NEW DELHI, Sept 18: The ordinary passport issued to a child under the 15 years of age will be valid for five years or until the child turns 18 years, whichever is earlier, as per the new rules notified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The MEA has notified the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, which amend the Passports Rules, 1980. The rules were published in the Gazette of India on 17 September 2026 and came into force on the same day. The amendment changes the validity period and fee structure for passport services for children below 15 years.
The MEA notification, dated September 15, 2026, amended Rule 12 of the Passport Rules, 1980, which states: “(IA) An ordinary passport for a child below the age of fifteen years, containing thirty-six pages, shall be in force for a period of five years from the date of issue or until the child attains the age of eighteen years, whichever is earlier.”
The notification also amended Rule 8, stating: “(1) The fee payable on every type of application specified in Schedule IV shall be at the rates specified in the corresponding entry for such application in that Schedule.” The notification also stated that the rules came into force on the date of their publication in the official gazette.
The Centre had earlier revised the passport fee structure hiking the application fee for an ordinary fresh passport containing 36 pages from ₹1,500 to ₹2,500. The new rules came into effect on July 1. According to the MEA notification, dated June 20, the reissue of a 36-page passport will also cost ₹2,500, while a tatkal application for a fresh or reissued passport will cost ₹5,000.
The application fee for an ordinary fresh passport or reissue of a passport containing 60 pages was hiked from ₹2,000 to ₹3,500. For tatkal, the revised fee for 60-page passports is ₹6,000 as against the earlier ₹4,000. The fee is ₹1,750 for fresh/re-issue of 36-page passport for children (below 18 years), of five years validity or till they turn 18, or whichever is earlier. A 10% discount on fresh passport applications continues for children below eight years of age. This discount does not apply to reissue applications.
(Manas Dasgupta)