New Delhi, Sept 2026 : Ordinary Indian passports issued to children below the age of 15 will now remain valid for five years or until the child turns 18, whichever is earlier, under the latest amendments notified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, published in the Gazette of India on September 17, amend provisions of the Passports Rules, 1980. The changes have come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
Under the amended Rule 12(1A), a 36-page ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 years of age will be valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child attains 18 years of age, whichever occurs earlier.
The revised provision is aimed at defining the validity period of passports issued to younger applicants, whose age and personal details can change significantly during their growing years.
The notification, dated September 15, also introduces an amendment to Rule 8, which deals with passport application fees. According to the revised provision, the fee payable for different categories of passport applications will be as specified in Schedule IV of the rules.
The latest changes come against the backdrop of an increase in passport-related service charges announced by the MEA with effect from July 1. The revised fee structure covers fresh passport applications, renewals, Tatkaal services, replacement of lost or damaged passports, Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) and other passport-related services.
A 10 per cent discount on fresh passport applications continues to be available to children below eight years of age and senior citizens above 60 years. However, the discount is not applicable to passport reissue applications.
For adults, the fee for a normal fresh application or renewal of a 36-page passport has increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500. For a 60-page adult passport under the normal category, the fee has gone up from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500.
The revised charges are also applicable to Tatkaal services. The fee for a 36-page adult passport under the Tatkaal category has increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000. For a 60-page Tatkaal passport, the fee has risen from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000.
The replacement of a 60-page adult passport under the Tatkaal category has also become more expensive, with the fee increasing from Rs 5,500 to Rs 8,500.
Passport services for minors have similarly seen an increase in charges. A 36-page fresh or reissue passport for applicants below 18 years under the normal category now costs Rs 1,750, compared with the earlier fee of Rs 1,000.
For minors applying under the Tatkaal category, the fee for a 36-page fresh or reissue passport has increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,250.
The amended rules therefore introduce a specific validity framework for passports issued to children below 15, while the revised fee structure sets higher charges across several passport-related services.
