Indian Railways carries millions of passengers every day, and many travellers use the IRCTC website or app to book their train tickets online. However, passengers who make frequent bookings may sometimes receive a message saying that their monthly booking limit has been exhausted.
To prevent ticket fraud and the commercial misuse of railway reservations, Indian Railways has different booking limits for regular IRCTC accounts and accounts linked with Aadhaar.
How Many Tickets Can You Book Without Aadhaar?
An IRCTC user whose account is not linked with Aadhaar can book a maximum of 12 train tickets in a month.
Earlier, the monthly limit for users with standard accounts was six tickets. In June 2022, Indian Railways increased this limit to 12 tickets, giving passengers greater flexibility for online reservations.
Therefore, Aadhaar verification is not required for booking up to 12 tickets in a month through a regular IRCTC account.
What Happens After Aadhaar Linking?
Passengers who need to make more than 12 bookings in a month have to link their IRCTC user ID with Aadhaar.
There is an additional requirement for bookings beyond the regular limit. The Aadhaar number of at least one passenger travelling on the train must be linked in the railway’s booking system.
This Aadhaar-based facility allows eligible users to make more bookings than the limit applicable to non-Aadhaar-verified accounts.
Tatkal Ticket Booking Rules
Tatkal reservations have separate booking restrictions. A user can book a maximum of two Tatkal tickets per day during the booking period between 10 AM and 12 PM.
In addition, only one Tatkal booking form can be filled from a single IP address or through one login session.
Can You Use a Personal IRCTC ID for Commercial Booking?
Passengers should also remember that a personal IRCTC user ID is intended for booking tickets for the account holder or their family members.
Using a personal IRCTC account for commercial ticket booking is considered a legal offence under railway regulations. Aadhaar verification is also mandatory for users who want to avail themselves of the facility to book more than 12 tickets in a month.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is based on the railway booking rules and details available in the source material. Railway policies, booking limits and procedures may be revised by the authorities. Passengers are advised to check the latest official IRCTC and Indian Railways guidelines before making ticket reservations.