Chardham Yatra Registration: What Bikers Actually Need to Know
Registration is mandatory, it’s free, and it’s checked at physical barriers on the road. Riders get turned back over it every season, almost always for one of four reasons covered at the bottom of this page.
Here’s how the system works and what’s different about doing it on a motorcycle.
The Basics
Who needs it: every yatri travelling to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath or Badrinath. It applies to you whether you’re on a bike, in a bus or in a car. Being a self-drive rider changes nothing about the requirement.
What it costs: nothing. Registration itself is free. If a site is charging you for it, you’re on the wrong site.
Where to do it: through the official Uttarakhand government registration portal at registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in, the “Tourist Care Uttarakhand” app, or WhatsApp — save +91 83948 33833 and send “Yatra”. Offline counters are running for the 2026 season too: around 30 at the Rishikesh transit camp/ISBT and 20 at Haridwar’s Rishikul grounds, plus roadside counters at Barkot, Sonprayag, Gaurikund, Joshimath and Govind Ghat.
What you get: a registration with a unique number and a QR code. Keep it on your phone and take a screenshot — mobile signal past Guptkashi and above Uttarkashi is not reliable, and a QR code you can’t load is a QR code you don’t have.
What You’ll Need to Register
Typically:
- Photo ID for every traveller (Aadhaar, passport for foreign nationals)
- Mobile number
- Travel dates
- Which dhams, in what order
- Vehicle details
For 2026: a valid photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, voter ID or driving licence), a working mobile number and email for OTP verification, and an emergency contact. A physical medical check-up is now compulsory before the trek for anyone over 55, and anyone with a history of heart disease, hypertension, asthma or diabetes needs a fitness certificate from a registered doctor — carry the paper copy, it gets checked at the health posts on the route.
Where It Gets Checked
Not at one gate. At multiple barriers along each dham route, and the checks tighten the higher you go.
Historically the pressure points have been:
| Route | Where it’s checked |
|---|---|
| Kedarnath | Sonprayag, and again on the trek route |
| Badrinath | Approaching Joshimath and above it |
| Gangotri | Above Uttarkashi |
| Yamunotri | Approaching Janki Chatti |
On a bike you’ll be waved into the same queue as everyone else. Have the QR ready before you reach the barrier rather than digging for it with a hundred vehicles behind you.
Four Things That Specifically Catch Bikers
1. Registering for one dham and then adding another. You ride to Kedarnath, it goes well, and you decide on the spot to carry on to Badrinath — which is exactly the sort of thing a bike makes easy. Your registration may not cover it. Register for every dham you might do, even the ones you’re unsure about. It costs nothing and you can simply not go.
2. Vehicle details that don’t match. You register with your own bike’s number and then rent one. Register with the actual registration number of the bike you’ll be riding. We give you that at booking — ask for it in advance if you’re registering before you arrive.
3. Dates that slip. Registration is date-linked. Bike trips slip: a landslide, a closed road, a longer trek than planned. Build slack into the dates you register, or check whether the current season allows amendments.
4. No signal at the barrier. Screenshot everything. Print it if you’re the printing sort.
Daily Caps and Slot Systems
Some seasons have run daily caps on the number of pilgrims permitted at each dham, particularly Kedarnath, with time-slotted entry. When caps are in force, popular dates fill weeks ahead.
No fixed daily cap has been publicly announced for the 2026 season as of this update — but that position has changed mid-season before, particularly for Kedarnath. Check the portal or the WhatsApp line before you fix inflexible dates, and if a cap does come in, expect peak May and October weekend slots to fill weeks out.
If caps are in operation, register the day the system opens for your dates. This is the single biggest practical constraint on planning a Chardham bike trip, and it’s the one that most affects riders — because the appeal of doing it on a bike is flexibility, and a slot system removes exactly that.
What Registration Does Not Cover
Your bike’s paperwork. Separate, and equally checked. Self-drive rental in India legally requires a commercial taxi-series plate, and the checkposts on these roads look at it. Every bike we rent carries one, plus current RC, insurance, PUC, fitness and permit. A private white-plate rental will cause you a problem on this route regardless of how well-registered you are. Why the plate matters →
The Gaumukh trek beyond Gangotri — separate forest department permit, capped daily. Gangotri route →
The Valley of Flowers — separate forest entry permit. Route guide →
Inner Line Permits for border areas like Adi Kailash — an entirely different system.
Opening and Closing Dates
The dhams open around Akshaya Tritiya (late April or early May) and close around Bhai Dooj (late October or November). The exact dates are announced each year and differ between temples.
2026 opening: Yamunotri and Gangotri on 19 April, Kedarnath on 22 April, Badrinath on 23 April. 2026 closing: Gangotri on 10 November, Yamunotri and Kedarnath on 11 November (Bhai Dooj), Badrinath around 13 November — Badrinath’s exact date is fixed closer to the time on Vijayadashami, so confirm it again in September.
Riding 220 km to find a temple shut is a bad day. Check the closing date before you fix a November trip. Month-by-month riding calendar →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chardham registration mandatory for bikers?
Does it cost anything?
Can I register after I arrive in Uttarakhand?
Which vehicle number do I put down if I'm renting?
Do foreign nationals need to register?
What if my dates change?
What if I get turned back at a barrier?
Planning the full circuit? Chardham by bike — 12-day route guide →
· RatesPlan the ride: Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 rental