Every day, crores of passengers travel by Indian Railways in the country. Thousands of trains are also run by the Railways for the passengers, out of which most of the passengers prefer to travel by making reservations. Traveling in reservation coaches is very comfortable and convenient. But, many times people suddenly plan to go somewhere, due to which they have to book Tatkal tickets.
Now the Railways has made a big change in the rules of Tatkal ticket booking. Today, i.e., from July 15, 2025, Aadhaar authentication has become mandatory for Tatkal booking. So let us know, now, how the Tatkal ticket will be booked and what the whole process will be.
Why is Aadhaar OTP required for Tatkal ticket booking?
Indian Railways has now made an important change in the rules of Tatkal ticket booking. Now you will be able to book Tatkal tickets from the IRCTC website or mobile app only when your Aadhaar card is linked to your IRCTC account. This new rule has been brought to increase security and transparency, so that black marketing of tickets can be stopped and only real passengers can get Tatkal tickets.
Let us tell you that now whenever you book a Tatkal ticket, before that, an OTP (One Time Password) will come to your mobile number linked to Aadhaar. You will be able to book only after entering that OTP. Tatkal booking will not be possible without that OTP.
How to link Aadhaar with an IRCTC account
If you have not yet linked your Aadhaar to your IRCTC account, then do it immediately. The process is very easy:
First of all, you have to log in to the website www.irctc.co.in. You can also log in to the IRCTC Rail Connect app.
After this, you have to go to the “My Account” section.
Then you have to choose the option of “Link Your Aadhaar”.
Here, you have to enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
After this, click on “Generate OTP”. An OTP will come to the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar.
Enter that OTP and complete the verification process. After this, your IRCTC account will be linked to Aadhaar.
Important information: Not only online, but if you book tickets from the railway counter, then you will also have to give your Aadhaar number and complete the OTP verification.