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STARS e-Ticketing -- How to book Andaman government ferry online

The DSS STARS e-Ticketing portal is the only authorised online source for Andaman government ferry tickets. It's not the slickest interface, and the rules are strict. This guide walks you through every step plus the traps that burn first-time bookers. Landed here looking for what "DSS ticket" or "DSS ticketing" actually means, or whether there is a booking app? See the DSS ticket & DSS ticketing explainer instead.

Portal
STARS e-Ticketing
Opens
2 days ahead
Max passengers
5 per booking, 10 per day
Portal hours
00:30-23:30 IST daily

Open STARS e-Ticketing ↗

Step by step

8 steps to a confirmed STARS booking

1
Create a STARS account

Visit the STARS e-Ticketing portal at dss.andamannicobar.gov.in/eticketing and register with your email address and a mobile number. You'll receive an OTP on both -- save the password somewhere safe because account resets are slow.

2
Keep your IDs ready

Every passenger needs a government photo ID at booking -- Aadhaar, Passport, Voter ID or Driving Licence for Indian nationals, and Passport for foreign nationals. Keep the ID number, holder name (exactly as on the ID) and date of birth in a note ready to copy-paste.

3
Know the 2-day window

This is the most important rule: bookings open exactly 2 calendar days before your travel date. Not the previous night, not a week ahead. If you want to travel on Friday the 10th, the booking opens on Wednesday the 8th. DSS does not publish the hour at which the window opens; what it does publish is that the portal itself takes bookings from 00:30 to 23:30 IST every day, so check early on the day the window opens rather than waiting for a particular time.

4
Be logged in before you search

Have your passenger list, ID numbers and a payment method queued up before you start. The portal takes bookings from 00:30 to 23:30 IST daily, so the constraint is not the hour -- it is that tourist-quota seats on the Havelock and Neil sailings go quickly once the window opens. The STARS counters at Port Blair keep shorter hours: 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM Monday to Friday and 09:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday.

5
Search sailing and pick class

Select origin and destination (Port Blair is 'Sri Vijaya Puram' in official signage), pick travel date and hit Search. Pick a sailing. Available classes (Seating, Chair, Bunk, Cabin) show with seat count -- tourist quota is a subset of the total, so you'll see fewer seats than the vessel capacity.

6
Enter passenger details

STARS allows a maximum of 5 passengers (berths) in a single transaction and 2 transactions per registered user per day -- 10 passengers a day in total, not 10 in one go. Name (as on ID), gender, age, ID type and ID number for each. Double-check spelling: if the ID does not match at embarkation, DSS charges 10 times the ticket's main fare.

7
Pay within the timer

Once you proceed, a payment timer starts (typically 10-15 minutes). UPI, Net Banking and cards are supported. If payment fails, the seat is released and you're back in the queue -- which in peak season means gone for good.

8
Save the ticket

Confirmation arrives by email and SMS. Download the PDF and save it offline -- mobile data is patchy at the jetties and on the islands themselves. Print a copy if you can.

Avoid these

Common STARS booking mistakes

  • Assuming you can book weeks ahead -- STARS only opens exactly 2 calendar days before travel.
  • Logging in at 9:01 AM on peak-season weekends -- tourist quota for Havelock/Neil sells out in 10-20 minutes.
  • Misspelling a passenger name vs ID -- DSS charges 10 times the ticket's main fare if the original ID does not match the booking at embarkation.
  • Trying to book from overseas IPs -- the portal occasionally blocks non-India traffic; use a VPN set to India if needed.
  • Missing the payment timer and losing the seat to the next queued traveller.
  • Forgetting to carry the original ID used at booking -- photocopies and digital scans are not accepted at the jetty.

Peak season strategy

How to actually secure a seat in October-May

Tourist quota on Port Blair-Havelock and Port Blair-Neil routes often sells out within the first 10-20 minutes of each booking window. To stand a chance:

  • Create your STARS account ahead of time. Not on the morning of booking -- the OTP step costs you 2-3 minutes you don't have.
  • Be logged in before you start. The portal takes bookings from 00:30 to 23:30 IST daily, so check it early on the day your window opens rather than at a fixed hour.
  • Pre-fill passenger details in a text file. Names, genders, ages, ID numbers -- ready to copy-paste, not type.
  • Use UPI for payment. Faster than cards or net banking.
  • Have a private ferry tab open as backup. If the STARS booking fails, you can instantly pivot without losing travel dates.

