Srinagar, Apr 9 — Advance registration for the annual Amarnath Yatra will begin from April 15 at 554 designated bank branches across India, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said on Wednesday.
Officials said yatra permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to fixed daily quotas for each route at every branch.
“For the 2026 yatra, registration will be carried out in real time through Aadhaar-based biometric eKYC authentication,” the board said, adding that permits will be generated online through its official portal.
As per guidelines, only pilgrims aged between 13 and 70 years will be eligible, while women with over six weeks of pregnancy will not be permitted to undertake the pilgrimage even if they possess the required documents.
Pilgrims must submit a valid Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC), issued on or after April 8, 2026, by an authorised doctor or medical institution, along with a fee of Rs 150 per permit.
“In case of technical issues in biometric authentication, a provision for manual data entry with webcam-based photo capture has been kept as a fallback option,” the guidelines said.
Designated bank branches will verify the authenticity of the health certificate before issuing system-generated permits, which will indicate the chosen route — Baltal or Pahalgam.
The permit will also specify the date on which pilgrims can cross access control points at Domel (Baltal axis) or Chandanwari (Pahalgam axis), officials said.
Registration for a particular yatra date will close seven days in advance, while banks have been directed to set up help desks and ensure trained staff for smooth processing.
The Shrine Board has advised pilgrims to provide accurate Aadhaar and mobile details and follow all procedures to ensure a hassle-free pilgrimage.