FASTag: Annual Pass, Recharge, Blacklist Fix and Toll Refunds

Written by India Customer Care editorial team Facts checked against official sources on 31 Oct 2026 Updated 31 Oct 2026

Independent guide. We are not part of RBI, NPCI or any bank, and we never ask for your account details, PIN or OTP.

FASTag is a sticker on your car’s windscreen that pays highway tolls automatically. An RFID reader at the toll plaza reads it, and the toll is deducted from your prepaid FASTag wallet or linked account through NPCI’s NETC network. Banks issue it. Since 10 April 2026, most National Highway plazas take only FASTag or UPI.

What it is

RFID tag + prepaid wallet (a PPI) or linked account

Network

NETC, run by NPCI

Programme owner

MoRTH, NHAI and IHMCL

Mandatory for

Four-wheelers and above (since 1 Jan 2021)

Tag validity

5 years

No valid FASTag

1.25× toll by UPI; 2× in cash where cash is still taken

Annual Pass

₹3,075 for 200 trips or 1 year (FY 2026–27)

Highway helpline

1033 (24×7)

What is FASTag?

FASTag is a passive RFID sticker fixed on the inside of your vehicle’s front windscreen. It holds an ID that is mapped to your vehicle number, vehicle class and issuing bank. When you drive through a toll lane, the toll is debited automatically, and you get a text alert for every deduction.

• NETC (National Electronic Toll Collection) is the network behind FASTag. NPCI runs it as the clearing and settlement house between the toll plaza’s bank and your bank.
• The FASTag wallet is a prepaid payment instrument, so RBI’s KYC rules for prepaid wallets apply. Some banks also let you link the tag to a savings account.
• Besides tolls, FASTag is accepted for parking at some malls and airports.
• It is mandatory for four-wheelers and larger vehicles (classes M and N) from 1 January 2021, and needed for new third-party motor insurance from 1 April 2021.

How FASTag pays at a toll plaza

Reader not working? If the plaza’s equipment fails and your FASTag is valid with enough balance, IHMCL’s FAQ says you may pass free of cost. Report it on 1033.

How to buy and activate a FASTag

Buy from a certified issuer bank: at its branches, its points of sale at toll plazas, RTOs and transport hubs, or online on the bank’s website or app. NPCI lists the banks live on NETC.

1. Choose an issuer bank and apply with your vehicle number and RC, and an OTP-verified mobile number.
2. Complete KYC. With minimum details, loads are limited (₹10,000 a month); with full KYC (an address and ID document such as a driving licence, Aadhaar, voter ID or passport, plus a photo) the limits are higher. If you link the tag to your savings account, the RC copy is enough.
3. Pay. IHMCL caps the tag price at ₹100 including GST; banks usually add a ₹200 security deposit and a ₹200 first recharge for a car. Check your bank's current charges before buying.
4. Fix the tag inside the front windscreen. Your bank activates it only after checking your vehicle on VAHAN.

Keep your licence and RC details handy: see our driving licence and RC guides.

KYV (Know Your Vehicle): what changed

• 30 Oct 2025: NHAI simplified KYV. For cars, jeeps and vans only a front photo showing the number plate and the tag is needed (no side photos), and RC details are fetched from VAHAN automatically.
• From 1 Feb 2026: KYV is discontinued for new car, jeep and van FASTags. Banks must validate on VAHAN before activating, including tags sold online.
• Existing car FASTags: no routine KYV. It is needed only if there is a complaint, such as a loose tag, wrong issue or misuse.
• The relief is for cars, jeeps and vans. For other vehicles, ask your issuer. KYV problems with your bank can be reported on 1033.

How to recharge FASTag

Recharge just before the plaza? National Highway toll plazas see your tag’s status in real time, so a recharge made before you reach the plaza works. Some State Highway plazas still update tag status in batches, so recharge earlier there (PIB, 19 Feb 2025).