Honestly, for peak season and fixed dates, most travellers we speak to end up on private catamarans anyway -- booking certainty is worth the ~₹1,000 difference.

At the jetty

What to carry on travel day

  • Original photo ID for every passenger (same one used at booking).
  • Printed or offline PDF copy of the e-ticket. Mobile data is patchy.
  • Report 2 hours before sailing. Per DSS terms, gates close 30 minutes prior to departure for Mainland, Inter-Island and Foreshore sectors. The private-ferry rule (45 minutes) does not apply to DSS sailings.
  • Food and water. Onboard refreshments are limited, especially on long-haul sailings.
  • Cash (small denominations). Some jetty facilities are cash-only.
  • Motion sickness medication if the sea tends to move you -- government ferries are larger and rolling is noticeable in open water.

If your plans change

What DSS charges to cancel

These are DSS's published cancellation charges for the inter-island sector -- the Port Blair, Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil (Shaheed Dweep) sailings. Cancel on the STARS portal itself; the counters will not do it for you.

When you cancelConfirmed ticketWaitlisted ticket
3 or more days before the sailing date₹15₹10
2 days or 1 day before25% of the fare₹10
On the day of sailing60% of the fare₹10
Within 2 hours of departureNo cancellation, no refundNo cancellation, no refund

The 2-hour cut-off is absolute -- DSS states that cancellation is prohibited from 2 hours before the actual sailing time, so a confirmed ticket you do not cancel in time is simply lost. A waitlisted ticket is the exception that is worth knowing: it stays cancellable for ₹10 up to 10 days after the vessel has sailed.

Mainland sailings (Port Blair to Kolkata, Vizag or Chennai) use the same 25% and 60% tiers, but the flat early charge is ₹20 for Deluxe and Cabin and ₹15 for Bunk rather than ₹15.

When the cancellation is DSS's, not yours, the refund is full: a voyage cancelled for administrative reasons refunds in full and stays cancellable for up to 10 days after the original sailing date; a rescheduled voyage refunds in full; and a delayed voyage refunds in full when the delay is 6 hours or more. Refunds reach the original payment method in 5 to 7 business days.

FAQs

STARS e-Ticketing -- common questions

Booking opens exactly 2 calendar days before your travel date -- not earlier, not later. DSS does not publish an hour at which the window opens; the portal accepts bookings from 00:30 to 23:30 IST every day, so check early on the day your sailing becomes available.
Mostly yes, but the portal sometimes blocks non-Indian IP addresses. Use a VPN set to an Indian server if the page fails to load. Foreign nationals need passport number at booking and the physical passport at the jetty.
A registered user can book a maximum of 5 passengers (berths) in one transaction, and is allowed 2 transactions per day -- so 10 passengers a day, in two bookings of five. Larger groups need a second registered user or the Port Blair counters. Note that DSS does not allow the same mobile number to register more than once.
UPI, net banking and Indian credit/debit cards. International cards sometimes fail -- keep an Indian payment method as backup. You have a 10-15 minute timer to complete payment before the seat releases.
Yes, but only on the STARS portal itself -- DSS states that tickets booked through STARS must be cancelled through the portal, and that no cancellation facility is provided at the STARS counters. On inter-island sailings the charge is ₹15 if you cancel 3 or more days ahead, 25% of the fare at 2 days or 1 day, and 60% on the day of sailing. Cancellation is prohibited from 2 hours before departure, so after that the ticket is simply lost. Full table above.
DSS facilitates a full refund when a voyage is cancelled, and also when it is delayed by more than 6 hours. Refunds for cancellations and failed bookings are processed within 5-7 business days and credited to the original payment method. If you paid by UPI the money goes to the linked bank account and may not appear in your GPay / PhonePe / Paytm history at all, so check the bank statement before assuming it has not arrived. Contact the DSS helpdesk at 1800-345-2714 if it is still missing.
Yes -- Phoenix Bay Jetty (for Havelock / Neil) and Haddo Wharf (for Long Island, Diglipur, Little Andaman, mainland) both have walk-up counters. Arrive at least 2 days before travel, carry cash and IDs. Same-day counters exist but sailings are usually sold out.

Need help?

DSS support contacts

Prefer instant confirmation instead?

Private catamarans (Makruzz, Nautika, Green Ocean, ITT Majestic) are bookable any date, any time -- live fares in the search bar above.

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