The Centre has announced a steep hike in passport fees, the first revision in nearly 14 years, with the new rates set to come into effect from July 1.
According to the revised fee structure notified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), a fresh 36-page passport or its reissue for applicants aged 18 years and above will now cost Rs 2,500 under the normal scheme, up from the current Rs 1,500. Under the Tatkaal scheme, the fee has been increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000.
The cost of a 60-page passport has also been revised upward. Applicants will now have to pay Rs 3,500 under the normal category, compared to Rs 2,000 earlier, while the Tatkaal fee has been raised to Rs 6,000 from Rs 4,000.
The revised charges were notified through the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, marking the first major increase since 2012.
Fees for replacing lost or damaged passports have also been significantly increased. A replacement 36-page passport will now cost Rs 5,000 under the normal scheme and Rs 7,500 under Tatkaal. For a 60-page passport, the charges have been fixed at Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,500, respectively.
For applicants below the age of 18, a fresh or reissued 36-page passport will cost Rs 1,750 under the normal scheme and Rs 4,250 under Tatkaal. Replacement of a lost or damaged passport for minors will now cost Rs 4,250 under the normal category and Rs 6,750 under Tatkaal.
The MEA clarified that the revised fee structure will apply to all passport applications submitted on or after July 1. The notification, issued on June 20 under Section 24 of the Passports Act, 1967, also revises charges for several travel documents and passport-related services.
While Emergency Certificates will continue to be issued free of cost within India, applicants seeking the document abroad will have to pay USD 15. The fee for a Certificate of Identity has been fixed at Rs 1,000 in India and USD 50 overseas.
The ministry has also revised charges for Police Clearance Certificates (PCC), Surrender Certificates, Global Entry Program verification and other miscellaneous passport-related services. These will now cost Rs 750 in India and USD 40 abroad.
Passport fees were last revised in 2012, when the cost of a standard 36-page passport was increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500, while the Tatkaal fee was raised from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500.
Comments are closed.