Instructions for Issue of IDs and Slip-Temporary passes by MHA for access into Rail Bhawan
Instructions for Issue of IDs and Slip-Temporary passes by MHA for access into Rail Bhawan
Instructions/Guidelines for Issue of IDs/Validation Slips and Visitor/Temporary passes by MHA for access into Rail Bhawan
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)
CIRCULAR
Rail Bhawan is located at Central Vista which is a very sensitive/high security zone due to its proximity to Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhawan and other Secretariat buildings. In view of this scenario, after due deliberations with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the operational control of RPF/RPSF deployed at Rail Bhawan has been taken over by MHA with effect from 01.12.2025. Accordingly, access into Rail Bhawan is being regulated as per MHA norms and open/restricted Identity Cards, validation slip, temporary passes and visitor passes issued by MHA will only be honoured.
To ensure smooth transition of procedure for regulation of access into Rail Bhawan followed by Ministry of Railways to that of MFIA, all officers and staff of Railway Board, Zonal Railways/Production Units/PSUs and other attached offices of Indian Railways may invariably follow the instructions given hereunder for issue of Identity Cards/Validation Slips and visitor/temporary passes for access into Rail Bhawan:
i. Visitor Pass and Temoorary Pass of duration upto a period of one month:
For visit to Rail Bhawan, Reception Centre at Rail Bhawan will issue visitor passes. Temporary passes of duration upto a period of one month will also be issued by Reception Centre. Temporary pass which is applied for a period of more than a week will initially be issued for one week and will be repeated for further one week upto one month. Application for these passes should invariably be submitted through an officer not below’ the rank of Dy. Secretary/Joint Director or equivalent rank of the office of the applicant.
ii. Temporary Pass of duration more than one month and upto one year:
For temporary pass of duration more than one month and upto one year, on¬line application may be made on site ‘evisitors.nic.in ’ on expiry of the existing validation slip and temporary pass issued by Ministry of Railways for visit to Rail Bhawnn. Temporary pass which is applied for a period of more than six months will be initially issued for six months and will be repeated for further period upto one year. Application for these passes should invariably be submitted through an officer not below the rank of Dy. Secretary/Joint Director or equivalent rank of the office of the applicant. These passes will be issued by Reception Supervisor and may be collected from G Branch of Railway Board.
iii. Identity Card: For Identity Card, on-line application may be made on MHA site ‘mha.nic.in’ on expiry of the existing Identity Cards issued by Ministry of Railways. All employees other than those of Railway Board may continue to apply for MHA Identity Card as is being done at present. A hard copy of the application should be submitted to G Branch of Railway Board for onward transmission to MHA. These Identity Cards will be issued by MHA and may be collected from G Branch of Railway Board.
iv. Validation Slip: For validation slip of duration of one year, on-line application may be made on site ‘mha.nic.in’ on expiry of existing MHA validation slip. A hard copy of the application should be submitted to G Branch of Railway Board for onward transmission to MHA. These Validation Slips will be issued by MHA and may be collected from G Branch of Railway Board.
Click Here to Download the Instructions
Source: http://www.indianrailways.gov.in
Here’s a clear overview of the current procedures—originally established in 2017—for accessing Rail Bhawan, as regulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Contents
Access Controls & Pass Issuance (As per Railway Board Circular, Dec 2017)
Rail Bhawan falls under a high-security zone. Since 1 December 2025, the operational control of Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Rail Bhawan has shifted to the MHA. Consequently, only MHA-issued Identity Cards, Validation Slips, and Visitor/Temporary Passes are accepted for access
1. Visitor Pass / Temporary Pass (Up to 1 Month)
- Issued by the Reception Centre at Rail Bhawan.
- If the requested duration is over one week, initial issuance is for one week and can be renewed up to one month.
- Applications must be submitted through an officer of rank Dy. Secretary or Joint Director (or equivalent) .
2. Temporary Pass (Over 1 Month, Up to 1 Year)
- Must be applied online via evisitors.nic.in after expiry of any existing pass.
- For durations over six months:
- Initially issued for six months.
- Renewable up to a maximum of one year.
- Application submission must be through a Dy. Secretary / Joint Director or equivalent.
- Issuance is done by the Reception Supervisor, and passes can be collected from the G Branch, Railway Board
3. Identity Cards (Permanent Access)
- Application is made online via mha.nic.in after expiry of current MHA-issued ID.
- A hard copy of the application must be submitted to G Branch, Railway Board, for onward transmission to the MHA.
- MHA issues the card, which can then be collected from G Branch
4. Validation Slips (Annual)
- Applied for online via mha.nic.in upon expiry.
- Hard copy application submitted to G Branch, Railway Board.
- MHA issues the slips, which can be collected from G Branch
Summary Table
| Type of Access | Application Mode | Authority | Issuance & Collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor Pass / Temporary (≤1m) | Offline via Reception | Through Dy. Secretary / Joint Director | Reception Centre at Rail Bhawan |
| Temporary Pass (1m–1yr) | Online at evisitors.nic.in | Via Dy. Secretary / Joint Director | Issued by Reception Supervisor; collected at G Branch |
| Identity Card (Permanent) | Online at mha.nic.in | Through Railway Board G Branch | Issued by MHA; collected at G Branch |
| Validation Slip (Annual) | Online at mha.nic.in | Through Railway Board G Branch | Issued by MHA; collected at G Branch |
If you’d like assistance navigating the evisitors.nic.in or mha.nic.in portals, or need help identifying the right officer to route the application through, feel free to ask—happy to help!