The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has changed the rules for passports issued to children and updated the fee provisions to match the revised charges that came into effect from July 1.
The Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were published in the Official Gazette on September 15 and came into force immediately.
The biggest change is for children below 15 years of age. Under the amended rules, a 36-page ordinary passport issued to a child will now be valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child turns 18, whichever comes first.
The changes follow the MEA‘s revision of passport service fees from July 1.
What has changed for children’s passports?
The new rule specifically covers 36-page ordinary passports issued to children below 15.
For example, if a passport is issued to a 10-year-old, it will remain valid for five years. But if the same passport is issued when the child is 14, it will be valid only until the child turns 18.
This means the passport may have a validity of less than five years if the child is already close to turning 18. The new provision replaces the earlier Rule 12(1A).
What do the new rules say about passport fees?
The amendment to Rule 8(1) says fees for different types of passport applications must follow the revised rates listed in Schedule IV of the Passports Rules, 1980.
The change brings the rules in line with the fee revision announced by the MEA, which took effect from July 1.
The revised charges cover fresh passport applications, reissues, Tatkaal services, replacement of lost or damaged passports and Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs).
Adult passport fees increased
For adults, the fee for a new or renewal application for a 36-page ordinary passport is now ₹2,500. It was earlier ₹1,500.
For a 60-page passport, the fee has increased to ₹3,500 from ₹2,000. Tatkaal applications have also become more expensive. A 36-page adult passport under Tatkaal now costs ₹5,000, compared with ₹3,500 earlier.
The fee for a 60-page Tatkaal passport has increased to ₹6,000 from ₹4,000. For replacement of a 60-page passport under Tatkaal, applicants now have to pay ₹8,500, up from ₹5,500 earlier.
Passport fees for minors
For minors, a 36-page fresh or reissue passport under the normal category now costs ₹1,750. Earlier, the fee was ₹1,000.
A 36-page Tatkaal passport for a minor costs ₹3,000. The MEA has also kept the 10% discount available for fresh passport applications by children below eight years of age and senior citizens above 60.
However, this discount is not available for reissue applications.