New Tatkal Train Rules - Applicable from 21/11/2011

Indian Railways’ new ticket booking rules under the Tatkal Sewa will come into force from Monday.

Under the new rule, advance reservation period of Tatkal tickets has been reduced from two days to one day (24 hours).
The advance Reservation Period of Tatkal Scheme is reduced from two days to one day excluding the day of journey from the originating station from Monday.

For example, if a train is to depart from the originating station on 2nd day of the month then the Tatkal quota for this particular train will open at 08.00hrs of the 1st day of the month.


A maximum of FOUR passengers can be booked per PNR for Tatkal tickets.Now, no refund will be granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets except in exceptional circumstances. Also, no duplicate tickets will be issued except only in exceptional cases on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges.

Tatkal tickets shall be issued only on production of prescribed photo identity card. For this purpose, a self attested photo copy of the proof of identity of any one passenger is required to be attached to the requisition slip.


During the journey, the passenger whose identity card number has been indicated on the ticket will have to produce original proof of identity indicated on the ticket. If the passenger whose identity card number is indicated on the ticket is not traveling, all other passengers booked on that ticket will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly.

Agents/RTSAs will not be able to book Tatkal tickets at the counters as well as on the internet between 08.00hrs to 10.00hrs.The IRCTC agents will be permitted to book only one Tatkal ticket per train per day on the internet.

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Tatkal Advance Reservation Time Reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours

Railways on Friday decided to reduce the advance reservation period for Tatkal tickets from 48 hours to 24 hours in a move to prevent misuse of the scheme introduced to facilitate emergency travel.
Complaints of touts misusing the scheme were increasing day by day and this left Rail Bhawan mandarins worried. While there will be no refund on confirmed Tatkal tickets except in case of cancellation of trains and late running trains, the restriction for agents to book Tatkal ticket has been extended from one hour to two hours (8 am to 10 am).
Now, one has to produce identity proof to buy Tatkal tickets and there will be only four passengers per PNR for such tickets.
Tatkal reservation period was reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours to prevent misuse by unscrupulous elements who resort to speculative booking. According to the changed system, no duplicate Tatkal ticket shall be issued and it would be done only in exceptional cases on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges.
“There were many complaints regarding misuse of Tatkal tickets. The changes that will be effective within a week has been made to prevent its misuse,” Vinay Mittal, chairman, Railway Board, said.

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Types of Visas

Visa is a document which allows a foreign national to enter into particular country, so for example any Indian national desiring to go to UK will have to take visa first in order to go to UK, without visa it is illegal to enter into any other country. Visa can be of many types, given below are the various types of visas –

Tourist Visa, given to tourists who have come for holidays
Student Visa, given to students who have come for study
Employment Visas, given to persons who have come for job from outside countries
Sports Visas, given to sportsperson

Apart from above there can be many other types of visa depending on the country which you want to go and their rules and regulations.

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What Is a Cruise Ship?

A cruise ship is a passenger ship used for vacations and pleasure trips, which is usually very large, and able to accommodate hundreds to thousands of people, depending on the size of the ship. Cruise ships generally make round trips, returning to their first port of departure after a certain number of days at sea. While on the trip, most cruise ships stop at various ports where passengers are allowed to leave the ship and spend the day exploring an area, but new passengers do not get on at these stops. Sometimes the cruise line will own a private island, and the ship will stop there, with the island geared exclusively to serving and entertaining passengers.

Cruising is a very popular aspect of the tourism industry, and most cruise ships have come to resemble floating cities. Though different cruise lines offer different amenities, cruising is often all-inclusive, and includes not just round-the-clock meals, but daily and nightly entertainment, various pools, fitness facilities, games and other fun activities, shopping, and even some adventure-type activities such as a rock wall or surfing simulator right on the cruise ship. Not included in most cruise packages are gambling areas and alcoholic beverages. Many people expect buffet-style group dining on a cruise ship, but this is often not the case, and many ships offer various restaurants for guests to choose from where they can enjoy a private, romantic dinner.

These are just a few of the amenities to be found on a cruise ship. Generally, it does not matter whether you are staying in a more expensive room on the outside of the cruise ship, which will likely feature a balcony, or in a less expensive room in the interior of the ship — all of the amenities are still included. Most rooms on cruise ships are very small, so it is unlikely that you will be spending much time there anyway, so unless an ocean view is very important to you, purchasing a room on the interior can cut costs.

Some cruises are more geared towards families and children, while others are designed more for couples taking a vacation or celebrating an anniversary or honeymoon. Cruises are often all-inclusive, so they can be a less expensive option for a vacation than other choices, and they depart from various ocean side cities around the country — meaning you might not have to take a long airplane trip to get there, which will save even more money. Cruise lines also offer different types of cruises all around the world. Caribbean cruises are probably the most well known and among the most popular, but Alaskan, Mediterranean, and European cruises are also quite popular.

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What is an Electronic Visa?

An electronic visa can refer to the application process to get a visa, or even the visa itself. In most cases, the process for an electronic visa application can be completed online, instead of having to appear, or mail documents, to the consulate of a foreign nation. In other cases, it is possible that a visa may be a card, perhaps with a magnetic stripe, that can provide vital information about a traveler.

