Big blow to those going abroad! Passport will become very expensive from July 1, government suddenly increased fees

If you are also planning to travel abroad for holidays in the coming days or are thinking of renewing your passport, then this news may blow your senses. Taking a big and shocking decision, the Central Government has drastically increased the fees for making a new passport and re-issuing it from July 1, 2026.

After making a historic amendment in the Passport Rules, 1980 by the Ministry of External Affairs, its official gazette notification has also been issued. This is no less than a big shock for the general public because only after 14 years, i.e. after 2012, has the government increased these rates so much. This new rule will become effective in the entire country from the morning of 1st July, after which this blue passport is going to give a lot of relief to your pocket.

Mathematics from ‘Normal’ to ‘Tatkal’: Know how much will you have to pay now?

As soon as the new rules are implemented, the prices of every category of passport will start skyrocketing. If you want to get a new passport of 36 pages under the normal category, then the fee which was earlier only ₹ 1,500, will now directly increase to ₹ 2,500. At the same time, those availing the benefit of ‘Tatkal Seva’ in case of emergency will now have to pay a huge sum of ₹ 5,000 instead of ₹ 3,500.

The matter does not end here; For businessmen or people who frequently travel abroad who get a jumbo passport of 60 pages made, the fee for the normal category has been increased from ₹ 2,000 to ₹ 3,500. Whereas the Tatkal fee for Jumbo Passport has been directly increased from ₹4,000 to ₹6,000.

Lost or damaged passport? Then you will have to pay a ‘grand fine’ of ₹ 8,500!

The most scary and shocking part of this entire new government order is the one that is going to be applicable in case of loss or damage of passport. If your 36-page passport is lost due to any carelessness, then to get it back you will have to pay ₹ 5,000 in the normal process, whereas in instant this expense will reach ₹ 7,500.

At the same time, if your big passport of 60 pages is lost or damaged, then a huge fee of ₹ 6,000 for normal category and ₹ 8,500 for Tatkal has been fixed for replacement. Apart from this, the charges for basic services like Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) and Surrender Certificate have also been increased, which is sure to hit the common man all round.

Children’s passports are also strictly guarded: a direct attack on parents’ budget

The government has also made very strict rules regarding passport replacement of minors, which can completely spoil the monthly budget of the parents. If a child’s 36-page passport is lost or damaged, it will cost ₹4,250 in the general category to get it replaced. But, if parents want to get this important lost document of their child made in an emergency manner in a very short time through Tatkal service, then they will have to deposit a huge amount of ₹ 6,750 in the government treasury.

The same old rule of validity will remain applicable

Amidst this historic increase in fees, the government has made it clear that at present no change has been made in the rules of passport validity. For adult applicants, the passport will remain valid for a maximum of 10 years as before, while for minors this period will remain valid only for 5 years or till they complete 18 years of age (whichever is earlier).

Is passport really a sure proof of Indian citizenship?

Amidst this entire incident, the biggest suspense has once again deepened regarding the legal status of the passport. Despite being an official travel document issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, indicating your identity and nationality internationally and being essential for visas and immigration, the government and the courts have once again reiterated that the passport is primarily a travel document. This cannot be considered as final and irrefutable proof of citizenship.

Passports are generally issued to Indian citizens only, but in case of any legal dispute regarding a person’s citizenship, the final decision is not taken on the basis of passport alone. In such cases, citizenship is decided on the basis of other basic Indian documents and established legal procedures. If any question arises in future regarding your citizenship, just showing your passport will not be enough, but you will also have to present other necessary documents. Only time will tell how much this new rule, which is coming into effect from July 1, will affect the foreign dreams of crores of middle class families in the country.