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If you are 15 to 18 and plan to study abroad, get your passport first: you will need it for your visa application. Here is what Passport Seva asks for.
Should you get a minor passport or a 10-year passport?
Anyone under 18 is a minor for passport purposes, according to the Passport Seva FAQs. A minor's passport is valid for five years or until the 18th birthday, whichever comes first. At 15 to 18, you can choose it or a full 10-year passport.
From 1 July 2026, the official fee table lists ₹1,750 for a minor's 36-page passport and ₹2,500 for a 36-page 10-year passport, including for 15 to 18-year-olds. Tatkaal adds ₹2,500, and fees are non-refundable.
Worked example. Aarav is 17, turns 18 next March and hopes to start a degree in Canada next September. A minor passport would expire on his 18th birthday, months before his course begins. Paying ₹1,750 now and ₹2,500 for a re-issue at 18 comes to ₹4,250, against ₹2,500 once for the 10-year passport.
The trade-off: the police verification FAQ says a minor's five-year passport generally needs no police check if either parent holds a valid passport, a parent's name appears in the spouse's passport and both parents consent on Annexure D. The 10-year option usually means police verification before issue, though the passport office decides. It also needs proof that you are non-ECR; passing Class 10 is one of the qualifying categories in the official instruction booklet.
What documents do you need for a first passport as a student?
The instruction booklet and the portal's document advisor list these for a minor's fresh passport:
Proof of date of birth, such as a birth certificate or a school leaving or matriculation certificate.
Proof of present address; for a minor, a document in a parent's name is accepted.
Annexure D, a declaration about the minor signed by both parents.
An attested photocopy of one or both parents' passports, if they have them.
Proof of non-ECR status, such as your Class 10 pass certificate, for 10-year validity.
If you live away from your parents: your student ID card and a bonafide letter from your college.
Bring originals plus one set of self-attested photocopies; for minors, parents can attest. No photograph is needed at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK).
If your marksheet and Aadhaar disagree, read what to fix first when name spellings differ.
How do you book a passport appointment?
The Passport Seva getting-started page sets out the steps:
Register on the portal or the Passport Seva app.
Fill in the form exactly as your documents read.
Pay online by card, SBI net banking or UPI. Payment is required to book and stays valid for one year from your first appointment date.
Pick a PSK or Post Office PSK. You may choose any passport office, but police verification happens at the address on your form, and Tatkaal is not offered at Post Office PSKs.
Go with your originals and copies. For a minor, both parents should attend, or one parent carrying both parents' passports, per the minor FAQs.
You can reschedule or cancel up to two times within a year of the first appointment date. Students living away from home can visit the PSK nearest their hostel, but must give the parents' address as the permanent address, the student FAQ says.
How long does it take to get a passport?
The instruction booklet gives expected dispatch times after your visit:
Normal, with no police verification or verification after issue: on the third working day, not counting the submission date.
Normal, with verification before issue: within three working days of a clear police report reaching the passport office.
Tatkaal, with no police verification: within one working day.
Complex cases, including a minor applying through a single parent or a major name change: about 30 days.
Two waits are not fixed: the next free slot in your city, and how fast your police station reports back. If one parent cannot consent, the other files Annexure C; single-parent cases can take the slower complex route, and several cannot use Tatkaal. Without the right documents the PSK can refuse a token, but you can return to the same centre, says the getting-started page.
A simple plan, working back from your visa deadline:
Now: check every document against the list above and fix mismatches.
Next week: register, pay and book the earliest slot both parents can attend.
Afterwards: stay reachable at the address on your form for police verification, and track status on the portal.
Board and entrance prep do not pause while you wait. Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session, so the waiting weeks still count.
Next, plan the money and marks: how much applying to foreign universities costs and how CBSE results work for applying abroad.
