Officials noted that the registration and permit issuance will follow a first-come, first-served approach, with a predetermined daily quota for each route at every designated branch.
According to the guidelines, only pilgrims aged 13 to 70 years are eligible for registration. Additionally, women who are more than six weeks pregnant will not be allowed to undertake the pilgrimage, even if they have the necessary health certificate.
Starting from the 2026 yatra, registration will be conducted in real time using Aadhaar-based biometric eKYC authentication, with permits generated online through the official Shrine Board portal, per the guidelines.
”In case of technical difficulties with biometric authentication, there will be a provision for manual data entry with webcam-based photo capture as a backup option,” the guidelines state.
Pilgrims must submit a valid Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC), issued on or after April 8, 2026, by an authorized medical professional or institution, along with the required fee of
₹150 per permit.
For this process, the board has provided a list of authorized doctors and institutions capable of issuing compulsory health certificates across 37 states and union territories, as mentioned.
The designated bank branches will verify the authenticity and validity of the CHC prior to issuing the system-generated yatra permit, which will detail the selected route—either Baltal or Pahalgam.
The permit will also indicate the date that the pilgrim is allowed to pass through the access control gates at Domel (Baltal axis) or Chandanwari (Pahalgam axis), as stated.
Following the procedure, registration for a specific yatra date will close seven days in advance. Banks have been instructed to establish adequate help desks, train staff, and initiate publicity campaigns to ensure smooth registration, the report stated.
The Shrine Board has urged pilgrims to verify their Aadhaar and mobile details during registration and adhere to all prescribed procedures for a smooth pilgrimage experience.
Also Read: Railways to run weekly summer specials connecting Kerala and Bihar via Chennai, Coimbatore
