NHAI local FASTag pass for 20-km residents: ₹1,500 or ₹3,000 a year

By Geeta · 09 Nov, 2026

The new Concessional Local Pass is available at eligible National Highway plazas for private vehicle owners living within 20 km. Fees are ₹1,500 or ₹3,000 a year, with key exclusions.

NHAI local FASTag pass for 20-km residents: ₹1,500 or ₹3,000 a year

Eligible owners of non-commercial vehicles who live within 20 km of a National Highway fee plaza can now choose a Concessional Local Pass at ₹1,500 or ₹3,000 a year, depending on the plaza’s location. The rule took effect on 1 Nov 2026, and an IHMCL circular listing dated 5 Nov calls for immediate implementation of the issuance functionality at fee plazas, making this a practical check for people who cross one nearby plaza regularly.

Key takeaways

The pass is for eligible non-commercial vehicles with a valid, functional FASTag and a residence within 20 km of the selected plaza.
The annual fee is ₹1,500 where the plaza is outside municipal or local town limits and ₹3,000 where it is within those limits.
The pass is tied to one specific fee plaza. It is not a nationwide pass and cannot be transferred to another plaza.
Closed user-fee systems and plazas with a service road or alternative road are excluded under the notified rule.

Illustrative image: a generic highway toll plaza; it does not depict a specific fee plaza.

What changed for local toll users

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2026. The amendment inserted the Concessional Local Pass option for people who live within 20 km of a fee plaza and use a non-commercial vehicle with a valid, functional FASTag.

The change matters most to residents whose everyday route crosses the same toll point for work, education, healthcare or local errands. Instead of treating every crossing as a separate deduction, an eligible driver can opt for the annual local arrangement at the designated plaza. It does not remove tolls across a route or across the National Highway network.

IHMCL, the Indian Highways Management Company associated with NHAI’s electronic toll collection system, lists an “Immediate implementation of Concessional Local Pass issuance functionality at Fee Plazas” circular dated 5 Nov 2026. That operational update is important because the rule’s benefit depends on the particular plaza being configured to issue the pass.

Fee slabs and what the pass covers

The notified annual fee is ₹1,500 for a fee plaza outside municipal or local town limits. It is ₹3,000 for a fee plaza within those limits. The government can revise the rates annually, with any revision taking effect on 1 Apr.

The pass is specific to the fee plaza for which it is issued. A pass issued for one plaza cannot be used at another plaza on the same highway, on a different corridor or elsewhere on the National Highway network. That makes it a local commuting arrangement, not a substitute for the separate FASTag Annual Pass used by eligible private vehicles for wider highway travel.

The practical cost comparison depends on the plaza’s existing local-pass rate and how often the vehicle crosses it. The Rajmargyatra local-pass page currently lists digital Local Passes at 300-plus plazas, starting from ₹350, with monthly payment shown on the page. If a relevant plaza’s monthly rate is ₹350, 12 monthly payments total ₹4,200; against that benchmark, the ₹3,000 annual slab is ₹1,200 lower and the ₹1,500 slab is ₹2,700 lower. This is a simple comparison, not a guaranteed saving: the annual pass still requires eligibility, and the ₹350 figure is a starting rate shown by NHAI rather than a universal rate for every plaza.

Who may be excluded

Living within the 20-km distance is necessary but not sufficient. The notified rule also excludes a National Highway or expressway where the fee is collected under a closed user-fee system. It also says that the Concessional Local Pass will not be issued where a service road or alternative road is available for the driver, owner or person in charge of the vehicle.

Commercial vehicles are outside the stated non-commercial eligibility condition. The pass also remains dependent on a valid, functional FASTag registered for non-commercial use. A driver who has a damaged tag, an inactive tag or a tag linked incorrectly to the vehicle should resolve that issue before relying on the local-pass facility; the FASTag balance and recharge guide explains the basic checks for a working tag.

What drivers should check now

Identify the exact plaza. Search the current NHAI/Rajmargyatra local-pass listing, then confirm with the fee-plaza operator whether the annual concession is being issued there. The digital monthly-pass list and the new annual concession should not be assumed to be identical.
Check the vehicle and address conditions. Confirm that the vehicle is non-commercial, the FASTag is valid and functional, and the residence falls within the 20-km limit used by the rule.
Check the route exclusions. Ask whether the stretch uses a closed user-fee system or has a service road or alternative road. Either condition can prevent issuance even when the home is nearby.
Compare the right trips. For a route that crosses several plazas, use the toll charges and trip cost calculator rather than assuming a single-plaza local pass covers the entire journey.
Keep the record of payment and eligibility. The pass is tied to the selected plaza and FASTag, so retain the receipt or confirmation and use the official grievance channel if a configured pass is not recognised.

When the app option starts

The ministry’s announcement says the annual local pass is available at eligible toll plazas from 1 Nov 2026 and is scheduled to become available through the Rajmargyatra app from 1 Dec 2026. Until the app option is available for the annual product, the plaza-level process and the live eligibility of the particular toll point remain important.

That timing also means drivers should distinguish between information about the existing digital monthly Local Pass and information about the new annual Concessional Local Pass. The FASTag annual pass versus local pass guide covers the difference in scope, while the road-trip planner can help compare a local commute with a longer multi-toll trip.

The reader takeaway

The new pass gives eligible private vehicle owners near a National Highway plaza a yearly payment option for repeated use of that one toll point. The useful question is not simply whether a home is within 20 km, but whether the vehicle, FASTag, plaza type and alternative-road conditions all satisfy the notified rule. Check those details with the official plaza or Rajmargyatra channel before treating the annual fee as available for a particular route.