Child Passports Now Valid For 5 Years Under New India Rules

NEW DELHI-Ordinary Indian passports issued to children below 15 years of age will now be valid for five years or until the child turns 18, whichever is earlier, under new rules notified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, published in the Gazette of India on September 17, amend the Passports Rules, 1980.

Under amended Rule 12(1A), a 36-page ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 will remain valid for five years from the date of issue, or until the child attains the age of 18, whichever comes first.

The notification is dated September 15, while the amended rules came into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette on September 17.

The notification has also revised Rule 8 governing passport application fees, stating that the fee payable for each category of application will be as specified in Schedule IV of the rules.

The changes come after the Ministry of External Affairs raised charges for passport-related services with effect from July 1. The revised fee structure applies to fresh passport applications, renewals, Tatkaal services, replacement of lost or damaged passports, police clearance certificates (PCC) and other passport-linked services.

A 10 per cent discount on fresh passport applications continues for children below eight years of age and senior citizens above 60 years. However, the discount does not apply to passport reissue applications.

Passport services for children below 18 years have also become costlier. For a 36-page fresh or reissue passport for minors under the normal category, the fee has been raised from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,750.

For a 36-page fresh or reissue passport for minors under the Tatkaal category, the fee has increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,250.

For adults, the charges for a normal fresh 36-page passport or renewal have been raised from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500. For a 60-page passport under the normal category, the fee has increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500.

For a 36-page adult passport under the Tatkaal scheme, the fee has been raised from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000, while for a 60-page passport in the category, it has gone up from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000.

For a 60-page adult passport replacement under the Tatkaal category, the fee has been raised from Rs 5,500 to Rs 8,500. (IANS)