India's Passport Rules Just Got an Update: Here's What Changes for Kids & Your Wallet
Planning to get a passport for your child anytime soon? Or renewing your own?
The Ministry of External Affairs has rolled out a fresh set of passport rules under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, effective July 1.
The update touches on two things every applicant cares about: how long the passport stays valid, and how much it costs, so here's a breakdown of what's actually changed.
Kids' Passports Now Expire at 18, No Matter What
The biggest shift is for minors. Any passport issued to someone under 18 will now be valid for five years, or until the child's 18th birthday, whichever hits first.
That last part matters more than it sounds. Say you get a passport made for your two-year-old — it won't automatically run the full five years if, for some reason, the validity window pushes past their 18th birthday.
The moment they turn 18, the passport stops being valid as a "minor" document, regardless of when it was originally issued. Parents planning ahead for a child nearing adulthood should keep this in mind.
What You'll Actually Pay Now
For anyone 18 or older, a standard 36-page passport under normal processing will set you back ₹2,500, while the 60-page version costs ₹3,500. Need it urgently? Tatkaal service (which folds in the normal fee) bumps those numbers up to ₹5,000 and ₹6,000.
Minors have their own, lower fee slab: ₹1,750 for a normal 36-page passport, ₹4,250 if you go the Tatkaal route.
Lost your passport and need a replacement?
That's pricier across the board: ₹5,000 for adults and ₹4,250 for minors under normal service, climbing to ₹7,500 and ₹6,750 respectively if you need it fast-tracked.
A Smallish Discount for Young Kids and Senior Citizens
There's a bit of good news buried in here: a 10% discount on fresh passport applications for children up to eight years old, and separately, for senior citizens above 60.
Worth noting: this discount only applies to brand-new applications, not reissues, so it won't help if you're renewing an existing passport.
Teens Aged 15 to 18 Get to Choose
This is where things get a little more flexible. If your child falls in the 15–18 bracket, you actually have two paths:
Go the adult route, pay ₹2,500 (or ₹5,000 for Tatkaal) for a 36-page passport, and get a full 10-year validity — the same as any adult applicant.
Or stick with the minor category, pay the lower ₹1,750 fee, but accept that the passport will expire in five years or at 18, whichever comes sooner.
It's essentially a cost-versus-longevity trade-off, and which one makes sense really depends on your travel plans over the next few years.
Other Fees Worth Knowing
The notification also standardizes charges for a handful of related services, Police Clearance Certificates, Surrender Certificates, Global Entry Programme verification, and other passport-linked certificates: all pegged at ₹750 within India.
The Takeaway
If you're a parent planning international travel with kids, or just renewing your own passport, these changes are worth factoring into your budget and timeline. The cost differences are straightforward enough, but the validity rule for minors, especially teens close to turning 18, is the part that could catch families off guard if they're not paying attention.