Passport Fees to Rise from 1 July 2026 — First Revision Since 2012

The Ministry of External Affairs has revised passport fees across categories from 1 July 2026 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026. This is the first major revision in passport charges since 2012. The fee for reissue of a lost or damaged passport rises sharply — for example, from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 for a 36-page booklet and from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,500 for a 60-page booklet.

The government says the increase aligns application charges with the rising cost of processing, printing and securing modern passports. A 10% discount is available on fresh passport applications by children up to eight years and senior citizens above 60.

The revision comes as the Passport Seva Project nears completion. Over the last decade the network has grown from 77 to 545 Passport Seva Kendras and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras. More than 1.5 crore passport-related services were delivered in 2025, average time spent at a Kendra is now under 45 minutes, and standard processing (excluding police verification) takes about six working days.

The government has also been rolling out chip-enabled e-passports, which carry a secure microchip with biometric data to prevent forgery. Nearly one crore e-passports have been issued since the next-generation project began in May 2024, and the Ministry plans to replace all existing passports with e-passports by 2035.