Tatkal Train Tickets: Booking Time, Aadhaar Rule, Charges, Refunds

Tatkal booking opens one day before the journey, not counting the journey date: at 10 am for AC classes and 11 am for sleeper and other non-AC classes. Since 1 July 2025 only Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC accounts can book Tatkal online, and since 15 July 2025 online and agent Tatkal bookings also need an OTP sent to your mobile. The extra charge is 30 percent of the base fare for most classes, within fixed minimums and maximums.

• When does Tatkal booking open?
• What changed with Aadhaar and OTP?
• How much extra does a Tatkal ticket cost?
• How many Tatkal can you book at a time?
• What is premium tatkal booking?
• Can you cancel a Tatkal ticket?

When does Tatkal booking open?

One day ahead of the date the train leaves its originating station. For a train out of Ernakulam on a Friday, the AC window opens at 10 am on Thursday and the sleeper window at 11 am. If you board at an intermediate station, the day that counts is the day the train starts its run, so check the originating date for trains that come through Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram or Kanyakumari.

The ordinary advance booking window, for comparison, has been 60 days since 1 November 2024. Tatkal is the backup for when that window has already sold out, which on popular routes out of Ernakulam happens often around festivals and long weekends. Our Kochi to Bengaluru train vs flight guide covers when flying is the saner option.

What changed with Aadhaar and OTP?

The Railways announced the changes on 11 June 2025:

• From 1 July 2025, only Aadhaar-authenticated users can book Tatkal on the IRCTC website and app.
• From 15 July 2025, an OTP sent to the mobile number given at booking is required for Tatkal booked online and through agents. OTP checks at reservation counters were trialled on selected trains from November 2025 and then extended, and some counters have since moved to issuing tokens before the window opens, so ask at your station.
• Authorised agents cannot book Tatkal in the first 30 minutes of the opening day: 10:00 to 10:30 for AC, 11:00 to 11:30 for non-AC.

The practical lesson: link and verify Aadhaar on your IRCTC account days before you need it, not at 9:55 on the morning of booking. If you have not updated your Aadhaar mobile number, sort that first; our Aadhaar update guide covers the centres in Kochi.

How much extra does a Tatkal ticket cost?

The Tatkal charge is 10 percent of the base fare for second sitting (2S) and 30 percent for every other class, but never less than the minimum or more than the maximum in the official table. These are the figures Indian Railways publishes for journeys from 24 December 2015 onwards, as of November 2026.

Class	Minimum (Rs)	Maximum (Rs)
Second sitting (2S)	10	15
Sleeper	100	200
AC Chair Car	125	225
AC 3 tier	300	400
AC 2 tier	400	500
Executive	400	500

First AC does not appear in the table because Tatkal is not offered in First AC. That answers another common question: no, you cannot book 1A in Tatkal.

How many Tatkal can you book at a time?

A single Tatkal PNR can carry up to four passengers, and names cannot be changed after booking. Each passenger's ID type and number are entered when booking online, and one passenger on the ticket must carry the original ID on the journey. Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, PAN card and driving licence are among the accepted documents.

What is premium tatkal booking?

On selected trains, part of the Tatkal quota is sold as Premium Tatkal at a dynamic fare that rises as seats fill. It is online only, has no waiting list and no concessions, and gives no refund on cancellation apart from narrow exceptions such as the train itself being cancelled. Which trains carry it changes, so check the train on IRCTC rather than assuming. Our view: because the fare climbs as seats sell, Premium Tatkal on a long route can end up well above the regular fare, so price a flight before you pay.

Can you cancel a Tatkal ticket?

A confirmed Tatkal ticket gets no refund on cancellation. Indian Railways' Tatkal page lists the exceptions where the full fare and Tatkal charge come back. They include the train running more than three hours late at your boarding station, a diversion, if you choose not to travel or it skips your boarding or destination station, your coach not being attached with no seat offered in the same class, or being downgraded and choosing not to travel. A waitlisted Tatkal ticket that does not confirm is cancelled automatically when the chart is prepared, with the standard cancellation charge deducted.

That rule is the strongest argument for booking the regular quota early whenever you can. For more on rail versus road out of the city, see our Guides section.