Updated 14-02-2024

Booking train tickets as a foreigner can be a challenging task. When I tell my family, friends and other travellers this article is one of my most popular articles they look at me weirdly and ask me: seriously?! It’s difficult to explain when someone never visited India, but yes, booking train tickets as foreigner in India is not easy. But not impossible. With this article I help you to create an (infamous) IRCTC account and how to book train tickets as foreigner in India.

The Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest railway networks. Before the Covid-19 pandemic the estimated number of people travelling by train was 23 million per day. It takes some time to plan your trip, find the right trains with your preferred class, route and timetables but travelling by train in India is an unique experience by itself.

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Why do you need to reserve a seat?

You might have seen videos or photos from people sitting on top of the trains, hanging out windows and open doors or people jumping out of moving trains? I hate to disappoint you but the only thing you can witness today is people hanging out of open doors. Passengers do not jump out of moving trains anymore and today it is forbidden to sit on top of the train. Taking the train can be quite overwhelming when it comes to the large number of people boarding a train.

Going to the train station and board a train without booking is only possible for the 2^nd sitting class. The 2^nd sitting class is the cheapest class and extremely overcrowded. The 2^nd sitting is the only class for which you don’t have to book tickets. For alll other classes you need to book a ticket in advance. You can go to the station at random that day and try to book a ticket for the 3AC trier but most seats sell out weeks (or months) before. Especially during Indian holidays & festivals and on popular tourist routes.

Classes

Unreserved 2^nd sitting

The 2^nd sitting is the cheapest class and overcrowded. Tickets literally never sell out. I have travelled in the this class twice during shorter day journeys in Rajasthan. Both times I was lucky to run into a family (mostly women) that invited me to sit with them. Which meant I spend 6 hours with half buttock on the bench and the other half hanging around. But nonetheless grateful I had half a seat.

Don’t expect to get a seat in the 2^nd sitting because all seats are taken by passengers boarding at earlier stations. Some passengers board the train for 24 hours journeys or longer. It’s not uncommon that families travel for 40 hours and sit in the same spot on the floor. When it’s very busy there is no space to sit and you will be forced to stand the entire trip. Keep this in mind. I do not recommend travelling in this class overnight.

Sleeper Class

The Sleeper Class have day seats during the day and the seats are converted into three-tier bunks at night. This class does not have AC and windows are often open. During the day you will appreciate the open windows for the fresh air and the views. In some regions it can be cold at night so keep in mind to bring a sweater or jacket. Sheets and pillows are not provided, so bring your own to be a bit more comfortable. If you are lucky Sleeper class tickets can be available a few days in advance.

AC Executive Chair

The AC Executive Chair is the same as the European second class. The seats are comfortable, the coaches are clean, there is AC and some trains have a digital display showing the next train station. Depending on duration of your journey a meal is provided. This class is rare in India. The only time I have travelled in this class is from New Delhi to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.

3AC- Tier

Three-tier berths in groups of six. During the day the bunks are converted to seats. Looks the same as sleeper class but with AC.

2AC- Tier

Two-tier berths in groups of four. There are curtains for some privacy. Depending on train, duration and route snacks and or meals are provided. This class is more comfortable compared to the 3AC-Tier and has AC. Sheets and pillows are provided.

1AC- Tier

There are two and four berth compartments. The doors in these compartments can be locked and meals are included. This class is the most expensive and the most comfortable class of all.

Sheets and pillows are provided in the 3AC, 2AC and 1AC- tier. Or you can bring your own.

Availability of classes

Not all classes are available on each train. Second sitting, Sleeper Class and 3AC Tier are the most common. The AC Executive Chair is often used for popular shorter journeys during the day. 2AC- tier and 1AC- tier are only available on long distance journeys. Tickets for the 3AC, 2AC and 1AC- tier often sell out weeks before the date of departure, especially on popular tourist routes: New Delhi-Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Mumbai to Goa (to name a few).

Booking train tickets online

Tickets are available 180 days before the date of departure. The reason why tickets sell out fast is because families book there tickets months in advance. Sometimes they book several dates at once. For Indian citizens it’s very easy to cancel their tickets. When they cancel their tickets they go to the train station for a refund, even on the day of departure. That is why tickets sell out fast and the IRCTC has waiting lists.

