Char Dham Registration Explained: The Official Portal, What You Need, and How to Avoid Fake Numbers

To register for the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath), use the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board's (UTDB) portal at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in. You can also use its official app, "Tourist Care Uttarakhand", the WhatsApp service described in a guide on that portal, or a registration centre on the route. The portal's FAQ says registration is compulsory and free. Each pilgrim gets a Yatra Registration Letter with a QR code, which is checked at counters at the entry to each Dham. Any website, phone number or agent that charges you a "registration fee" is not the government's registration.

Everything below was read on the official portal on 18 Oct 2026. The process is revised from season to season, so read the portal again before you register.

Which website is official?

What you need	Official channel, as named by the government or the temple committee
Yatra registration	registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in, and the "Tourist Care Uttarakhand" app linked from it
Registration by WhatsApp	The "WhatsApp Reg Guide" PDF linked on that portal, which gives the number to message
Checking that a registration letter is genuine	The portal's "Verify Yatra Letter" page
Kedarnath helicopter tickets	heliyatra.irctc.co.in only. Both the portal and the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) say heli services are booked only through IRCTC
Puja, path, aarti or bhog bookings at Badrinath and Kedarnath	The BKTC website, badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in. BKTC says prior registration is mandatory for these bookings

Why this matters. Fraud around this yatra is documented. In June 2025 the Uttarakhand Police Special Task Force (STF) said 136 fake websites and URLs had been blocked or frozen between January and May that year. It also said scammers had moved on to fake Facebook pages with paid ads. The STF repeated that only IRCTC is authorised to book the Kedarnath heli service, and advised calling the national cyber-fraud helpline, 1930, straight away if you have been cheated.

"Char Dham registration WhatsApp number": is there one?

Yes, there is an official WhatsApp registration service. The UTDB portal links a guide titled "Tourist Safety Management System: Registration Process through WhatsApp". The guide gives the number and walks through the chat step by step. You send the word "Yatra", choose Char Dham registration, and enter each pilgrim's details.

Fake numbers circulate, so take the number only from the guide on the portal itself, never from a social-media post, a forwarded message or a search ad. We have deliberately not reprinted it here. The guide also says:

• a maximum of five pilgrims can be added from one WhatsApp number;
• you must give an emergency contact who is not travelling with you.

The four ways to register

The portal's FAQ describes these routes:

1. Web portal. Sign up with a mobile number, or sign in if you have an account. Then add your tour plan, yourself and the other pilgrims, and your vehicle if you are driving.
2. Mobile app. The same steps in the "Tourist Care Uttarakhand" app.
3. Registration centres and kiosks. On the route and at the Dhams. The FAQ names centres such as Haridwar (Rahi Hotel and the railway station) and Rishikesh, and also lists centres at all the Dhams and at the Hemkund Sahib entrance.
4. Yatri Mitra. Support staff at registration locations who help people unable to register on the other platforms.

What you will need

The FAQ lists these documents and details:

• ID: an Aadhaar card, Voter ID, driving licence or passport. Through the WhatsApp service, Indian pilgrims enter an Aadhaar number.
• A mobile number. BKTC's site adds that registration must be from an Indian mobile number.
• An emergency contact. The FAQ says this is mandatory.
• Vehicle details, if you are travelling by your own or a public vehicle. The FAQ says vehicle registration is then required.
• Travel dates for each Dham. The WhatsApp form also asks about some medical conditions: whether you are a cardiac, asthmatic or diabetic patient.

When registration opens and closes

The FAQ says registration opens after the yatra dates are announced for the season. The high-altitude temples close each winter (Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri closed in late October 2025, as ETV Bharat reported), and opening dates are announced afresh each year. Online registration closes a few days before the yatra ends, but on-the-spot registration stays available until the last day. If you forget to register before setting off, you can register on the way through the portal or at a centre.

What happens on the yatra

• Carry the Yatra Registration Letter, printed or on your phone, together with the ID you registered with. The "things to carry" list in the portal's WhatsApp guide names the letter, a valid ID, warm clothes, rain gear and your medicines.
• Verification happens at counters at the entry gate of each Dham and at Hemkund Sahib.
• The QR code. The FAQ says registration has been compulsory since 2014. It says the QR code helps the government monitor how many pilgrims are on the route, and helps you get assistance with things like food and lodging.

One FAQ line to double-check: the age range

The portal's FAQ, read on 18 Oct 2026, says that people "aged (10–65 years)" can register. We found no other official statement of this limit, and the same page contains other entries that look out of date. If you are planning for a child under 10 or a parent over 65, confirm with the UTDB helpline, whose numbers are in the portal's footer, before you book anything else.

Whatever the registration rules, the state Health Department's advisory, linked from the portal, asks people over 55 and those with heart disease, asthma, high blood pressure or diabetes to get a health check-up before the trip. It also tells everyone not to travel if their doctor advises against it.

Quick checklist

• Register on registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in, the official app or the WhatsApp service in the portal's guide. Registration is free.
• Register every pilgrim in your group, and the vehicle if you are driving.
• Save or print each Yatra Registration Letter.
• Book any helicopter only on heliyatra.irctc.co.in.
• Book Badrinath/Kedarnath pujas only on badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in.
• Ignore anyone who sells "registration", "VIP registration" or a "registration number" for money.
• If you have been cheated, call 1930.