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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) introduced the FASTag Annual Pass on August 15, 2025, providing private vehicle owners with a convenient way to pay tolls on select national highways and expressways. For a single payment of ₹3,000, users can choose between 200 toll-free trips within a year or unlimited travel for the same duration. The scheme quickly gained popularity, attracting over five lakh subscriptions shortly after its launch. However, it is essential to understand that this annual pass is not universally accepted and is specifically limited to certain routes. It is not valid on all highways and expressways, particularly those managed by state authorities. Consequently, travelers will still need to utilize their standard FASTag account on excluded routes. This dual system could lead to the necessity of maintaining two active FASTag accounts for frequent commuters.
The annual pass is exclusively applicable on NHAI-managed and centrally-managed toll plazas. It is not accepted on state-managed expressways or local roads. The following highways and expressways are currently excluded:
* Bundelkhand Expressway (Uttar Pradesh)
* Agra–Lucknow Expressway (Uttar Pradesh)
* Yamuna Expressway (Uttar Pradesh)
* Mumbai–Pune Expressway – operated by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)
* Atal Setu (Goa) – bridge managed under a state toll system
* Samruddhi Mahamarg (Maharashtra) – state highway not covered under the scheme
NHAI has explicitly stated that the annual pass is intended only for highways and expressways under central authority, and tolls managed by state entities are outside its scope.
The annual pass is designed solely for private and non-commercial vehicles. It does not cover commercial fleets, taxis, vehicles with yellow license plates, or vehicles registered by chassis number only. Furthermore, parking fees are not included in the scheme. Even with an NHAI annual pass, toll charges on excluded routes will still be deducted from the balance in the regular FASTag account.
Users can apply for the annual pass through the official NHAI portal or the Rajmarg Yatra App. They will need to submit their Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) and FASTag ID for verification, followed by a one-time payment of ₹3,000 via various available payment methods.
