Mangalore:  The cost of a passport will be Rs 1500 from October 1 instead of Rs 500.According to  reports, the Ministry  for  External Affairs (MEA) has increased  the cost of passport and related services from October 1. The rates from October 1 will be Rs 1,500 for normal applications, Rs 3,500 for tatkal applications and Rs 1,000 for minor applications. The fee for police clearance certificate has been increased to Rs 500 from Rs 300.

It is learnt the price has been hiked considering the rising costs of procurement of equipment, reimbursement to police authorities, payment to India Posts, printing of passport booklets, personalization costs, IT expenses and contractual payment to service providers. The passport fee was last revised in 2002