Indian travellers have been in quite the haste since 1997 regarding the validity of children’s passports. For decades, the rule was a validity of 5 years or until they turned 15, whichever is attained first. But now, in a recent amendment the validity has been increased to 18 years.
The 15-year age threshold has often been a hassle for parents, especially those whose children get their passports at 14 and have to renew them the very next year. Addressing this issue, the government has announced that under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, an ordinary 36-page passport issued to a child below 15 will now be valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child turns 18, whichever comes first. The amendment has been in effect from September 2026.
In another effort, teenagers between 15 and 17 will have an option to choose their validity. According to Passport Seva’s guidelines, parents can choose between a passport valid until the child turns 18 and a full-validity passport. This can be particularly relevant for teenagers travelling abroad for school trips, higher education, sports competitions, family holidays or other international programmes. Families expecting frequent overseas travel may therefore want to consider their child’s travel plans when choosing the passport’s validity at the time of application.
The 2026 amendment does not shed any light on any changes for the adult passports ranging from 18 years and above. The validity remains the same that is 10 years from the date of issuance. As for the senior citizens, they will continue to receive a 10 percent discount on the fresh passport applications, provided they are above 60 years of age. This only applies to fresh applications and not to passport reissue applications.
The current rates for a fresh passport
In order to issue a fresh ordinary 36-page passport, for applicants aged 18 and above and 15-to-18-year-olds it is INR 2,500 under the normal service. The 60-page passport costs INR 3,500. Tatkaal charges are priced at INR 5,000 and 6,000, depending on the category. For minors, a 36-page fresh or reissue passport costs INR 1,750 under the normal category, and the Tatkaal fee is INR 3,000. Children below eight years and senior citizens above 60 are entitled to a 10% discount on fresh passport applications.
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