New Delhi: The government has revised the passport fee structure through an amendment to the Passports Rules, 1980, increasing application fee for an ordinary fresh passport containing 36 pages from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500.
The new rules will come into force with effect from July 1, 2026.
According to a notification dated June 20, and published by the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, for an ordinary fresh passport or reissue of passport containing 36 pages, the normal fee would be Rs 2,500, while for tatkal it would be Rs 5,000 for the same category.
At present, application fee for an ordinary fresh passport or reissue of a passport containing 36 pages stands at Rs 1,500, and for tatkal it is Rs 3,500 for the same category.
Similarly, application fee for an ordinary fresh passport or reissue of a passport containing 60 pages has been hiked from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 and for tatkal, the revised fee will be Rs 6,000 as against Rs 4,000 for the same category.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 24 of the Passports Act, 1967 (15 of 1967), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Passports Rules, 1980, namely – 1. (1) These rules may be called the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026. (2) They shall come into force with effect from the 1st day of July, 2026,” the notification said.
In its notification, the government also issued a Schedule, which will substitute the “Schedule IV to the Passports Rules, 1980”.
The revised schedule mentions two sub-categories – for applicants (18 years of age and above/minors aged between 15 to 18 years, if applied under this category); and minor applicants (below 18 years of age).
Meanwhile, government sources said on Thursday that passport has never been a citizenship proof and no new decision was taken on the document by the Narendra Modi government in the last 12 years.
On media reports on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarifying that a passport is a travel document and not a proof of citizenship, the sources said it was not decided yesterday that passport is not a proof of citizenship.
According to the Passport Act 1967, passports can be given to non-citizens too, the sources said.
“It was not even decided in the last 12 years. The passport has never been a proof of citizenship,” a source said.
Media reports, quoting MEA officials, said that a passport is a travel document, not a proof of citizenship. It is not a document that establishes citizenship.
