CSC IRCTC Agent Registration or a Private PSP?

If you run a CSC centre, or a shop that already offers citizen services, you can come at this question from two sides. You can ask your own programme about its IRCTC route. Or you can register through a separate private provider. Either way, don’t decide on one number alone. A cheap sign-up can still come with a long list of charges after it.

This post doesn’t pick a winner. It shows you what IRCTC’s own register says, which questions to put to each route, and how to check a company before you pay.

What does IRCTC’s register say about each route?

IRCTC publishes a PDF titled “IRCTC Authorized Service Providers (Agents)” on its own domain. The file at this link has seven pages and no printed “as on” date. Its file metadata is dated March 2026. It groups providers by scheme. A scheme is just the heading IRCTC files a provider under.

CSC e Governance Services India Ltd, Delhi, is the first of the E-Governance entries. SiOnline is row 27 of the ICS list, on page 6, as “M/s SI Online Technomart Pvt. Ltd., Ratlam”.

A listing proves one thing: IRCTC names the company under that scheme. It says nothing about price, support or how quickly things get done. So use the register to confirm the company name, and nothing more.

For the Internet Cafe and B2B schemes, IRCTC’s Agent Policy says a PSP registers the retail agent and IRCTC issues the agent ID. That policy is titled for those two schemes only, so it doesn’t settle the question for the E-Governance Scheme. If you’re looking at the CSC route, ask who the agent ID is issued to, which scheme it works under and what terms apply.

What do the written rules cover?

IRCTC’s Revised Agent Policy, effective 29 November 2019, is titled as a policy for the Internet Cafe and B2B schemes. IRCTC later issued a policy for integrating Principal Service Providers under those two schemes (2020). Ask each route which edition it follows, since IRCTC may have issued a later one. The 2019 policy sets out duties you can test an Internet Cafe or B2B offer against:

• The PSP registers the retail agent, and IRCTC issues the agent ID (Annexure A, I.i).
• Aadhaar verification and a PAN are mandatory at registration (I.ii and I.iii).
• The agent gives a unique mobile number, email address and PAN (I.vi).
• The PSP issues a Certificate of Authorisation, and the agent displays it at the counter (I.xi and I.xii).
• KYC of the retail agent is the responsibility of the PSP (V.ii).
• The agent keeps customer requests and ID proof for six months, and the agent charge applies only to booking transactions, not to cancellations (II.iii and II.viii).

These duties say nothing about how E-Governance terms might differ. If you’re weighing CSC, ask the programme for its fee, eligibility rule, process, timeline and terms on each point above. Get it in writing and compare the answers line by line, in the same words.

What should the cost schedule include?

A registration price is one line in a longer list. Whichever route you ask, get each item’s amount, whether tax is included, how often it repeats and whether it can be refunded.

For reference, here’s SiOnline’s published schedule for an IRCTC agent ID as of 17 October 2026. Full tables are on our fees page.

As of 17 October 2026, the fees page lists the rest, including Premium, OTP login renewal, wallet top-up and the optional Class 3 DSC at ₹6,000 incl. GST for two years. Ask each route which login it will set up.

SiOnline pays agents no commission and shares no payment-gateway charges; it charges the agent only ticket fare + PG charges + IRCTC charges. Payment-gateway charges: being confirmed with IRCTC. Ask every route to state its position on this in writing.

Once you have the other route’s full schedule, put it next to this one. Compare line against line. If a line is missing on their side, that’s your next question.

Who qualifies?

Eligibility is set partly by IRCTC’s policy and partly by whoever runs the route. For the CSC programme, ask who can apply, with what documents and through which portal.

On SiOnline’s current registration page, as of 17 October 2026, the listed requirements are age 18 or above, a valid PAN and Aadhaar, a PAN, mobile number and email not already registered with IRCTC on any personal or agent ID, and a computer with internet and a printer. The Aadhaar and PAN requirement itself comes from IRCTC’s Agent Policy.