To book train tickets online you have a few options:

• IRCTC: Official website of the Indian Railways.
• Make my trip; An easy to use website and app. Better oversight of the available trains. The website charges a small fee and you need an IRCTC account to book train tickets. At the time of updating this article Makemytrip & Cleartrip have blocked access to European customers since the strong data protection GDPR rules were introduced. A way around this is to change your VPN connection!
• Cleartrip: Similar as Make my trip. Also not available for European customers at the moment.
• Easiest option out there is 12Go: You don’t need an IRCTC account which is a huge plus but the site does not show the ticket availability. A way around this is to check the availability via IRCTC, Make my trip or Cleartrip and later on book the ticket via 12Go. Another plus when using 12Go is to book buses and domestic flights in India. They compare bus and flight fares and making bookings is very easy.

Note: To book train tickets via IRCTC, Makemytrip and Cleartrip you need an IRCTC account. See the following paragraph on how to create an IRCTC account.

Create an account at IRCTC

Go to irctc.co.in and register as an individual. To register as a foreigner you need to have an active foreign phone number. You can’t use your Indian number. After filling in the registration form you have to pay 100 rupees with your international credit card to verify your details are correct.

After a successful payment they send a confirmation e-mail and a text message. This can take a few hours. You need to verify your e-mail AND your phone number. They send two different OTP codes and you need to verify both.

Tip to register your ISD phone number

A note to register your phone number at IRCTC. The ISD number is the country code plus the first digit of your mobile number. I struggled with this at first because I used  00 or + before the country code. I have a Belgium number and the country code is +32 or 0032. Mobile numbers in Belgium start with 4, so my ISD number is 324. You don’t use the +32 or 0032 variation just 324. For the Netherlands for example the ISD is 316, 31 is the country code and 6 is the first digit of mobile numbers in the Netherlands.

What is the Foreign Tourist Quota?

The Indian Railways have divided the large amount of bookable tickets in various allotments. They have done this to make it easier to book online tickets. One of them is the Foreign Tourist Quota. The tourist quota is not available on every train and after the Covid-19 pandemic these tickets are even harder to come by.

When you have created an IRCTC account and have logged in you click the menu logo in the right top corner of the screen (on laptop). Click on trains and then foreign tourist booking. (Or select the foreign tourist instead of the general quota when searching for trains.) Now you can search for the trains and tickets that are available with the Foreign Tourist Quota. You pay more compared to the general quota. But when the general quota is sold out and you can try to find a ticket via the Foreign Tourist Quota. You can only use this quota when you created an account with a foreign phone number and pay with a foreign credit card. The tourist quota is not accessible when you used an Indian phone number. See picture below to see an example of available tickets with a tourist quota.

Why can’t I book a general ticket?

If you try to book a general train ticket (so no tourist quota) a few days in advance it is possible the tickets are sold out. There is a difference between available tickets and tickets in a waiting list. See pictures below to see the difference. The red coloured text is the waiting list. You can choose to be on the waiting list and you have to pay in advance. On the day of departure you go to the train station and check at the ticket counter if there are seats available. If not, you can request a refund at the counter.

A few years ago it was (almost) impossible to book a general ticket with a foreign credit card. I managed to pay one time with a foreign credit card. Nowadays it is a bit easier but still tricky. I don’t know the reason for this. A few years ago I even tried to pay with an Indian credit card and the website refused the payment. Nobody knows why. It’s just a matter of the right timing I guess. So just keep your fingers crossed when submitting the payment.

Other ways to book train tickets in India?

At the railway station

You can go to the train station directly. But come prepared. Write down the departure and arrival stations, dates, hours, train name and number. You have to fill in a reservation form at the ticket office and you need to know all the ins and outs of the train you would like to be on. Be prepared to have one or two alternatives just in case. And bring a book. Waiting lines can be long in larger cities and people do skip the line. Don’t trust any agents or touts hanging around the railway stations, especially in Delhi. It’s safer to ask your hotel, homestay or hostel for specific information.

Booking train tickets via a travel agent or hotel

It is of course possible to book a train ticket via a travel agent, hotel or hostel. They charge a commission, which is fine, but the truth is: they often use the same legendary IRCTC- website. They are registered as agent at IRCTC and have a quota of 5 bookings per month. Travel agents and hotels face the same issues when booking train tickets as us. Some hotels and hostels don’t even bother trying to book train tickets because it takes too much time. There are travel agents who can do magic and manage to get you a ticket. Always ask to see the ticket first and check the details of the booking: date, stations, train number and name etc. before paying. Best way to find a reliable travel agent is to ask the reception of your hotel or ask other travellers.

I hope I helped you a bit on how to book train tickets as foreigner in India. Enjoy your trip in India.

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