Seamless NH travel from Aug 15, annual recharge on FASTag to kick off

The government on Wednesday announced plans to offer an annual recharge facility for Rs 3,000 to all non-commercial private vehicle owners on their existing FASTags.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari made the announcement, saying, "We are introducing a FASTag-based annual pass priced at Rs 3,000, effective from August 15. Valid for one year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips, whichever comes first, this pass is designed exclusively for non-commercial private vehicles such as cars, jeeps and vans."

The minister said the policy would address long-standing concerns regarding toll plazas located within a 60-km range where people living in the vicinity complained of mandatory and repeated payments.

This will simplify toll payments through a single, affordable transaction and by reducing wait times, easing congestion and minimising disputes at toll plazas, the annual pass will deliver a faster and smoother travel experience for millions of private vehicle owners, Gadkari said.

The minister termed the step as transformative for hassle-free highway travel and said a dedicated link for activation and renewal would soon be made available on the Rajmargyatra app as well as on the official websites of the National Highway Authority of India and the Road Transport Ministry.

Once the new plan rolls out, commuters who opt for it will be able to travel toll-free across national highways for a year.

Ministry officials said people do not need to purchase a new FASTag for the new plan.

"The annual pass can be activated on existing FASTag, provided it meets the eligibility criteria — is properly affixed on the vehicle’s windshield, is linked to a valid vehicle registration number which is not blacklisted. Once offered from August 15, the annual recharge pass facility will be available only on the Rajmargyatra mobile application and NHAI website," sources said.

On the process of activation, officials said the annual pass would be activated after verifying the eligibility of the vehicle and the associated FASTag.

"Upon successful verification, the user must make a payment of Rs 3,000 for the base year 2025–26 through the mobile application or NHAI website. Once the payment is confirmed, the pass will be activated on the registered FASTag," said the ministry.

The annual recharge facility will be valid only at national highway (NH) and national expressway (NE) fee plazas. At fee plazas on expressways, and state highways managed by state governments or local bodies, the FASTag will operate as a regular FASTag, and applicable user fee charges will apply.

The new annual pass will be valid for one year from the date of activation or 200 transactions (trips), whichever comes first.

"Once the annual pass completes either 200 trips or one year from the date of activation, it will automatically revert to a regular FASTag. To continue using the pass benefits, the user will need to reactivate it," said the ministry.

Pass not mandatory

What counts as a single trip: For point-based fee plazas, each crossing of a fee plaza counts as one trip and a round trip (to and fro) counts as two trips. For closed tolling fee plazas, one pair of entry and exit counts as one trip.

Will annual pass notifications come on SMS? Yes. By activating the annual pass, one allows the Rajmargyatra app to retrieve the registered mobile number from the issuing bank for the purpose of sending SMS alerts and other modes of communication.

Is the annual pass recharge mandatory? No, the existing FASTag ecosystem will continue to operate as is. Users who do not opt for the annual pass can continue to use their FASTag for regular transactions as per applicable user fee rates at fee plazas.