The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) allows travellers to conveniently book train tickets online through its website and mobile application. With over 300 million existing users, IRCTC aims to make the ticket booking process as smooth as possible. One way it achieves this is by allowing users to link their Aadhaar card to their IRCTC account.
This integration between the national biometric ID and the railway booking portal offers numerous benefits that simplify the booking process for travellers. Read on to understand why it is recommended to link Aadhaar to IRCTC and how you can do it through some easy steps.
Advantages of linking Aadhaar with IRCTC
Here are some of the key advantages of linking your Aadhaar card with your existing IRCTC account:
- Pre-filled passenger details: Linking Aadhaar auto-fills your personal details like name, age, gender etc. when booking tickets. This saves time compared to manual entry.
- Higher ticket booking limit: Your monthly booking quota is increased from 6 tickets to 12 tickets in a month.
- Minimum verification requirements: Tickets can be booked with ease as your Aadhaar serves as both identity and address proof.
- Enhanced security: Your account is protected against fraudulent activities as Aadhaar adds a secure layer of authentication.
- Faster refund processing: Linking Aadhaar speeds up the refund process in case of ticket cancellation.
- Paperless travel: Carry your e-ticket and e-Aadhaar to the station and train instead of hard copies.
With benefits like these, it makes sense to link your Aadhaar when creating or using an existing IRCTC account.
Step-by-step process to link Aadhaar with IRCTC
If you are wondering how to link Aadhaar in IRCTC, the integration process is quick and simple. Just follow these steps:
- Visit the official IRCTC website and log-in using your IRCTC username and password.
- Under the ‘Profile’ section, click on the ‘Link Aadhaar’ option.
- Enter your name exactly as it appears on your Aadhaar card.
- Input your unique 12-digit Aadhaar number.
- Tick the declaration checkbox and click ‘Send OTP’.
- An OTP will be sent to the mobile number linked with your Aadhaar. Input this OTP and click ‘Verify OTP’.
Once successful verification is complete, your Aadhaar will be linked to the IRCTC account.
The entire process takes just a few minutes with a stable internet connection as long as you have your Aadhaar details handy. No documentation or visits to an Aadhaar centre are required.
Documents needed for Aadhaar-IRCTC linking
To link your Aadhaar card to your IRCTC account, you only need:
- IRCTC login credentials (username and password)
- Aadhaar card number
- Registered mobile number to receive OTP
No physical documents are required for the online linking process. Make sure to enter details accurately to avoid linking errors.
With over 150 million Aadhaar-linked IRCTC accounts, integrating Aadhaar adds great convenience to managing and operating your railway booking account. Apart from the aforesaid benefits, it also enables quick tatkal bookings through IRCTC’s aadhaar-linked instant Apps facility.
So, if you frequently book train tickets online, seamlessly link your Aadhaar card to your IRCTC account in minutes. This hassle-free process allows you to reap the benefits of simplified ticket bookings for future rail journeys.
