Summary of this article
Child passports now valid for five years or until 18.
Adult and minor passport fees have been revised upward.
Revised charges cover normal, Tatkaal and other passport services.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has changed rules governing Indian passports, with a fresh update covering the validity of passports issued to young children. The move comes after the government revised passport service fees earlier this year.
For parents applying for a passport for a child below 15 years, the validity rule is now different. Applicants should also check the revised fee applicable to their passport category before making a payment.
New Validity Rule For Children Below 15
Under the latest amendment, an ordinary 36-page passport issued to a child below 15 years will be valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child turns 18, whichever comes first. The rule came into force after its publication in the Official Gazette on September 17, 2026.
Earlier, the passport of a child below 15 was valid for five years or until the child reached 15 years of age, whichever was earlier.
This means the change can give some children a longer validity period. For instance, a passport issued to a five-year-old can be valid until the child turns 10. A passport issued at age 10 can run for five years, until age 15. For a 14-year-old, however, the passport would expire when the child turns 18 because that comes before the completion of five years.
Passport Fees Revised From July 1
The MEA had revised passport fees with effect from July 1, 2026. Passport Seva also currently displays an advisory confirming that the revised fees apply from that date.
For adults, a fresh or reissued 36-page ordinary passport now costs Rs 2,500, compared to Rs 1,500 earlier. The 60-page version costs Rs 3,500, up from Rs 2,000.
For Tatkaal applications, the fee for a 36-page passport is Rs 5,000, while a 60-page passport costs Rs 6,000. Replacement of a lost or damaged 60-page passport costs Rs 6,000 under the normal category and Rs 8,500 under Tatkaal.
What Minors Need To Pay
For minor applicants, a fresh or reissued 36-page passport under the normal category costs Rs 1,750. The revised Tatkaal fee is Rs 4,250.
Replacement of a lost or damaged 36-page minor passport costs Rs 4,250 under the normal category and Rs 6,750 under Tatkaal. The revised rules also provide a 10 per cent discount on fresh passport applications for children up to eight years old.
The fee revision also covers services, such as Police Clearance Certificates, for which the revised fee is Rs 750.
