Indian Passport Fees/Costs

The cost of a passport depends on the type of passport service applied for and whether it is on a regular basis or Tatkaal.

For regular or normal passport applications the fees are as follows:

For Tatkaal passport applications

Passport fees for urgent applications will be charged at Rs.2,000 in addition to the regular fees mentioned above. This makes the tatkaal passport cost / fee structure -

For PCC - Police Clearance Certificate cost/fee - Rs.500

For Diplomatic or Official Passports - No fee/cost applicable

How to Pay the Passport Fee

Online Payment:

• Applicants can pay the required fees online through:

• Credit / Debit Card.
• Internet Banking through State Bank of India and Associate Banks.
• Online payments are mandatory for appointment bookings at PSKs.
• While making online payment for applications under the Tatkaal scheme, applicants need only pay the fee applicable under the normal scheme category, and the remaining Tatkaal fee should be paid in cash.
• For debit / credit cards, banks charge 1.5% + Service Tax as applicable on every transaction. This does not apply for SBI and Associate Banks.
• Online payment remains valid for one year from the first appointment date and applications must be submitted within this time. If not, the payment will be considered forfeited, and a new payment will have to be made.
• At Citizen Service Centres (CSCs), payment can be made by credit / debit card.

• Cash Payment:
  • Payments can be made in cash at any of the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs)
  • For Tatkaal applications, the entire application amount of the normal application fee plus Tatkaal fee can be paid in one go, unlike online payments for Tatkaal applications.
  • While dealing with cash at the PSK, the public is warned to beware of touts and agents.
  • At PSKs (Passport Seva Kendras), payment for passport will have to be made In Cash only. This applies to mini-PSKs too. All PSKs host ATMs for all banks so cash withdrawal to make payment is made easier.

• Demand Draft:
  • At District Passport Cells (DPCs), payment will have to be made via DD (Demand Draft).
  • The DD has to be made out to PAO-MEA to be satisfied at the RPO.
  • At Speed Post Centres (SPCs), payment can be made via DD (Demand Draft) or Cash. The DD must be drawn in favour of PAO-MEA and will be payable where the RPO is located.

It should be noted that:

1. The following details must be written behind the DD:
   • Applicants name.
   • Applicants date of birth.
   • Date of submission of the application.
2. Collection Centres only entertain applications for fresh passports.
3. All penalties must only be paid in cash.

Passport Fee Calculator

On the official website of the CPV (Consular, Passport, and Visa) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, there is a passport fee calculator tool which calculates the various different costs for passport applications. Costs differ on a case by case basis, depending on the type of passport being applied for, and whether its being applied for through the Tatkaal Scheme.

The calculator requires the following fields to be filled out, which contain the following options:

1. Application Type:
   1. Passport.
   2. PCC.
   3. Identity Certificate.
   4. Surrender Certificate.

For passport fees, select Passport, and then choose the applicable option among:

2. Type of Service:
   1. Fresh.
   2. Reissue.
3. (If Reissue) Reason for Reissue:
   1. Validity Expired / Due to Expire.
   2. Delete ECR / Change in Personal Particulars.
   3. Exhaustion of Pages.
   4. Lost / Damaged Passport.
4. Applicants Age:
   1. Less than 15 years.
   2. Between 15 to 18 years.
   3. 18 years and above.
5. Required Validity:
   1. (For those between 15 to 18 years) 5 years / Till the age of 18 years.
   2. 10 years.
6. Number of pages in booklet:
• 36 pages.
• 60 pages.

Depending on the input received under the above headings, the tool calculates the fee for the various possible cases for the issue of a fresh passport or the reissue of an older passport.

Identity Certificate Fee Calculator

Also a feature of the calculator is a tool that calculates the fee for issue of identity certificates. Different fees are charged for different cases, as under:

1. Type of Service:
1. Fresh.
2. Reissue.
2. (If reissue) Reason for Reissue:
1. Validity Expired / Due to Expire.
2. Delete ECR / Change in personal particulars.
3. Exhaustion of pages.
4. Lost or Damaged passport.

Surrender Certificate Fee Calculator

The tool also helps calculate Surrender Certificate Fees for:

1. Foreign Nationality Acquired Before 1st June, 2010.
2. Foreign Nationality Acquired On or After 1st June, 2010.

The standard fee for the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is Rs.500.

