Child train ticket rules in India: age limits, half fare, and berth rules
Do kids need a train ticket in India? Here's exactly when children travel free, when half fare applies, and when a full adult ticket with a berth is required.
Booking for a family trip is where child fare rules trip up even experienced travellers — one wrong option during checkout and you've either overpaid or under-ticketed your child. Indian Railways splits children into three age bands, and each works differently.
Under 5: free, but no separate berth
Children under 5 years old travel completely free — no ticket is required at all. The condition: they don't get their own seat or berth and are expected to share with the accompanying adult. If you specifically want a dedicated berth for a child under 5, you'll be charged the full adult fare for it.
5 to under 12: half fare or full fare, your choice
This is the band most people get wrong. You have two options at booking: pick "No Seat/No Berth" (often shown as NOSB) and pay roughly half the adult fare, with the child sharing your berth — or request a dedicated berth and pay the full adult fare, same as for yourself.
- Half fare (NOSB): child shares your berth, no separate seat allotted.
- Full fare: child gets their own confirmed berth, treated the same as an adult passenger for allocation purposes.
- Changing your mind after booking generally isn't simple — switching a half-fare, no-berth ticket to a full-fare berth ticket usually means cancelling and rebooking, subject to availability.
12 and above: always treated as an adult
Once a child turns 12, Indian Railways treats them exactly like an adult passenger — full fare, own berth, no half-price option of any kind.
Pro tip: Carry a valid age proof for children you've booked at a discounted or free fare — Aadhaar, a birth certificate, or a school ID. TTEs are authorised to ask for it, and misrepresenting a child's age to save on fare can mean an on-the-spot penalty.