Winning Bizness Desk
Mumbai.The cost of getting a passport or renewing an existing one will increase from July 1 after the Central Government revised passport application fees across several categories. The revised charges cover normal and Tatkal applications, replacement of lost or damaged passports, Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) and surrender certificates. The new rates come after the government amended the Passport Rules, 1980, marking the first fee revision in nearly 14 years since the last update in 2012.
Higher charges for passport applicants
Applicants seeking a standard 36-page passport under the normal category will now have to pay Rs 2,500 instead of the existing Rs 1,500. The Tatkal fee for the same passport has also been increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000. Similarly, the charges for a 60-page passport have also gone up, making both regular and urgent applications more expensive.
The revised fee structure includes:
36-page normal passport: Rs 2,500 (earlier Rs 1,500)
36-page Tatkal passport:Rs 5,000 (earlier Rs 3,500)
60-page normal passport: Rs 3,500 (earlier Rs 2,000)
60-page Tatkal passport:Rs 6,000 (earlier Rs 4,000)
Replacement passport costs see steep jump
The sharpest increase has been made in the replacement charges for lost or damaged passports. Applicants who lose their 36-page passport will have to pay Rs 5,000 for a normal replacement, while obtaining the document under the Tatkal scheme will cost Rs 7,500. For holders of 60-page passports, the replacement fee has been fixed at Rs 6,000 under the normal category and Rs 8,500 under the Tatkal category.
Other passport-related services have also become costlier following the revised notification. These include:
- Replacement of lost or damaged passports
- Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
- Surrender Certificate
Separate fee structure for minor applicants
The government has also revised replacement charges for passports issued to minors. If a 36-page passport issued to a child is lost or damaged, parents will now have to pay Rs 4,250 under the normal category for a replacement. Those opting for the Tatkal service to obtain the passport on priority will be required to pay Rs 6,750. The revised rates are aimed at bringing uniformity across different passport-related services while updating charges that had remained unchanged for more than a decade.
Key takeaways:
- New passport fees come into effect from July 1.
- Fee revision follows amendments to the Passport Rules, 1980.
- This is the first increase in passport charges since 2012.
- Validity rules for adult and minor passports remain unchanged.
Passport validity remains unchanged
While application charges have increased, the validity period of passports will remain exactly the same. Adult passport holders will continue to receive passports valid for up to 10 years. For minors, passports will remain valid for five years or until they attain the age of 18 years, whichever is earlier.