Important points to note regarding payment of passport fees

• If the passport fee for an appointment has been paid, but the appointment has not been booked, there will be no refund of the paid amount.
• The RPO will refund excess payments that have been made in case multiple payments have been made for the same passport fee.
• The online application receipt containing the Application Reference Number (ARN) must be carried along with the Passport application to the PSK during the appointment.
• In order to generate the ARN and receipt, applicants who pay online must click Print Application Receipt.
• There are no bank charges applicable for payments made through challan.

SMS Services

For the onetime payment of Rs.40, applicants can subscribe for the SMS Services. The SMS service sends you appointment reminders, and regular updates.

Frequently Asked Questions About Passport Seva Fee Payment

1. What is the fee for passport application?

   You need to click on the link that says Fee Calculator on the homepage of the official website of Passport services to know the details of the fee associated with passport application. However, no fee is associated with Official/Diplomatic passports.

2. How to make payments? Which are the accepted payment methods?

   Online payment has become mandatory if you wish to book an appointment at a Passport Seva Kendra. The following modes can be used to make online payments:

   Debit card or Credit Card

   SBI Bank Challan

   Internet Banking (SBI and associate banks)

3. What is the amount that I have to pay for PCC (Police Clearance Certificate)

   You will have to pay an amount of Rs.500 for PCC or Police Clearance Certificate.

4. How can I cancel the appointment and avail a refund?

   Refund of the amount that you paid for the appointment is not permitted.

5. Will the fee be refunded if the appointment is not booked?

   Once you have made the payment, you will not get a refund.

6. Can I choose to transfer the paid fee from one ARN (Application Reference Number) to another ARN?

   Once you have made the payment, the fee cannot be transferred from one Application Reference Number to another Application Reference Number.

7. What if I do not have an account with State Bank of India?

   In case you do not have an account with State Bank of India, you can make the payments using credit card/debit card of some other bank or State Bank of India challan.

8. What if there are multiple payments made towards passport fee payments?

   Refund of the excess payments will be given by the Regional Passport Office.

9. What is the fee validity?

   The payment is valid for a period of one year from the payment date. If you have already booked an appointment, the validity will be for one year from the appointment date.

10. Do I have to carry the Application Reference receipt when I visit the Passport Seva Kendra?

    Yes, you must carry the ARN receipt along with all the other required documents. You can download the ARN receipt from the website and then get it printed.

11. Which is the payment gateway that is used for making online payments?

    State Bank of India gateway is used at the online payment gateway.

12. What if the online payment has already been cleared but the booking of appointment is not yet booked?

    Click the link that says Schedule Appointment after you have made the payment. Click on Track Payment Status if you wish to check the status of fee payment.

13. How to use the option of online payment when booking Tatkaal appointment for passport?

    You will have to pay the same amount applicable under the regular category. However, the payment must be done online. The excess Tatkaal fee must be paid in cash at the Passport Seva Kendra after the Passport officials accept your Tatkaal application.

14. Can the scheduled appointment date be changed after making the payments?

    After the appointment is confirmed by the Passport Seva Kendra, it can be rescheduled twice in one year from the date of appointment.

15. If I choose e-Mode option for payment, how much do I have to pay?

    For credit cards and debit cards, the bank will charge 1.5% along with service tax. Notifications will be sent to you if there are any changes in the charges. However, you will not have to pay any charge if you use the internet banking of State Bank of India and its associate banks.

16. What happens if I encounter with an error after reaching the payment gateway?

    If you encounter an error after reaching the payment gateway, wait for a while. However, if nothing happens, it is advisable that you try after some time.

17. Which are the banks that accept challan payments?

    All the State Bank of India branches accept challan payments.

18. What are the charges associated with the challan payment option?

    You will not have to pay any charge if you are making the payment via challan mode.

19. When can the passport fee be deposited via challan at an SBI branch?

    The passport fee must be deposited in cash after three hours from the challan generation.

20. What is the time period allowed for depositing the fee at a State Bank of India branch?

    The challan expires after a period of 85 days. Any payment made after that will be rejected by the bank.

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