FASTag mandatory in INDIA. Let’s understand FASTag, how to get it, activate & recharge, it’s benefits – all that you need to know.

What is FASTag?

FASTag is a device affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle which enables automatic electronic payment of toll charges at National Highways directly from the customers linked prepaid or savings/current account. FASTag uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for carrying out the transactions at toll plazas.

FASTag is a part of National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Currently the program is live on 600+ toll plazas [https://www.npci.org.in/sites/all/themes/npcl/images/PDF/Plaza_master_03-01-2020.pdf] across the country.
The system is inter-operable and the same FASTag can be used across all toll plazas under the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme.

In case of change in city or address, the customer should inform only the Issuer Agency.

Currently FASTag is not issued for two-wheelers.

How can I get FASTag and what are the documents required?

If you have recently purchased your four wheeler then most probably you have a FASTag already fitted, you just need to get it activated by contacting the Point of Sale (POS) of respective Issuer Agency or you can do it yourself. According to Gazette Notification issued by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, all four wheel motor vehicles sold on or after 1st December 2017 will have FASTags fitted on them by the manufacturer of the vehicle or its authorized dealer, as the case may be.

FASTag can be purchased at the POS locations at Toll Plazas or from issuer agencies which include public and private sector banks (like SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis Bank etc.), Paytm, Airtel Payments Bank. You can see the complete list of issuers at: https://www.npci.org.in/netc-live-members/. Now a days you can purchase FASTag at online e-commerce platform Amazon.in and then activate it yourself.
Banks like HDFC, ICICI, Axis banks etc. are providing online facility for purchasing FASTag online and deliver it to your home.

Documents Required

Following are the documents required to buy a FASTag and get it activated.

  1. Registration Certificate (RC) of the vehicle.
  2. Passport size photograph of the vehicle owner.
  3. KYC documents as per the category of the vehicle owner (viz. Individual / corporate):
    • For Individual :
      • ID proof and Address proof from the list mentioned.
      • Driving License
      • PAN Card
      • Passport
      • Voter ID Card
      • Aadhaar Card (with address)
      • For instance, valid driving license would be sufficient for Address & ID proof.
    • For Corporate customers:
      • Please check with Issuer.

Please note that:

  • The customer is required to carry original documents for verification at the time of submission of application for FASTag. In case of online application you need to upload the documents.
  • FASTags will be issued only after the verification of the original documents that are mentioned above.
  • The FASTag will be fixed on the windshield of the vehicle exclusively by a representative of the Issuer Agency.
  • Any representative of a vehicle’s owner may provide the afore-mentioned documents and information to obtain the tag.

What are the charges for FASTag?

For FASTag you need to pay a one time fee of Rs 100 including GST and need to make a refundable security deposit to the issuer agency. The refundable security deposit depends on the vehicle type. The deposit amount is refunded at the time of FASTag account closure.

Below we provide a table showing what the charges may look like. Please treat it as a reference only and check the details on website of Issuer Agencies.

NPCI Vehicle Class Description Security Deposit (in Rs.) Threshold Amount (in Rs.)
4Car / Jeep / Van / Tata Ace and Similar mini Light Commercial Vehicle200100
5Light Commercial vehicle 2-axle300200
6Bus– 3 axle400500
6Truck – 3 axle500500
7Bus 2 axle / Mini bus, Truck 2 axle400500
12Tractor / Tractor with trailer, Truck 4, 5 & 6 -axle500500
15Truck 7-axle and above500500
16Earth Moving / Heavy Construction Machinery500500

How to activate a FASTag?

FASTag may be categorized as “Bank-specific” and “IHMCL NHAI FASTag”.

Bank-specific FASTag

These are the tags that you purchase from banks like SBI, ICICI, HDFC, Airtel Payments Bank, Paytm etc either online or offline at POS terminals operated by them at the toll plazas. We call them bank specific because they are linked to a prepaid wallet provided by these issuer banks when you purchase them. These tags are automatically activated by the issuer bank on successful verification of the documents submitted by you at the time of purchase.

For purchasing FASTag from banks like HDFC, ICICI, AXIS, KOTAK etc. it is not necessary for you to have a savings or current account with them; but if you do have an account with them then you can link it with FASTag account and set permission/instructions to automatically debit it and transfer it to FASTag wallet when your FASTag wallet balance runs low.

Airtel Payments bank and Paytm do require you to have an account with them, you need to load money in your Airtel/Paytm wallet and a certain amount of this wallet money is blocked for FASTag.

