Tatkal booking timing: 10 AM for AC, 11 AM for Sleeper, one day before travel
Tatkal opens the day before the train leaves its starting station: 10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for Sleeper and second seating. The countdown below runs on India time. On a contested train the quota is gone within the first minute, so the timing is only half the answer; the other half is having everything ready before it opens.
10:00 AM
AC classes
2A, 3A, 3E, CC, EC · Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, Rajdhani
11:00 AM
Sleeper & seating
SL, 2S
India time (IST). One day before the journey date, not the booking date.
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What time does Tatkal booking open?
10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for Sleeper and second seating, India time, one day before the train leaves its starting station. Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and Rajdhani are all AC, so 10:00 AM. The quota on a contested train is gone within the first minute.
Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count
Have a desk stage it the evening before →Seven Tatkal rules that decide whether you get the berth
- 1
One day before the journey date
Counted from the date the train leaves its starting station, not the date it reaches your station. For an overnight train that starts the previous evening, the window is a day earlier than most people think.
- 2
10:00 AM for every AC class
2A, 3A, 3E, Chair Car and Executive Chair Car. That covers every Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Duronto and Tejas seat.
- 3
11:00 AM for Sleeper and 2S
A separate window an hour later, on the same day-before rule.
- 4
Four passengers on one ticket
A Tatkal booking holds at most four names, not six. A family of five is two bookings.
- 5
Aadhaar-verified IRCTC accounts online
Since July 2025 only Aadhaar-verified IRCTC users can book Tatkal on the website or app, with an OTP on each booking. Counter bookings take a mobile OTP.
- 6
No refund on a confirmed Tatkal
A confirmed Tatkal ticket cancelled by the passenger gets nothing back, except when the train is cancelled or runs very late. Plan it as a one-way bet.
- 7
The quota is small and goes in seconds
On a contested train the Tatkal berths are gone before most people reach the payment page. Being on time is necessary, not sufficient.
Vande Bharat Tatkal timing: 10 AM, and why it is the hardest
- Every Vande Bharat seat is Chair Car or Executive Chair Car, so its Tatkal opens at 10:00 AM, one day before.
- A Vande Bharat is a fixed trainset. The railway cannot add a coach when demand rises, so the Tatkal quota is small and the Tatkal waiting list barely moves.
- Executive Chair Car often has Tatkal availability after Chair Car has gone. On a short day journey the difference is modest.
- Delhi to Varanasi, Katra, Dehradun, Bhopal, Ajmer and the hills: send the journey the evening before and we tell you which train and class will confirm.
What to send so it is staged before the window
A person reads the train, the quota and the date and tells you before the window whether Tatkal is the right route, or whether a general-quota berth, a different train or a quota the apps do not show will confirm instead. Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count.
- Route and travel date
- Class, and a second choice
- Names and ages exactly as on the ID
- The ID type each passenger will carry
- Boarding station if it differs
What our customers say
“Messaged at 9:50 AM for a same-day AC Tatkal. They were ready at 10 sharp and I had a confirmed berth within minutes. A real person beats refreshing the app yourself.”
“Booked Tatkal for our whole family in one go on WhatsApp. Super smooth, kept us updated.”
Tatkal timing questions
What time does Tatkal booking open?+
10:00 AM for AC classes and 11:00 AM for Sleeper and second seating, India time, one day before the train leaves its starting station. The times have not changed; the Aadhaar verification rule for online booking was added in July 2025.
Is Tatkal one day before the journey or two?+
One day before, counted from the train's departure date at its starting station. If you board at an intermediate station a day after the train starts, the window is two days before your boarding date.
What is the Vande Bharat Tatkal timing?+
10:00 AM, one day before, because every Vande Bharat seat is an AC class. The quota is small and the trainset is fixed, so book the first minute or have a second train ready.
What is the Shatabdi and Rajdhani Tatkal timing?+
10:00 AM for both, since they run AC classes only. Rajdhani Tatkal in 3A is among the most contested on the network.
Can I book Tatkal for a train that leaves after midnight?+
Yes, and the day-before rule still counts from the train's starting date. A train leaving New Delhi at 12:30 AM on the 10th has its Tatkal window on the 9th, not the 8th.
How many passengers can one Tatkal ticket have?+
Four. A bigger party is two or more Tatkal bookings, made in the same window.
Is there a Tatkal window for Premium Tatkal?+
The same one. Premium Tatkal opens at the same time on the trains that have it, at a fare that rises as it fills, and only on the IRCTC website and app. Our Premium Tatkal page explains the difference.
Do you book Tatkal for me?+
Yes, every day, for any route in India. Send the journey the evening before and it is staged before the window. Confirmed berth or 100% refund — RAC doesn't count.
Tatkal vs Premium Tatkal →Tatkal booking desk →Will my waiting list confirm? →