By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Central government has announced a comprehensive revision of passport fees, increasing charges for new passports, renewals and several related services for the first time in nearly 14 years. The revised fee structure will come into force from July 1.
The changes have been notified through amendments to the Passports Rules, 1980, under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967.
Under the new rates, adults applying for a 36-page passport under the normal scheme will have to pay Rs 2,500, compared to the existing Rs 1,500. The fee for Tatkaal applications has been raised to Rs 5,000 from Rs 3,500.
For a 60-page passport, the normal application fee has increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500, while the Tatkaal charge has been revised from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000.
The government has also increased fees for replacing lost or damaged passports. A replacement 36-page passport will now cost Rs 5,000 under the normal category and Rs 7,500 under Tatkaal. For 60-page passports, the revised charges are Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,500, respectively.
Passport fees for applicants below the age of 18 have also been revised. A fresh passport under the normal category will now cost Rs 1,750, up from Rs 1,000, while the Tatkaal fee has more than doubled to Rs 4,250 from Rs 2,000.
Apart from passport issuance, the government has revised the cost of several other services. The fee for obtaining a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 750. Charges for services such as Surrender Certificates and Global Entry Programme verification have also been fixed at Rs 750 within India.
While Emergency Certificates will continue to be issued free of cost in India, applicants seeking the service abroad will have to pay USD 15. The fee for Identity Certificates has been set at Rs 1,000 in India and USD 50 for applicants overseas.
The fee revision follows a recent clarification by the Ministry of External Affairs that a passport serves as a travel document and should not be treated as proof of Indian citizenship. The clarification, made during Passport Seva Divas, cited a 2013 Bombay High Court judgment and triggered political reactions, with opposition leaders questioning its implications for citizenship verification and related processes.