New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has notified a substantial upward revision in passport fees under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026. According to the official notification, the newly modified fee structure will come into full effect starting July 1, 2026.

This significant hike comes just a day after the Ministry publicly stated that a passport is primarily a travel document and not definitive proof of citizenship. The government has revised this long-standing fee structure by introducing an administrative amendment to the original Passports Rules, 1980.

As per the gazette notification dated June 20, which was published by the MEA on Thursday, the fee for an ordinary fresh or reissue of a 36-page booklet under the Normal category has been hiked to ₹2,500 from the current ₹1,500. For the same 36-page category under the expedited Tatkaal scheme, applicants will have to pay ₹5,000 instead of the existing ₹3,500.

Similarly, large-scale international travelers opting for a 60-page fresh or reissue jumbo passport will face a steeper price. The normal application fee has been raised from ₹2,000 to ₹3,500. For obtaining a 60-page booklet under the Tatkaal service, the revised fee is set at ₹6,000, up from the current ₹4,000 rate.

The government has also updated the penalty and application structural framework for replacing lost or heavily damaged passports. For replacing a lost/damaged 36-page passport, the new fee is ₹5,000 for normal processing and ₹7,500 for Tatkaal. For a 60-page booklet under the lost/damaged category, it will now cost ₹6,000 under normal processing and ₹8,500 under Tatkaal.

On the positive side, the official notification brings some financial relief for specific age demographics. The government has introduced a 10% fee discount on fresh passport applications for young children up to 8 years of age as well as senior citizens who are above 60 years of age.

The newly published legal schedule will permanently substitute “Schedule IV to the Passports Rules, 1980”. This revised schedule distinctly categorizes applicants into two specific sub-sections: adults (which includes applicants aged 18 and above, and minors between 15 to 18 years if they choose to apply under this specific criteria) and minor applicants who are strictly below 18 years of age.

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