If you make this mistake from October 1, then your ticket will not be booked, know this thing:

Indian Railways has made a major change in online general ticket booking on IRCTC since 1 October 2025. Now to book tickets, you will need to link your IRCTC account to the Aadhaar number. The objective of the railway is to ensure that tickets are given only to the real passengers and the booking process is completely transparent.

According to this new rule, passengers who have not linked their Aadhaar to their IRCTC account will not be able to book tickets in the initial 15 minutes of online general ticket booking. From October 1, the railway will give special priority to the passengers whose Aadhaar is verified. That is, passengers associated with Aadhaar card will be able to book tickets 15 minutes before the ticket booking starts. That is, passengers associated with Aadhaar card will be able to take advantage of early booking.

How to link Aadhaar card to IRCTC account?

If you want to link your Aadhaar card to your IRCTC account, follow these simple steps.

• Log in – First, visit the official website of IRCTC or mobile app. Log in by adding your username and password.
• Go to my account – after logging in, open the My Account section on the top right. Here you will see the option of “Link Your Aadhaar” or “Aadhaar KYC”. Choose it.
• Enter the Aadhaar number – Now, enter your 12 -digit Aadhaar number in the box and click on the “Send OTP” button.
• Verify OTP – An OTP will come on the mobile number connected to your Aadhaar card. Enter it on the website and click “Verify”.
• Confirm the linking – After successful verification, a message will appear on your screen that your Aadhaar card will be successfully linked to your IRCTC account.

Increase transparency in ticket booking

Railways have taken this step to increase transparency in ticket booking. Its main objective is to reduce the high price of tickets or the problem of black marketing. Now only real passengers will get tickets. This will increase the chances of getting confirmed tickets for general passengers and black marketing will also be curbed.

Where will this rule not apply?

This rule will currently be applicable only to IRCTC’s online general ticket booking. Aadhaar linking is already mandatory for Tatkal ticket booking. There has been no change in ticket booking at railway counters. Passengers booking tickets from the counter will be able to do this as before.