India, Sept. 18 -- The Ministry of External Affairs has amended passport rules to specify that an ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 years of age, containing 36 pages, will be valid for five years from the date of issue or until the child turns 18, whichever is earlier.

Signed by Joint Secretary and Chief Passport Officer BS Mubarak, the new regulations, notified through the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, came into force immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette on September 15.

The amendment was made under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967. It modifies Rule 12 of the Passports Rules, 1980, which deals with the validity of passports issued to minors.

Under the newly substituted Sub-Rule (1A) of Rule 12,...