India Today ·
Now passports for those aged under 15 to be valid for five years
The change has been notified through the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026 and has come into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
The Ministry of External Affairs has amended the passport rules to specify a five-year validity period for ordinary 36-page passports issued to children below 15 years of age, or until they turn 18, whichever comes first.
The amendment was made on September 15, 2026, under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967. It modifies Rule 12 of the Passports Rules, 1980, which deals with the validity of passports issued to minors.
Under the revised provision, a 36-page ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 years will remain valid for five years from the date of issue.
However, if the child reaches the age of 18 before the five-year period expires, the passport will cease to be valid when the holder turns 18. This means the actual validity will depend on the child’s age at the time the passport is issued.
The notification also makes a change to Rule 8 concerning passport application fees. It replaces the existing wording to state that fees payable for different categories of applications will be charged at the rates specified against the corresponding applications in Schedule IV of the rules.
The latest notification follows an earlier amendment to the Passport Rules, 1980, issued in June 2026. The rules were originally notified in December 1980 under the Passports Act.
The revised provisions are now in force following their publication in the Gazette of India. Parents and guardians applying for passports for children below 15 years will consequently need to take the revised validity period into account when planning international travel and future passport renewals.