New passport rules from July 1; 10% fee relief for children below 9, elders
The government has amended passport rules, notifying a new fee structure that will be applicable from July 1. Under the new regime, a 10 per cent fee concession will be provided on fresh passport applications for two categories of applicants — children up to eight years of age and senior citizens aged 60 years and above.
- The concession is available only for fresh applications and does not apply to passport reissues. It is also limited to applications submitted within India.
- For adults aged 18 years and above, as well as minors aged 15 to 18 years applying under the adult category, a fresh 36-page passport or its reissue will cost Rs 2,500 under the normal scheme and Rs 5,000 under the Tatkal scheme within India. For overseas applicants, the corresponding fees are $125 and $250, respectively.
- Applicants opting for a 60-page passport will be required to pay Rs 3,500 under the normal scheme and Rs 6,000 under the Tatkal scheme within India. The corresponding fees for overseas applicants are $175 and $300, respectively.
- Those seeking replacement of a lost or damaged 36-page passport, the fee is Rs 5,000 under normal and Rs 7,500 under Tatkal within India, with overseas fees of $250 and $375, respectively. For a lost or damaged 60-page passport, the replacement fee is Rs 6,000 under normal and Rs 8,500 under Tatkal within India, with $300 and $425 for overseas applicants, respectively.
- Minor applicants below 18 seeking a fresh 36-page passport or reissue will pay Rs 1,750 under the normal category and Rs 4,250 under Tatkal within India. Overseas fees will be $90 and $215, respectively. For the replacement of a lost or damaged 36-page minor passport, the fee is Rs 4,250 under normal and Rs 6,750 under Tatkal within India and $215 and $340 for overseas applicants, respectively.
- Special travel documents, emergency certificate — available only to applicants abroad — will now carry a fee of $15 with no tatkal facility.
A Certificate of Identity has been priced at Rs 1,000 within India and $50 abroad, again with no tatkal option.
For other passport-related services such as police clearance certificates, surrender certificates, global entry programme verification and other certificates — the fee has been fixed at Rs 750 within India and $40 abroad, with no Tatkal category applicable.
The notification reiterates that passports issued to adult applicants carry a maximum validity of 10 years, while passports issued to minor applicants are valid for five years or until the holder attains the age of 18 years, whichever is earlier.
The Passports Rules originally notified on December 11, 1980, have been periodically revised to keep pace with administrative and economic requirements. The rules were last amended on February 24, 2025. The current amendment, which takes effect from July 1, 2026, represents the latest revision to the fee framework governing India’s passport and travel document services, administered through the network of Passport Seva Kendras across the country. The new Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, replace the existing Schedule IV of the Passports Rules, 1980.
Names of six soldiers who lost their lives during operation Sindoor, made public
India has officially made public the names of six soldiers who had laid down their lives during operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May last year. Two of the bravehearts are gallantry awardees – one was awarded Vir Chakra and the other a Vayu Medal. The names of the five Army soldiers and their regimental affiliations along with a lone Indian Air Force air warrior and his squadron name have been put up on the website of the National War Memorial.
The Memorial is located near the India Gate in the National Capital and names of each of the six will be engraved on a special brick at the memorial.
The six who lost their lives are: Sub Maj Pawan Kumar from Headquarters 10 Infantry Brigade; Rifleman Sunil Kumar from the 4th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment; Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar from the 5 Filed Regiment; Agniveer Mood Murali Naik 851 Light regiment; Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh 237 Filed Workshop; Sargent Surendra Kumar from 39 Wing of IAF.
Rifleman Sunil Kumar has been awarded the Vir Chakra , the country’s third highest battle honour and Sargent Surinder Kumar has been awarded the Vayu Medal.
Sources said Riflemen Sunil Kumar was posted along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. On June 8, President Droupadi Murmu presented the Vir Chakra (Posthumous) to Rifleman Sunil Kumar at Defence Investiture Ceremony. The award was received by his mother Sudesh Kumari and his father Yash Paul
The National War Memorial, inaugurated in New Delhi, features the Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice), which contains 16 concentric circular walls built entirely from granite bricks. Each brick bears the name, rank, and regiment of a fallen Indian soldier who made the supreme sacrifice since Independence.
IAF’s surveillance plane gets final operational clearance
The Indian Air Forces’ (IAF) indigenous airborne radar called the ‘Netra; was today accorded a Final Operational Clearance (FOC). Called the Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&CS), the radar is mounted on an Embraer aircraft. It had been accorded an Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in 2017. Three such planes have been operating since then then and played a key role in surveillance during operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May last year . Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the airborne radar. The system has been indigenously developed through close collaboration among the IAF and associated industries to enhance airborne surveillance, situational awareness and battle management capability.
The ceremony of the final operational clearance was presided over by the Deputy Chief of the IAF Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti in Bengaluru. Air Marshal Bharti appreciated spoke about the operational utilisation and reliability of the system during Operation Sindoor and Balakot strikes in 2019.