The unique-details rule matters if you’re thinking of using two routes. The same page names a PAN, mobile number or email already tied to an IRCTC account as the most common reason an application is rejected. So check before you apply a second time. And ask each route what it does when it finds an existing ID.

What about support and turnaround?

Ask where the support desk is, what hours it covers, which channels it answers on, and who handles a failed booking at a busy moment. SiOnline’s support is available 24 hours, 7 days, by phone and WhatsApp, and you can test that on our customer care page before you pay anyone. Run the same test on any other route. A call before payment tells you more than a promise on a web page.

A turnaround quoted on a website may not hold next month. Ask each route for its current turnaround, and what happens if your ID takes longer. Activation of an IRCTC agent ID is IRCTC’s step, and SiOnline can’t speed it up.

Which route should you check first?

Our IRCTC agent registration page explains the steps on our side. Start on the registration page for the initial eligibility check. SiOnline takes the first instalment at signup after that check, and the second when document verification completes.

How do you verify any route before paying?

1. Open the register PDF on IRCTC’s own domain. Find the exact registered company name, not a brand or app name.
2. Note the scheme heading and the row. A company listed under one scheme is not listed under another by implication.
3. Compare the company name on the invoice or payment page with the register entry. Pay only the company that appears there. If the names differ, stop and ask the seller to show their row.
4. Ask for the written schedule of charges and the refund terms before the first payment.
5. Ask whether a Certificate of Authorisation will be issued. Under the Agent Policy for the ICS and B2B schemes, the PSP issues it. Our certificate page explains what the document is and is not.

Step 3 catches more than people expect. Say a salesperson hands you a payment link in the name of a company you’ve never heard of, while talking about a brand you do know. That’s not proof of anything bad. But it’s a good reason to pause and ask them to show you the register row for the company you’re about to pay. If they can’t, don’t pay yet.

For a longer walk-through, see how to check any provider on IRCTC’s list.

What can you send both routes to compare them fairly?

If you’re talking to two providers, send them the same message. That way you’re comparing answers, not conversations. Something like this works:

• What is the exact legal name of the company that will register me, and which scheme heading is it under on IRCTC’s register?
• In whose name will the agent ID be issued?
• What are all the charges in the first year, and what recurs after that?
• Which login will you set up for me, OTP or DSC?
• Who handles a failed booking, and how do I reach them?
• What is the current turnaround, and what happens if it takes longer?

Keep the replies in one folder, next to each other. Two weeks later, when you’re ready to decide, the written answers will be easier to trust than anyone’s memory of a phone call.

Common questions

Is CSC listed on IRCTC’s register?

Yes. IRCTC’s register lists CSC e Governance Services India Ltd, Delhi, under the E-Governance Scheme. The register doesn’t describe terms, fees or support.

Is a private PSP authorised in the same way?

A register entry means IRCTC lists the company under that scheme heading. It says nothing about terms or support. Check the exact name, the scheme and the row.

Can I hold agent IDs through two routes?

Check before you try it. The Agent Policy asks for a unique mobile number, email address and PAN at registration, and a PAN, mobile number or email already tied to an IRCTC account is the most common reason for rejection on SiOnline’s registration page. Ask both routes in writing before paying either.

Does SiOnline issue the IRCTC agent ID?

No. SiOnline is an IRCTC PSP. It onboards you as a retail agent and submits your application. IRCTC issues and activates the agent ID in your business name.

Sources

• IRCTC, “IRCTC Authorized Service Providers (Agents)”, PSP register PDF, retrieved 17 October 2026.
• IRCTC, Revised Agent Policy for E-Ticketing Principal Service Providers, Internet Café & B2B Schemes, w.e.f. 29 November 2019, retrieved 17 October 2026.
• IRCTC, Policy for Integration of Principal Service Providers, Internet Café & B2B Schemes, effective 2 September 2020, retrieved 17 October 2026.

Fees, rules and the register change; confirm them at the source before you act.