The central government has amended passport rules, introducing specific provisions on the number of pages and validity of ordinary passports issued to children below 15 years of age.
Under the revised rules, an ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 will contain 36 pages. It will remain valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child turns 18, whichever comes first.
The rules governing passport application fees have also been revised, although the amendment itself does not announce any new fee amount.
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What Has Changed for Children?
The Ministry of External Affairs amended the Passport Rules, 1980, using its powers under the Passports Act, 1967.
The Passports Amendment Rules, 2026 were notified on September 15 and published in the Gazette of India on September 17, 2026. The amendments came into effect from the date of publication.
The revised provisions specifically state that an ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 will contain 36 pages.
How Long Will the Passport Be Valid?
The validity will be five years from the date of issue or until the child turns 18, whichever comes earlier.
For example, a passport issued to a 10-year-old would ordinarily remain valid for five years because the child would still be below 18 when that period ends.
However, if the passport is issued to a 14-year-old, the five-year period would extend beyond the age of 18. In that situation, the passport would expire when the child turns 18.
Similarly, a passport issued to an eight-year-old would remain valid for five years because that period would end before the child reaches 18.
What About Children Aged 15 to 18?
The new provision should not automatically be interpreted as applying to every applicant between 15 and 18 years of age.
The amendment specifically concerns ordinary passports issued to children below 15.
For applicants aged between 15 and 18, the applicable passport category, validity and fee will depend on the relevant rules and category in force at the time of application.
Have Passport Fees Changed?
The rules governing passport application fees have also been amended.
Rule 8(1) of the Passport Rules, 1980, now provides that applicants must pay the fee prescribed against the relevant category in Schedule IV for each type of passport application.
This means the applicable fee will depend on the particular category and service.
However, the amendment itself does not announce a new passport fee amount. It would therefore not be correct to conclude from this notification alone that passport fees have increased across all categories.
What Should Parents Check?
Parents applying for their child’s passport should ensure that the correct date of birth, age and passport category are entered in the application.
The applicable fee for the specific category should also be checked before making payment.
For children below 15, the key change is clear: an ordinary passport will contain 36 pages and remain valid for five years or until the child turns 18, whichever comes first.
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