There’s some important news for the millions of passengers traveling on Indian Railways. If you often rely on “Tatkal” (immediately available) as your travel plan and find yourself disappointed when you don’t get a seat at the last minute, this new update is a boon. The Railways has made the entire Tatkal ticket booking process even more secure and transparent.
According to new rules effective December 1, 2025, fast internet or finger speed is no longer sufficient; you must have your mobile phone with you. The Railways has now made OTP (One Time Password) verification mandatory, which is nothing less than a surgical strike against touts. Let’s understand these new rules in detail.
A Major Change in Tatkal Ticket Booking
According to the Railway Board’s new directives, Tatkal tickets will now be confirmed only when you enter the OTP received on your mobile phone into the system. This rule has been implemented on the IRCTC website, mobile app, and even at railway station counters.
Previously, tickets were booked immediately upon payment, but now, during the booking process, a secret code will be sent to your registered mobile number. Unless you enter this code correctly on the portal, the ticket will not be generated. This means that if you provide the wrong number or don’t have your phone with you at the time of booking, you could lose a confirmed seat. This change is considered a major security step.
Benefits to Common Passengers
The main objective of implementing this new system is to curb middlemen and touts who, using illegal automation software, could book all seats in a jiffy. Under the old process, touts would bypass the payment gateway through software, resulting in all seats being sold by the time a passenger logged in.
Now, under the new process, software will be unable to guess the OTP, as it will be sent directly to the passenger’s mobile phone. This will ensure 100% transparency in bookings and provide more opportunities to genuine passengers who actually want to travel. This is a significant blow to the Railways’ illegal activities by touts.
IRCTC Aadhaar Linking Also Made Mandatory
The Railways have implemented another strict rule effective October 28, 2025. If you wish to book any ticket between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM, your IRCTC account must be linked to your Aadhaar card.
Prime Time bookings will not be possible without Aadhaar verification. The Railways believes that this combination of Aadhaar and OTP will eliminate bulk bookings using fake IDs. This will also reduce system load and eliminate server hangs.
How to Link with the new railway rules
If you want your Tatkal ticket to be confirmed the first time and avoid any technical issues, follow these simple steps:
First, go to your IRCTC profile and check if your mobile number is correct.
Go to the “My Account” section and link and verify your Aadhaar card.
Save passenger information in the “Master List” before booking begins to avoid wasting time typing.
When starting booking, ensure you have your phone in your hand and that the network is stable to avoid delays in receiving the OTP.