New Delhi: The Union Ministry of External Affairs today notified a comprehensively updated fee structure for Indian passports and travel documents, which is scheduled to come into effect nationwide from July 1, 2026. Issued under the legislative powers conferred by Section 24 of the Passports Act, 1967, the newly framed Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, systematically replace Schedule IV of the long-standing Passports Rules, 1980, tracking the rising administrative and operational costs across the country’s Passport Seva Kendras.
The revised framework introduces a major 10 per cent financial concession on fresh passport applications for two specific demographic categories—young children up to the age of eight years and senior citizens over the age of 60 years. Ministry officials clarified that this discount applies exclusively to fresh applications filed within India and will not be extended to renewal or reissue requests. For families securing travel credentials for infants or elderly citizens applying for the first time, the policy change offers a measured cost relief on an essential administrative expense.
Under the updated domestic schedule, adult applicants aged 18 and above, alongside minors between 15 and 18 years opting for full-validity adult documentation, will pay ₹2,500 for a fresh or reissued 36-page passport booklet under the normal category, while a Tatkal application will cost ₹5,000. For individuals requiring a larger 60-page booklet, the domestic fee has been adjusted to ₹3,500 for normal processing and ₹6,000 under the fast-track Tatkal scheme. Corresponding processing fees for overseas Indian applicants applying through foreign missions have been updated to USD 125 for a standard 36-page book and USD 175 for a 60-page book under normal processing.
The penalty fees for the replacement of lost, stolen, or severely damaged passport booklets have also been strictly revised to deter negligence. Replacing a lost or damaged 36-page booklet inside India will now incur a statutory fee of ₹5,000 under the normal timeline and ₹7,500 under Tatkal, whereas a lost 60-page booklet will cost ₹6,000 and ₹8,500 respectively. Minor applicants below the age of 18 seeking a standard 36-page passport will face a revised fee of ₹1,750 for normal applications and ₹4,250 for Tatkal inside India. Miscellaneous services—such as Police Clearance Certificates (PCC), Surrender Certificates, and Global Entry Programme (GEP) background verifications—have been fixed at a uniform rate of ₹770 within domestic limits and USD 40 for overseas processing.
The notification reiterates that standard validity norms remain entirely unchanged, maintaining a maximum 10-year validity window for adult documentation and a five-year window for minor applicants. The latest update represents the first major structural overhaul of the passport pricing index since minor adjustments were carried out in early 2025, realigning the technical delivery costs of the Passport Seva Project 2.0 network.
