Planning a Road Trip? FASTag Annual Pass Won’t Work on These Highways – Check List Now

On August 15, the Government of India launched the FASTag annual pass to give some relief to road users who regularly pay toll charges. The pass has been priced at ₹3,000 and covers up to 200 trips in a year, whichever comes first. According to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), one crossing at a toll booth is counted as a single trip.

The new pass, however, comes with a major condition. It is not valid on all highways and expressways across the country. Instead, the facility will work only on roads managed by NHAI.

Where The Annual Pass is Valid

The FASTag annual pass will work on major national highways and expressways maintained by NHAI. These include important routes such as National Highway 19 (Delhi-Kolkata), National Highway 3 (Agra-Mumbai), National Highway 48 (North-South Corridor), National Highway 27 (Porbandar-Silchar), National Highway 16 (Kolkata-Eastern Coast), National Highway 65 (Pune-Machilipatnam), National Highway 11 (Agra-Bikaner), and National Highway 44 (Srinagar-Kanyakumari).

It is also valid on several expressways, including the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Road, Mumbai-Nashik, Mumbai-Surat, Chennai-Salem, Mumbai-Ratnagiri, Delhi-Meerut, and Ahmedabad-Vadodara stretches.

This makes the pass useful for many long-distance travelers who frequently use these central government-managed highways.

Where The Pass Will Not Work

The annual pass will not be accepted on state-managed highways and expressways. In such cases, users will have to pay toll charges separately using their regular FASTag balance.

This means that roads not operated by NHAI, such as the Yamuna Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, and other similar stretches, will not fall under the pass. Motorists on these routes must continue paying the toll as usual.

Strong Response from Users

Within four days of its launch, the FASTag annual pass reportedly recorded more than five lakh buyers. In a statement, NHAI said the facility has been welcomed by highway users across the country.

Tamil Nadu saw the highest number of purchases in the initial days, followed by Karnataka and Haryana. Toll plazas in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh also registered the maximum number of transactions through the new pass.

How to Activate the Annual Pass

The process to activate the FASTag annual pass has been kept simple. Users can either download the Rajmarg Yatra app or visit the official NHAI/MoRTH portal. Vehicle registration details and FASTag ID need to be submitted to check eligibility.

After making the ₹3,000 payment using UPI, net banking, or a debit/credit card, users receive a confirmation via SMS or app notification. In most cases, the pass becomes active within two hours. Once activated, two accounts are created for the same FASTag, one linked to the annual pass and the other for regular toll payments.

If a FASTag is registered only with a chassis number, the vehicle registration details must be updated before applying for the annual pass.

The pass is valid until 200 trips are completed or one year ends, whichever comes earlier. After expiry, it automatically switches back to regular FASTag mode. To continue using it, travelers must renew by paying ₹3,000 again.

Why it Matters for Road Users

The FASTag annual pass is aimed at easing toll payments for frequent highway travelers. By offering a prepaid option linked to existing FASTag systems, it helps save money for regular commuters while reducing the hassle of multiple payments.

However, its limited coverage, restricted only to NHAI-managed roads, means users must still be careful about where it applies. For those who travel mostly on national highways, the scheme could bring meaningful savings, but for state expressway users, regular FASTag charges will continue.