Diwali & Chhath 2026Waitlisted or no berths? What still works
Illustration of an elderly couple with a suitcase on a station platform, waving at a video call from their daughter abroad, with a Vande Bharat style train behind themIllustration
For Indians living in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing & China

NRI Train Ticket ServiceIndian train tickets for your family, booked from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing or anywhere in China

Your parents are going from Lucknow to Delhi for a hospital check-up, or you land in Kolkata after a long flight and need the onward train, and you are in Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen with an office day ahead. Send the journey on WhatsApp. Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra, a licensed railway ticket agent in New Delhi since 2014, picks the option most likely to confirm, books it in the passenger's own name and watches it to the chart. No IRCTC account or Indian number is needed.

5★ · 500+ Google reviews · Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count

The problem

Why booking from China is harder than it should be

Booking opens at 10:30 AM, mid-morning

Reservations open at 8:00 AM IST, 60 days ahead. China is on UTC+8 all year, so that is 10:30 AM. It lands in the middle of work, the exact time you can't sit and refresh a page.

Tatkal is lunchtime

Tatkal opens at 12:30 PM for AC and 1:30 PM for non-AC on a China clock, one day before the train leaves. If your parents are travelling tomorrow it falls during your lunch break.

Few flights and long connections

Direct flights between India and China only restarted from late October 2025. Many people still connect through Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok or the Gulf, so the landing city and time vary a lot, and the onward train has to allow for it.

A Chinese number and a Chinese card

A Chinese mobile number and a Chinese bank card are exactly what IRCTC's login and payment pages are not built for. The verification code does not arrive, or the payment is declined.

Your three options

How an NRI can book a train ticket in India

Three ways to get it done. Two of them don't involve us.

Book it yourself on IRCTC

What you need: An IRCTC account registered as an international user with your foreign mobile number, or an existing Indian account, and a card IRCTC accepts.

Best when: You travel often, you're comfortable with the IRCTC site, and you can be online at 8:00 AM India time, 60 days ahead, for popular trains.

Watch out for: Registration and payment steps are built around India; international cards are sometimes declined, and a waitlisted ticket is yours to watch until the chart.

Ask a relative in India

What you need: Someone with their own IRCTC account and an Indian payment method, plus your parents' names, ages and ID details.

Best when: A simple, one-off journey with seats available, and a relative who has the time.

Watch out for: It puts the 8:00 AM window, Tatkal and waitlist follow-up on them. If the ticket doesn't confirm, nobody is working it.

Hand it to a licensed agent

This is us

What you need: The journey and passenger details on WhatsApp. No IRCTC account, no Indian number, and you pay from abroad.

Best when: Your parents are travelling, dates are fixed, the train is full or waitlisted, or you simply don't want to manage it across time zones.

Watch out for: Choose a licensed one. Check the YTSK licence, the registered office, that the ticket is in the passenger's name, and that the total is agreed before you pay. We're Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra, licensed by Indian Railways, in Karol Bagh, New Delhi since 2014.

If you already have an active IRCTC account and seats are open, book it yourself. We're for the journeys that aren't that simple.

Only a confirmed berth counts. RAC doesn't.

App guarantees treat RAC as a success: you share a berth overnight and they pay nothing. We don't. If we can't deliver a confirmed (CNF) berth, you get a 100% refund, no questions asked — usually the same day, and always within 48 hours of asking — or the alternative that suits you better.

Check us before you pay

How to tell a genuine train ticket agent from abroad

Six things worth checking about any agent in India. Here is where we stand on each.

Licensed by Indian Railways

A Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra (YTSK) licence from Indian Railways and authorised IRCTC agent status. Licence details are shared on request with the person booking, not published on the open web.

A registered office since 2014

Palmohan Plaza, A1, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi 110005. It's a registered address, not a service counter: every booking is handled on WhatsApp and call.

The ticket is in the passenger's name

A genuine IRCTC e-ticket in your parents' names, with the PNR you can check on IRCTC or NTES, sent to them and to you.

Traceable payment, never cash

You pay from abroad through the options we confirm on WhatsApp, after the full amount is agreed in writing. Nothing is booked before you approve.

A GST invoice on request

Ask for an invoice and you get one, with our GST details, for every booking.

Google reviews you can read

5★ from 500+ Google reviews, on our Google Business Profile, and a refund rule in writing: confirmed berth or 100% back.

Why it pays

From the China flight to the last stretch home

Landing in Delhi

Delhi is the main gateway from China, whether on a direct flight or through a connection. From Delhi the trains run to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan, and we choose a daytime train if you land in the small hours.

Landing in Kolkata

Direct flights from Guangzhou have made Kolkata a real entry point, with trains on to Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and the north-east. We book with a gap after landing.

Landing in Mumbai or Chennai

Connections via Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong often bring families into Mumbai or Chennai. Tell us the landing city and we plan the last leg from there.

