The government has announced an increase in fees for the fast-track category of passports. Effective from May 8, 2024, the fee for a 36-page machine-readable passport valid for five years will be Rs12,500, while the fee for 72 pages will be Rs18,500, and for 100 pages, it will be Rs23,000.
Similarly, for a ten-year machine-readable passport, the fees will be Rs16,200, Rs25,200, and Rs32,000 respectively for 36, 72, and 100 pages. This follows a previous increase in passport fees by the Directorate General of Passports and Immigration on March 6, which also faced criticism for delays in passport delivery despite the fee hike.
Notably, fees for normal and urgent passports have also been adjusted, with the fee for a five-year 36-page normal passport now at Rs4,000 and Rs7,500 for an urgent passport. For a ten-year passport, the fee is Rs6,700 and Rs11,200 for an urgent one.
