Indian Railways Reservation Rule: Aadhaar Authenticated IRCTC Users Can Book Tickets Till Midnight

Now you can book tickets by midnight. Tickets may now be reserved for IRCTC users who are authenticated via Aadhaar. Starting on January 12, only users with Aadhaar verification may purchase general reserved tickets online until midnight on the day the ARP opens.

According to an IRCTC announcement, “on the opening day of the Advance Reservation Perion (ARP), only Aadhaar authenticated users shall be allowed to book general reserved tickets w.e.f 12 January 2026.”

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On the first day that reserved ticket booking was available, January 5, the ticket purchasing window for Aadhaar verified users was extended from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. According to the new regulations, tickets may be purchased up to 60 days in advance by users who have finished Aadhaar verification. During this time, you won’t be able to purchase tickets if your Aadhaar is not validated.

In the past, users who were verified using Aadhaar could only purchase reserved tickets between 8 am and 12 pm (Dec 29, 2025) on the day the booking window opened. Later, the deadline was moved to four in the afternoon. The Ministry of Railways announced in a statement that cutting-edge technology is also being employed to detect and stop dishonest individuals attempting to abuse the e-ticketing system.

But the way tickets are purchased at the computerized PRS counters will remain the same. The intention of the action, according to the railways, is to make sure that the advantages of the reservation system are available to legitimate travellers and to prevent its exploitation by touts or other dishonest individuals.