The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has amended India’s passport rules, introducing updated provisions concerning the validity of ordinary passports issued to minors.
Under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, passports issued to minor applicants will have a validity period of five years or until the applicant reaches 18 years of age, whichever is earlier. The amended rules were notified through the Official Gazette.
The notification was issued under the powers conferred by the Passports Act, 1967, and replaces the relevant provisions of Schedule IV of the Passports Rules, 1980.
What Is the New Rule?
The amended rules specify that ordinary passports issued to minor applicants below 18 years of age will have a validity of five years or until the applicant turns 18, whichever occurs first.
This means the passport’s validity can be shorter than five years if the child reaches the age of 18 before the five-year period ends.
For example, if a minor receives a passport at age 16, the document would ordinarily remain valid until the person turns 18 rather than continuing for a full five years.
36-Page Passport Fees
The amended notification also sets out the applicable passport fees. For an ordinary fresh passport or reissue containing 36 pages, the normal fee for minor applicants is listed separately from the adult category. The revised Schedule IV specifies a normal fee of ₹1,750 for a minor’s ordinary 36-page passport.
The rules also provide separate provisions for passports issued in lieu of lost or damaged documents.
Adult Passport Validity Remains Different
The amended schedule distinguishes between adult applicants and minors. Passports issued under the adult category can have a validity of up to 10 years, subject to the applicable rules.
For minors, the five-year-or-age-18 limit continues to apply under the amended provisions.
What Parents Should Know
Parents or legal guardians applying for passports for children should carefully check the child’s date of birth and passport expiry date before making travel plans. Since a minor’s passport can expire when the child turns 18, families should check validity requirements well ahead of international travel.
A passport’s expiry date can be particularly important because many countries require travellers to have several months of remaining passport validity when entering the country.
When Did the Change Take Effect?
The official Gazette notification states that the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were notified on June 20, 2026, and specified that the amended rules would come into force from July 1, 2026.
The amendment provides updated statutory provisions for passport fees and validity while maintaining the shorter validity framework applicable to minor passport holders.
