New Delhi: Passports issued to children below the age of 15 will now be valid for five years or until the child turns 18, whichever is earlier, under the amended passport rules notified by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The change has been introduced through the Passport (Amendment) Rules, 2026, published in the Gazette of India on Thursday. The amendment modifies the Passport Rules, 1980.
Under the revised Rule 12(1A), a standard 36-page passport issued to a child below 15 years of age will remain valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child reaches 18 years of age, whichever comes first.
The government has also amended Rule 8, dealing with passport application fees. According to the notification dated September 15, 2026, the applicable fee for each category of passport application will be as specified in Schedule IV of the rules.
The amended provisions will come into force from the date of their publication in the official Gazette.
The notification noted that the Passport Rules, 1980 were originally issued on December 11, 1980, through notification GSR 691(E). The rules were most recently amended on June 20, 2026, through notification GSR 156(E).
