The Ministry of External Affairs has amended the passport rules governing ordinary passports issued to children below 15 years of age. Under the new provisions, a 36-page ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 will remain valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child reaches 18 years of age, whichever occurs earlier.
The change has been introduced through the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, which amend the Passports Rules, 1980. The notification was dated September 15, 2026, and the amended rules were published in the Gazette of India on September 17. The provisions came into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
The revised provision is contained in Rule 12(1A) of the Passports Rules, 1980. It specifically refers to an ordinary passport containing 36 pages issued to a child below the age of 15 years.
Under the revised rule, the passport has a maximum validity period of five years. However, the passport will become invalid when the child reaches the age of 18 if that happens before the five-year period ends.
For example, if a passport is issued to a child who is 12 years old, the five-year period would ordinarily extend to age 17. Since the child would not yet be 18, the passport could remain valid for the full five-year period, subject to the applicable rules. If a passport is issued when a child is 14 years and several months old, the passport could become invalid when the child reaches 18, even though five years have not elapsed.
The rule therefore establishes two limits: five years from the date of issue or the child’s 18th birthday. The earlier of these two dates determines the validity of the passport.
The amendment also changes another provision of the Passports Rules, 1980. Rule 8, which deals with passport application fees, has been revised to state that the fee payable for different categories of passport applications will be based on the corresponding rates specified in Schedule IV of the rules.
The latest amendment follows changes to passport service fees that came into effect earlier in 2026. The revised charges cover several services, including fresh passport applications, passport renewals, Tatkaal applications, replacement of lost or damaged passports and Police Clearance Certificates.
The fee changes are separate from the new validity provision for children below 15. The validity amendment specifically changes the period for which the specified ordinary 36-page passport remains in force.
According to reports on the revised fee structure, the normal fee for a 36-page fresh or reissue passport for minors has increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,750. The Tatkaal fee for the same 36-page minor passport has increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,250 according to reports on the updated charges.
A 10 percent discount continues for fresh passport applications made by children below eight years of age and senior citizens above 60 years, according to the reported revised fee structure. The concession does not apply to passport reissue applications.
The new validity rule is particularly relevant for parents and guardians planning international travel for children. The date of passport expiry will need to be checked carefully when making travel arrangements because the document may expire before five years have passed if the child reaches the age of 18 earlier.
Parents applying for a passport for a child below 15 should therefore consider the child's age on the date of passport issuance. The actual validity period will depend on whether the five-year period or the child's 18th birthday arrives first.
The amended rule does not provide a five-year validity beyond the child's 18th birthday. Once the child reaches 18, the passport issued under the provision for children below 15 will no longer remain valid even if the five-year period has not been completed.
The Ministry's amendment also provides greater clarity by incorporating the validity period directly into Rule 12 of the Passports Rules, 1980. The rules were originally notified in December 1980 and have been amended periodically to reflect changes in passport administration and related procedures.
The Passport Seva system already provides separate passport arrangements for minors. The Passport Manual states that children below 15 have been issued passports with five-year validity or validity until they reach 18, whichever is earlier. The new Gazette notification now formally sets out the corresponding provision in the amended Passports Rules, 1980.
The latest notification also comes amid wider changes to passport service charges and procedures. Applicants are required to follow the applicable fee schedule for the category of service they are seeking.
For families, the main change to note is the validity rule. A 36-page ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 years will not automatically receive an adult-style long validity period. Instead, its validity is limited to five years or until the holder reaches 18 years, whichever comes first.
This means that parents should check the expiry date before booking international travel, applying for visas or making other travel arrangements. Many countries and airlines may also require passports to have sufficient validity beyond the intended travel period, so the passport expiry date remains an important consideration.
The amendment is now in force following publication in the Gazette of India. It applies to the specified ordinary passports issued to children below 15 under the amended rules.
Overall, the latest MEA notification introduces a clearly defined validity period for 36-page ordinary passports issued to children below 15 years. The passport will remain valid for five years from its issue date or until the child turns 18, whichever occurs first. The amendment also updates the rules governing passport application fees by linking them to the rates specified in Schedule IV.
Parents and guardians should therefore verify the applicable validity and fee requirements before submitting a minor passport application.