NHAI Announces Annual FASTag Pass Fee Hike
New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced a revision in the fee for the FASTag Annual Pass for the financial year 2026–27, increasing the charge from ₹3,000 to ₹3,075. The revised fee will come into effect from April 1, 2026, marking a modest adjustment in the cost of the facility that allows private vehicle owners to use national highway toll plazas without frequent recharges.
According to the highway authority, the revision has been carried out in accordance with provisions laid down under the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, which govern the determination and periodic revision of toll charges on national highways across the country. Officials said the adjustment reflects the routine annual recalibration of fees permitted under the regulatory framework governing toll collection on highway infrastructure.
The FASTag Annual Pass is designed as a simplified payment mechanism for regular highway users, particularly owners of private, non-commercial vehicles. Instead of maintaining sufficient balance and recharging their FASTag accounts frequently, motorists can opt for the annual pass by paying a one-time fee. Once activated, the pass allows up to 200 crossings of toll plazas or one year of validity, whichever is earlier.
The facility is currently available at around 1,150 fee plazas located across national highways and national expressways managed by NHAI and other concessionaires. Vehicles equipped with valid FASTag tags can avail themselves of the annual pass facility, provided they fall within the non-commercial category.
The authority noted that the FASTag Annual Pass is activated on the vehicle’s existing FASTag within approximately two hours of payment. Motorists can purchase the pass through digital platforms, including the Rajmarg Yatra App or via the official website of the National Highways Authority of India. Once the payment is completed and the pass is activated, the toll deductions for eligible journeys are automatically adjusted against the annual pass entitlement.
The introduction of the annual pass facility has significantly expanded the range of payment options available to highway users under the FASTag ecosystem. The electronic toll collection system itself was rolled out across national highways to reduce congestion at toll plazas, enable seamless traffic movement and promote digital payments in road transport infrastructure.
Since the launch of the FASTag Annual Pass on August 15, 2025, the facility has witnessed a strong uptake among motorists. Government figures indicate that more than 5.6 million users have already adopted the pass, signalling growing acceptance of the scheme among frequent highway travellers.
Officials attribute the rising popularity of the annual pass to the convenience it offers to motorists who regularly commute across multiple toll plazas. For such users, the one-time payment mechanism reduces the need for repeated balance top-ups and helps streamline long-distance travel by eliminating uncertainty over toll deductions during journeys.
The initiative is also part of the broader effort by highway authorities to encourage cashless toll payments and improve operational efficiency at toll plazas. FASTag-based tolling has already become mandatory across national highways, allowing vehicles to pass through toll lanes without stopping while charges are automatically deducted through radio frequency identification technology.
By integrating the annual pass option within the FASTag ecosystem, authorities aim to provide an additional layer of flexibility for private vehicle owners who use the highway network extensively for daily commuting, inter-city travel or long-distance journeys.
Officials said the revised fee for the upcoming financial year reflects the regulatory mechanism governing toll adjustments rather than any structural change in the scheme itself. The features of the FASTag Annual Pass, including its validity period, crossing limit and eligibility conditions, remain unchanged.
With the continued expansion of national highway and expressway networks across India, authorities expect the number of users opting for the annual pass facility to increase further in the coming years, particularly among regular commuters and private vehicle owners who frequently travel across toll corridors. The incremental revision in the annual fee is therefore expected to have only a limited impact on adoption, while maintaining the financial structure prescribed under the applicable toll rules.
– global bihari bureau
