The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has amended the Passports Rules to sharply increase the fee for every major passport service from 1 July 2026. The price of a standard 36-page booklet will jump from ₹1,500 to ₹2,500, while an expedited Tatkal passport will now cost ₹5,000. Larger 60-page booklets—often chosen by frequent flyers and business travellers—rise to ₹3,500 (ordinary) and ₹6,000 (Tatkal). Officials say the revision reflects higher production and security-chip costs linked to India’s ongoing roll-out of biometric e-passports. However, the timing is awkward for the peak July–September student-departure season: families budgeting for tuition, airfares and visa fees will now face an extra ₹4,000 per adult applicant. Corporate mobility managers must also re-forecast assignment budgets, especially for staff who rotate passports every few years to accommodate multiple visa stickers.
![India Hikes Passport Fees From July 1, Raising Cost of Global Travel Planning]()
For anyone feeling overwhelmed by the new fees and tighter booking windows, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the service offers real-time fee calculators, appointment scheduling assistance, and end-to-end document handling—helpful safeguards when regulations and costs shift with little warning.
Travel advisers expect a late-June surge in appointment bookings as applicants rush to beat the deadline. Regional Passport Offices have been instructed to extend working hours, but insiders warn that appointment slots in metro cities are already almost fully booked. HR teams handling large outbound groups—such as cruise-liner crews and airline cabin staff—are urging employees to submit applications immediately or factor in the higher post-July costs. The MEA argues that Indian passport fees remain among the lowest in the G20 even after the hike; a 10-year adult US passport, for instance, costs the rupee equivalent of about ₹10,000. Still, the sudden increase has sparked criticism that policy makers did not provide sufficient public notice. A petition by a Delhi travel-trade association asks the government to phase in the rise over two quarters so that tour operators and education consultants can adjust package quotations already sold to customers. Practical tip: individuals whose passports expire in the next 18 months—or whose booklets are nearly full—can apply online, pay the existing fee and lock an appointment date before 30 June. Payment date, not appointment date, determines the applicable tariff under the amended rules.
For anyone feeling overwhelmed by the new fees and tighter booking windows, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the service offers real-time fee calculators, appointment scheduling assistance, and end-to-end document handling—helpful safeguards when regulations and costs shift with little warning.
Travel advisers expect a late-June surge in appointment bookings as applicants rush to beat the deadline. Regional Passport Offices have been instructed to extend working hours, but insiders warn that appointment slots in metro cities are already almost fully booked. HR teams handling large outbound groups—such as cruise-liner crews and airline cabin staff—are urging employees to submit applications immediately or factor in the higher post-July costs. The MEA argues that Indian passport fees remain among the lowest in the G20 even after the hike; a 10-year adult US passport, for instance, costs the rupee equivalent of about ₹10,000. Still, the sudden increase has sparked criticism that policy makers did not provide sufficient public notice. A petition by a Delhi travel-trade association asks the government to phase in the rise over two quarters so that tour operators and education consultants can adjust package quotations already sold to customers. Practical tip: individuals whose passports expire in the next 18 months—or whose booklets are nearly full—can apply online, pay the existing fee and lock an appointment date before 30 June. Payment date, not appointment date, determines the applicable tariff under the amended rules.