Check your balance

• The text alert after every toll shows the deduction; your bank’s FASTag portal or app shows the balance and statement.
• Most banks offer a missed-call number. Example: ICICI Bank’s is 801 092 8888, from your registered mobile.
• Check every FASTag linked to your vehicle number, and its status, on NPCI’s FASTag status page.

Blacklisted FASTag: why and how to fix

A blacklisted (or otherwise blocked) tag is refused at the plaza, so you pay as a non-FASTag user. Common reasons and fixes:

1. Check status on NPCI’s FASTag status page.
2. Call your issuer’s toll-free number and ask the reason.
3. Fix it as above, then confirm the status shows active before your next trip.

No valid FASTag at a National Highway plaza (from 15 Nov 2025): you pay 1.25× the toll by UPI, or 2× in cash. Example: a ₹100 toll costs ₹125 by UPI, ₹200 in cash. Cash was stopped at National Highway plazas from 10 Apr 2026 (except, at that time, in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry because of elections). A tag not fixed on the windscreen is charged double (NHAI, 18 Jul 2024).

Wrong or double toll deduction

1. Step 1

   Complain to your issuer bank through its FASTag portal, app or toll-free number. Give the plaza name, date, time and transaction ID from the alert. The bank raises a chargeback with the plaza’s bank through NETC; IHMCL says this normally takes 20–30 working days, and a proven excess is credited back.

2. Step 2

   Plaza staff behaviour or plaza issues: call NHAI’s helpline 1033 or email [email protected].

3. Step 3

   No reply from the bank in 30 days, or unhappy with it? Your FASTag wallet is a bank-issued PPI, so you can complain free to the RBI Ombudsman under RB-IOS at cms.rbi.org.in within 90 days, or call 14448.

How to complain under RB-IOS. Toll rates for each National Highway plaza are shown at the plaza, so you can check the amount charged.

FASTag Annual Pass vs regular FASTag

With an Annual Pass, keep some wallet balance. State Highway and state-run expressway tolls and parking are still charged from the wallet. Where a local or monthly pass is active at a plaza, trips there are not counted against your Annual Pass.

Is it worth it? Divide ₹3,075 by your expected National Highway crossings in a year. If your usual tolls per crossing cost more than that, the pass saves money.

Selling your car: close or replace the FASTag

1. Close the tag before you hand over the car. Until you do, tolls the new owner incurs are charged to you. Use your bank’s FASTag portal (for example, Service Request → Tag Closure) or customer care.
2. Remove the sticker. Tags are tamper-evident and stop working once peeled off; never move a tag to another vehicle.
3. Get your refund. The balance and security deposit go to your bank account after any dues are cleared. ICICI Bank, for example, says this usually takes 15 working days. A balance can’t be moved directly to another FASTag.
4. The buyer gets a new FASTag in their own name after the RC transfer. An Annual Pass stays with the vehicle’s tag and cannot be moved.

Changing banks or replacing a damaged tag works the same way: get the new tag, then make sure the old one is closed, because only one active tag per vehicle is allowed.

History of FASTag

1. 29 Feb 2016

   NPCI issues the first version of its NETC procedural guidelines.

2. 1 Jan 2021

   FASTag becomes mandatory for four-wheelers and larger vehicles.

3. 15 Jan 2024

   NHAI announces "One Vehicle, One FASTag"; older and incomplete-KYC tags are deactivated after 31 Jan 2024.

4. 18 Jul 2024

   Double toll for tags not fixed on the windscreen.

5. 22 Aug 2024

   RBI brings FASTag auto top-up under the e-mandate framework.

6. 15 Aug 2025

   FASTag Annual Pass launched at ₹3,000.

7. 15 Nov 2025

   Non-FASTag users pay 1.25× by UPI instead of 2× in cash.

8. 1 Feb 2026

   KYV ends for new car FASTags; banks verify on VAHAN before activation.

9. 1 Apr 2026

   Annual Pass fee rises to ₹3,075 for FY 2026–27.

10. 10 Apr 2026

    National Highway plazas go digital-only: FASTag or UPI.

FAQs