Home for a holiday

Golden Week in early October, the Chinese New Year break and summer are the usual windows, and they often fall near Diwali and the wedding season in India. The trains for those weeks fill early.

On WhatsApp and phone

How it works, from any country

01

WhatsApp the journey

Who is travelling, from where to where, the date and class, and how flexible the dates really are.

02

We find the option that confirms

Every train, quota, class and boarding point on the route, read together — and an honest answer, including when a date won't work.

03

You approve and pay from abroad

The full amount — railway fare plus our service charge — is confirmed before anything is booked. You pay from your own country through the payment options we share on WhatsApp, or a family member in India can pay if that's easier.

04

Tickets on WhatsApp, PNR you can check

The IRCTC e-ticket goes to you and to the traveller, with a note on which ID to carry. The PNR is on the ticket, so you can verify it yourself on IRCTC or the NTES app within minutes.

05

We work it to the chart

Waitlisted bookings are tracked until the chart is prepared, with updates on WhatsApp.

06

Confirmed, or 100% refund

Only a confirmed berth counts. If we can't deliver one, you're refunded in full — no questions asked.

Booking for your parents

You book from abroad. They just travel.

The ticket is booked in your parents' names and sent on WhatsApp to them and to you. Questions, updates and changes come to you, so they never have to deal with an app or a queue.

  • For senior citizens we request lower berths where they are available
  • First AC and 2A for long overnight journeys, and a First AC coupé request for a couple travelling together
  • The e-ticket on their WhatsApp and yours, with a note on which ID to carry
  • Pay from abroad, or let a family member in India pay — whichever is easier
Who it's for

What NRIs book with us

Your parents' trips

Visiting a son or daughter in another city, a family function, or a hospital appointment, with lower berths for senior citizens where they are available.

Your own trip home

The last leg after you land — a Rajdhani, Vande Bharat or overnight train from Delhi or Mumbai to your home town, booked before you fly.

Weddings and family groups

Relatives travelling together for a wedding, booked across PNRs so the group sits as close together as the train allows.

See that page →

Pilgrimages for your parents

Vaishno Devi, Kashi, Ayodhya, Tirupati and more — the trains booked so your parents travel in comfort.

See that page →

Jain yatras

Sangh and family yatras to the tirths, train only, with elders in the right berths.

See that page →

A private cabin for a couple

A First AC coupé request for parents travelling together overnight.

See that page →

What to send us

  • Journey date, from and to stations, and the class you want
  • How flexible the dates are — even one day helps
  • Each passenger's name, age and gender, as on their ID
  • Anyone over 60 or who needs a lower berth
  • A WhatsApp number for you and one for the traveller

Rather talk it through?

Call us or leave a WhatsApp message at any hour. A real agent replies — no app, no chatbot.

Call +91 99999 90359

What our customers say

“Helpful agents, explained my PNR honestly instead of overpromising. Will use again.”
Vivek R. · Google review
“Senior-citizen lower berth for my parents, exactly as requested. Very courteous staff.”
Sunita D. · Google review
FAQ

Questions NRIs ask us

What time does booking open for me in China?+

Advance reservations open at 8:00 AM India time, which is 10:30 AM in China all year. Tatkal opens at 10:00 and 11:00 AM India time, which is 12:30 PM for AC and 1:30 PM for non-AC. Send us the journey and we are ready when it opens.

Can I book for my parents in India from China?+

Yes. Send their names, ages and the journey on WhatsApp. The ticket is booked in their names and sent to you and to them, with a note on which ID to carry. For senior citizens we request lower berths where they are available.

WhatsApp needs a VPN in China. What else can I use?+

Call us, or have a family member in India message us for you. The booking happens on our side either way, and the e-ticket goes to the traveller in India as well as to you.

I land in Delhi or Kolkata after a long connection. Can you book the onward train?+

Yes, before you fly. Send the landing city and time and we leave a gap that covers immigration, baggage and a late connection.

How do I pay from here?+

We confirm the full amount before anything is booked and share the payment options on WhatsApp. If it's easier, a family member in India can pay instead.

What if the ticket doesn't confirm?+

Only a confirmed (CNF) berth counts. RAC doesn't. If we can't deliver one, you get a 100% refund, usually the same day and always within 48 hours of asking, or the alternative that suits you better.

How do I know the ticket is genuine?+

Every booking is a real IRCTC e-ticket in the passenger's own name. The PNR is on it, so you can check it yourself on the IRCTC website or the NTES app as soon as you receive it.

What ID do my parents carry on the train?+

Any one original photo ID accepted by Indian Railways, such as Aadhaar, a voter ID, a passport or a driving licence. We note on the ticket message which one to carry.

Is Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra a licensed agent?+

Yes. Rail Yatri Suvidha Kendra holds a Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra (YTSK) licence from Indian Railways and is an authorised IRCTC agent, with a registered office in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, and has been booking train tickets since 2014.

Book on WhatsApp