IHMCL NHAI FASTag

[IHMCL: Indian Highways Management Company Limited]
[NHAI: National Highways Authority of India
]

These tags are bank-neutral, not linked to any wallet/bank account at the time of purchase and need to be activated for them to be functional.

NHAI FASTag can now be purchased at e-Commerce site Amazon.in too

To activate the bank-neutral FASTtags you may contact the bank issuers or you may do-it-yourself (DIY).

Do it yourself (DIY)

Download the “My FASTag” mobile app from Google Play store(Android devices) / Apple store(iPhone). Enter your details and vehicle details in app and then you can link your NHAI FASTag to your bank account by just following the instructions provided.

At present 7 banks are live on NETC platform for linking with IHMCL FASTag – SBI, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank, Paytm Payments Bank and Equitas Small Finance Bank.

When user clicks on ‘Link IHMCL FASTag’, system will ask for a reference number received on Email/SMS at the time of buying the tag from IHMCL FASTag vendor.

The mobile number & email ID provided by the customer at the time of IHMCL FASTag purchase should be active and available to complete the tag linking.

You also have the option to link IHMCL FASTag to prepaid wallet of NHAI.

What is the validity of FASTag?

FASTag has a validity of 5 years and after purchasing, you only need to recharge or top up the tag as per your requirement.

Is FASTag mandatory?

FASTags will become mandatory for all vehicles, private and commercial, from January 15, 2020. The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has indicated that vehicles running without FASTags will have to now pay up twice the normal rate at toll gates across the country.

A vehicle with FASTag may use any lane at toll plazas from January 2020. There will be only one hybrid lane that will continue to accept cash at the highways. Vehicle without valid FASTag entering FASTag lane will be charged double the applicable toll amount in cash.

How does a FASTag work?

FASTag uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle. The receiver at the toll plaza reads your FASTag, toll charges get deducted from your account linked to FASTag and the gates open for you. Also you will receive an SMS alert on your registered mobile number for the transaction.

So, its simple: Recharge, Scan & Pay and Go.

Just remember that you need to maintain sufficient balance in FASTag account to pay the toll charges. If you do not have minimum balance in your FASTag account while passing the toll plaza then it may be blacklisted. FASTag can also be blacklisted by the law enforcement agencies due to any rule violation complaint registered against the vehicle.

FASTag account can be recharged in the denomination of 100 rupees and the maximum amount will depend on the KYC status of the account.

The FASTags can be recharged online through Credit Card, Debit Card , NEFT, RTGS or Net Banking. But note that for online recharge, convenience fees are levied against transaction processing fees.

If you find that incorrect amount has been deducted at toll plaza then you can lodge a complaint with issuer bank to get a refund on successful verification.

In case Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) machine is not working at toll plaza or your FASTag is not read inspite of have sufficient balance in your FASTag account then you need to pay in cash and lodge a complaint by calling the call center (set up by NHAI) toll free number 1033. Alternatively you can register a complaint with your issuer bank or or mail at [email protected].

If your FASTag is damaged then you can get it replaced from the issuer bank but you may have to pay some charges.

What do you do if your FASTag is lost? No, worries! Contact the customer issuer customer service. They will block your FASTag and create a new FASTag account for you. The remaining balance in the old account will be transferred to this new account.

In short, for any issues with FASTag, contact the issuer customer support and they will guide you.

Limited KYC FASTag vs full KYC FASTag account

Limited KYC FASTag account: A limited KYC FASTag account holder can have maximum Rs 20,000 in their FASTag prepaid wallet. The monthly reload limit is also capped at Rs 20000.

Full KYC FASTag account: A full KYC FASTag account holder can have maximum Rs 1 lakh in their FASTag prepaid wallet. There is no monthly reload cap in this account according to the IHMCL website.

What are the benefits of FASTag?

  • Saves Fuel and Time: Since you will no longer will have to wait in queues, you save fuel as well as time.
  • Cashless Economy: You do not have to worry keeping change to pay the toll charges. Just recharge you your FASTag account and enjoy. FASTag promotes the INDIAN government mission of cashless transactions.
  • Alerts and Notifications: Your receive SMS on your registered mobile for the transactions as well as low balance in your FASTag account.
  • Online Portal for customers: Issuer banks provide you the facility to manage you FASTag account online.
  • Cash Back upto 2.5%: You can avail a cashback of 2.5% on all National Toll payments using FASTag. This is subject to change from time to time.
  • Concessions for local vehicles: If you reside within a range of 10 km from the toll plaza, you can avail a concession on toll to be paid via your FASTag by submitting proof of residence to the FASTag issuer to proove that your residential address is within 10 km of a particular toll plaza.

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