Applicants who are under 18 years of age are deemed minors with respect to passport issuance in India. A minor ought to have a separate passport in that endorsement of his name in his father’s passport is not permissible anymore under the guidelines issued by the government of India. Minors are issued a 36-page passport booklet.
Validity Of Minor Passport
| Scenarios | Documents |
| Passport of a minor with consent of parents | Annexure H |
| Minor with a single parent | Annexure H |
| Single parent of a child born before marriage | Annexure C |
| Legal guardian | Annexure H |
| Application by one of the parents when consent of both parents cannot be obtained | Annexure G |
| Parents live separately but are not divorced | Annexure C |
A minor’s passport is valid for five years or till he attains 18 years, whichever is earlier. However, minors aged between 15 and 18 years may apply for a 10-year passport instead of a passport which is valid till they turn 18. It is important to note that the associated fees differs according to the category chosen by a minor in that fee for a 10-year passport is higher than the category of passport which is valid till a minor turns 18. It is important to note that a 10-year passport is issued only after police verification.
Who Can Apply For Minor Passport?
The parent or the guardian can apply for a minor’s passport. In other words, either the legal guardian or the parent ought to give his or her consent for issuance of a minor’s passport.
The list of documents which have to be submitted are listed in the table below:
How To Apply Minor Passport Online In India
The passport application procedure remains the same for minors. The documents required may vary. Furthermore, the parents or guardians might have present for the passport appointment, or must send consent of passport issuance with the child.
Under the new system of passport issuance, every applicant must be present at the passport office to submit their biometrics and have their photograph taken, or submit a photograph.
Even if the child is just an infant, the child must be present at the office. No person can get the passport application process, verification and issuance done on behalf of another.
To apply for a minor’s passport, you need to follow this process:
Register and Apply
- Register the minor on the Passport Seva Website.
- Create a login ID and password.
- Enter the account and fill in the application form.
- Once you have submitted the application form successfully, you can make the payment.
Payment
- You can make the payment by clicking on View saved/submitted applications. Then select Pay and schedule appointment.
- The Passport Seva Kendra website uses the SBI payment portal.
- For Tatkal, the regular fees must be paid online. If the tatkal request is approved, then the remaining amount can be paid in cash at the Passport Seva Kendra.
- You can use any of the following modes to make the payment.
| Mode of Payment | Charges applicable |
| Credit Cards (VISA or MasterCard) | 1.5% + service tax |
| Debit Cards (VISA or MasterCard) | 1.5% + service tax |
| Internet Banking (SBI and Associate Banks) | Free |
| SBI Challan | Free. The cash payable should be deposited at the nearest SBI branch after 3 hours of generatingthe challan and within 85 days. |
How To Take Appointment For Passport For Minor?
After the payment is successful, you can schedule an appointment by selecting the office closest to you, and the time and date most convenient to you. Once you confirm your slot, the booking will be scheduled.
Visiting the Passport Seva Kendra
Take all the documents required and go to the Passport Seva Kendra at the time of your appointment. You can go just 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. Parents with minor children are given preference and are allowed to go through without waiting in long lines. The passport process is smooth with a few rounds of verification and collection of biometrics and the photograph. You will receive a receipt at the end of the process.
Documentation Required For Minor Passport
The documentation required for issuance of a minor’s passport may vary on various factors as listed below:
- Minors aged between 15 and 18 who wish to obtain passport of 10 years
- Parents separated but not legally divorced
- Minors from Jammu and Kashmir
- Parents resident abroad
- Minors from Nagaland
- Parents divorced
- Minor children of government/statutory body employees
- Parent(s) with valid passport and spouse name endorsed
- Passport applied by one parent when other parents not giving consent
- Passport applied by a legal guardian
- Single parents
- However, some of the common documents which may have to be submitted are listed below:
- Proof of date of birth
- Photocopy of the passport of both or either of the parents (attested)
- Proof of present address
- Sworn affidavit by parent abroad attested by the Indian consulate with affidavit from a parent in India (Annexure H)
- Standard affidavit (Annexure I)
- Bonafide letter from the signatory of a college (UGC recognized)
- Adoption deed (photo of a child attested by the court)
Fees For Minor Passport India
The fees applicable for minors varies according to the scheme selected. It also depends on the age of the minor and the validity of the passport required. The fees are different for fresh passport issue and for passport reissue.
