrected.
So many tickets can be booked 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, from July 15, 2025, OTP verification on the mobile number linked to Aadhaar will also become mandatory at the time of ticket booking. This rule will apply to all online bookings, PRS counters and agent bookings.
Railways says that this will crack down on ticket brokers and common passengers will be able to get tickets easily. If you have not done Aadhaar linking yet, then complete this process soon, otherwise it may be difficult to book Tatkal tickets after July 1.