Though they just beginning to gain popularity, an electronic visa may soon take the place of a more traditional visa. Visas are usually needed to gain entry into a country. Some countries may require visas be applied for ahead of the trip. Other countries may issue an entry visa at the point of entry into the country, which is usually an airport or border crossing. In most cases, visas are stamped into a passport and normally state the maximum amount of time the holder is allowed to remain in the country.

An electronic visa may be paper or plastic. In some cases, the procedure for applying for an online visa will be completed online and sent electronically to a processing office. If the visa is granted, a document may be e-mailed back to the requestor. This document will often serve as the visa needed to gain entry into the country. It should be kept with the passport at all times, when traveling to or in the country.

For those who apply for an electronic visa, there is often a huge convenience factor involved. In some cases to get a visa to enter certain countries, it requires mailing your passport to a consulate office. Many are concerned about letting their passport out of their immediate possession. It is an important document for identification and American passports, especially, can be very valuable on the black market.

If the electronic visa is approved, there is usually an expedited process for getting into the country. At some international airports, there are special lines set up for those with an electronic visa to get through the immigration procedure more smoothly. This process can save a considerable amount of time, perhaps even hours.

Though electronic visas in the form of cards that may look similar to credit cards have yet to catch on, it is envisioned that they could soon replace paper visas. An electronic visa card would be able to hold all the traveler's information, which could be easily accessible to authorities by either scanning it or entering the number into a national database. It would allow authorities then to determine if the person was in the country illegally or not.

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What is an Official Passport?

An official passport is a passport which is issued to someone who must travel internationally on official state business. These passports are issued specifically to people who need to travel, rather than to people who are being assigned or posted overseas. For people who are being assigned overseas for state purposes, a diplomatic passport is issued. Official passports are usually a different color from regular passports, to make them easier to identify, and they do not entitle their bearers to any special privileges.

This type of passport is sometimes called a service passport. It is a no-fee passport, which means that people do not need to pay to apply for it. The application for an official passport typically includes all of the materials needed for a regular passport, along with forms which confirm that the applicant needs a passport for official business. Many government agencies which require international travel will assist people with official passport applications.

The official passport can only be used while traveling for official reasons. If someone wishes to travel as a tourist, a tourist passport is required. While it is perfectly legal to carry both, both will require their own visas, and it is important to make sure that visas match up. If someone enters a country with a tourist passport and tries to leave with an official passport, for example, this can cause problems.

Often, people can get visas for official passports without a fee, depending on whether or not their government has worked out a visa agreement with another nation. However, if someone tries to use an official passport and visa for recreational travel, he or she may face legal consequences. If people are unclear about whether a trip would be considered official business, they should consult a superior or supervisor.

By convention, when someone is deemed eligible for an official passport, so is his or her immediate family. Family members will need to apply for their own official passports, and they will need to observe the same rules, using tourist passports and tourist visas for recreational travel.

One of the most common applications for official passports is military service. Nations which have military cooperation agreements with each other may accept copies of military orders as proof of right to pass, but in other cases, members of the military may need to carry passports endorsed with visas. When members of the military are required to travel internationally, their superior officers will inform them about whether or not they need official passports.

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Know About VISA(Visitor's Intention to Stay Abroad )

It is Abbreviated as

VISA -Visitor's Intention to Stay Abroad 

And when it comes to VISA card

It is Abbreviated as

VISA-Visa International Service Association Card

A visa or travel visa is a document which gives someone permission to travel into a specific country and stay there for a set period of time. Visas may be stamped or glued directly into a passport for convenience, or they may be issued separately, in the form of documents which must be carefully protected to ensure that they are not lost or stolen. Some nations require everyone who enters to get a visa, while others have what are known as reciprocal agreements with certain nations which waive visa requirements. It is important to research visa requirements before traveling internationally, as in some cases travelers must apply for a visa before they attempt to cross a border.

The term “visa” is a shortening of a Latin phrase, carta visa, which means “the document has been seen.” Visas take a number of forms, ranging from tourist visas to immigration visas, and each type of visa has its own application process. For example, someone who wants to enter a country to do business would need to apply for a business visa, while someone who planned to relocate to a country would apply for an immigration visa which would allow them to enter the country and stay there for a set period of time while pursuing citizenship or residency permits.

Visas generally expire after a set period of time. In some cases, a visa may be extended by permission, while in other instances, people need to leave a country and re-enter it to receive a new visa. Visas can also establish the number of times someone enters and leaves a country. In the case of a single entry visa, the visa is canceled as soon as the traveler leaves the country. In a multiple entry visa, someone may leave and return several times before the visa is canceled.

When looking at a visa, you should be able to tell what type of visa it is, how long the visa is good for, and whether or not multiple entries are permitted. Specific visa restrictions may also be written in, or indicated by the class of visa. For example, people with tourist visas are generally not permitted to work. If you aren't sure about the restrictions on a visa, be sure to ask immigration officials.

In some cases, a visa is issued by immigration officials when someone crosses a border into a new country. In other instances, people must apply for a visa before traveling. During the application process, the applicant may be asked if he or she has enough money to survive in the country for the duration of the visa, and inquiries may be made about the applicant's health, character, and intentions for the planned visit. In some cases, visa applicants are also fingerprinted and photographed.

A visa may be denied for any number of reasons. People with certain infectious diseases, for example, may be told to seek treatment for those diseases before a visa will be issued. Visas may also be denied to people who could potentially strain the system of the country they are visiting: for example, someone without enough money to get by might be denied a visa out of concern that he or she could rely on public assistance for help.

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