Fresh Passport
| Applicant’s Age | Normal Charge | Tatkal Charge |
| Less than 15 years | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 3,000 |
| Between 15 – 18 years | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 3,000 |
Passport Reissue
| Reason for Reissue | Applicant’s Age | Validity Required | Normal Charge | Tatkal Charge |
| Validity Expired or Due to Expire | Less than 15 Years | All | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 3,000 |
| 15 years – 18 years | 5 years or till the age of 18 years | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 3,000 | |
| 10 years (36 pages) | Rs. 1,500 | Rs. 3,500 | ||
| 10 years (60 pages) | Rs. 2,000 | Rs. 4,000 | ||
| Delete ECR or Change in Particulars | Less than 15 Years | All | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 3,000 |
| 15 years – 18 years | 5 years or till the age of 18 years | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 3,000 | |
| 10 years (36 pages) | Rs. 1,500 | Rs. 3,500 | ||
| 10 years (60 pages) | Rs. 2,000 | Rs. 4,000 | ||
| Exhaustion of Pages | Less than 15 Years | All | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 3,000 |
| 15 years – 18 years | 5 years or till the age of 18 years | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 3,000 | |
| 10 years (36 pages) | Rs. 1,500 | Rs. 3,500 | ||
| 10 years (60 pages) | Rs. 2,000 | Rs. 4,000 | ||
| Lost or Damaged Passport | 15 years – 18 years | 5 years or till the age of 18 years | Rs. 1000 | Rs. 3,000 |
| Passport expired (36 pages) | Rs. 1,500 | Rs. 3,500 | ||
| Passport expired (60 pages) | Rs. 2,000 | Rs. 4,000 | ||
| Passport not expired (36 pages) | Rs. 3,000 | Rs. 5,000 | ||
| Passport not expired (60 pages) | Rs. 3,500 | Rs. 5,500 |
Minor Passport: Salient Features
The list of important things to remember about issuance of a minor’s passport in India are listed below:
- Parent’s passport: Both parents need not mandatorily have passports for acquiring/applying for their child’s passport. It is important that either the father or the mother has a valid passport with the spouse’s name endorsed in it, which obviates the need for police verification for issuance of a child’s passport. In case one parent has a valid passport, but his or her spouse’s name is not endorsed in it, then the couple should opt for a re-issuance of the passport for making the necessary changes. In case the father of the child is living abroad, an affidavit duly attested by the Indian consulate with the photocopy of the passport should be submitted. Alternatively, annexure G may also be submitted by the mother for the same
- Consent of parents: Annexure H needs to carry signatures of both parents as it signifies their consent for the issuance of passport to their child. In other words, Annexure H is a declaration signed by parents for issuance of passport to a minor. In case one parent does not give consent, the other parent who is actively applying for the passport of the minor should submit Annexure G.
- Parents with criminal background: In case parents have a criminal background or passports with unfavorable police verification reports, their child may be issued a passport under the tatkaal scheme, provided it is approved by RPO
- Photographs: There are some specifications vis-a-vis issuance of passports to minors as listed below:
- Parents of minors under 4 years should carry a passport-size photograph to the Passport Office (PO)/Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)
- Photographs of minors above four years are taken at PO/PSK
- A photograph’s background should be white while the minor should be dressed in dark colors
- Frontal view of face should be clearly visible in the photograph
- Expression in the photograph should be natural (no dramatic raised eyebrows, frowning and so forth)
- Head should be in the center of the picture. Both ears should be clearly visible
- Eyes should be open and clearly visible
- Photographs should not be signed