NHAI Local Pass reaches 300+ toll plazas; annual FASTag plan proposed

India’s digital FASTag Local Pass is now available at more than 300 toll plazas, according to the live Rajmargyatra listing and an 8 Oct 2026 report in Mint. That is a wider rollout from the 121-plaza stage announced by NHAI on 18 Aug 2026; a separate annual local pass is still proposed and has not been notified as a live rule.

Key takeaways

The digital Local Pass is currently listed at 300+ toll plazas on Rajmargyatra.
The current monthly pass is for eligible non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans using a selected toll plaza.
The pass starts from ₹350 per month on the live listing, is valid for 30 days and permits unlimited crossings at that selected plaza.
Eligibility is tied to the vehicle owner’s address being within 20 km of the toll plaza, with digital checks through Rajmargyatra.
An annual local pass remains a proposal; media reports have differed on its indicative fee, and no official price is live.

What NHAI has expanded

NHAI’s first digital Local Pass facility was launched in July 2026 at the Mundka–Bakkarwala toll plaza on Delhi’s Urban Extension Road-II. In its 18 Aug 2026 release, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the online facility had reached 121 plazas and would be extended further. The live Rajmargyatra Local Pass page now lists the service at 300+ plazas across India.

The change is administrative as much as financial. Earlier, a local commuter generally had to visit the plaza and submit documents to establish the address condition. The digital process uses the Rajmargyatra mobile app, with consent-based checks involving DigiLocker, VAHAN and location verification. That can reduce repeat counter visits for people who regularly use the same toll point.

The 300+ figure is a network-status number, not a guarantee that every toll plaza is covered. The selected plaza must appear in the live list before an application is treated as relevant. NHAI’s own listing is therefore more useful to a commuter than an old total quoted in a news report.

Who can use the current monthly Local Pass?

The current digital facility is designed for residents who live close to an eligible National Highway toll plaza. The Rajmargyatra listing says the vehicle owner’s Aadhaar address must be within 20 km of the chosen plaza. It also identifies the eligible vehicle class as a non-commercial car, jeep or van.

The pass is linked to one selected toll location. It is not a nationwide toll product and it cannot be carried from one plaza to another. The live page describes a 30-day validity period with unlimited crossings at that selected plaza, subject to the applicable conditions. The displayed fee starts from ₹350, while the exact amount and availability should be checked for the relevant plaza.

That distinction matters for household budgeting. As an illustration, a commuter making two crossings on 22 working days would make 44 crossings in a month. At a ₹350 monthly pass price, the simple pass-cost equivalent is about ₹7.95 per crossing. This is only a calculation of the pass fee; it is not a quoted toll rate, a promise of savings or a substitute for checking whether the route and plaza qualify.

If a journey uses several toll points, the Local Pass does not automatically cover the others. Use the toll charges and trip-cost calculator to map the rest of the route before comparing a pass with ordinary toll payments.

Annual local pass is proposed, not active

Mint reported on 8 Oct 2026 that the road transport ministry was preparing an annual Local Pass for eligible residents near National Highway toll plazas. The report said a draft order was being prepared and could be notified the following week, but it also noted that the ministry had not responded before publication. As of 11 Oct, the proposal should therefore be described as expected, not confirmed.

Mint’s 8 Oct report puts the indicative annual charge at about ₹3,000, with unlimited crossings at one selected plaza. A Times of India report from 12 Sep 2026 also referred to an annual local pass, but cited a different indicative price of about ₹1,500. Because the reports conflict, neither amount should be treated as the final fee. The product is not official until an order settles the price, start date, eligible plazas, renewal process and any refund or cancellation rules.

At the current ₹350 monthly rate, 12 renewals add up to ₹4,200. If the ₹3,000 figure reported by Mint were eventually adopted, the arithmetic difference would be ₹1,200; the ₹1,500 figure reported by the Times of India would imply ₹2,700. These are scenario calculations, not confirmed savings, because the product and price are not notified.

For comparison, the separate nationwide FASTag Annual Pass is listed at ₹3,075 for financial year 2026–27 and allows eligible non-commercial vehicles up to 200 toll-plaza crossings or 12 months, whichever comes first. Its coverage and eligibility are different from the Local Pass. The FASTag Annual Pass comparison guide explains why the two products should not be mixed up.

What drivers should check now

Search the exact plaza. A 300+ plaza network does not mean that the plaza used on a daily commute is included. Check the current Rajmargyatra list by plaza name.
Confirm the address condition. The registered owner’s address must satisfy the 20-km rule, and the digital verification may use Aadhaar, DigiLocker and VAHAN information.
Check the vehicle and FASTag details. The current listing is for non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans. The linked FASTag and vehicle information must match the application.
Confirm the validity and location. The monthly Local Pass applies to the selected plaza for 30 days. It is not a replacement for toll payment at other plazas.
Wait for the notification on the annual plan. Do not treat any reported price or a possible rollout date as final until the ministry or NHAI publishes the order.

For the application steps and the documents that may be checked, see the FASTag Local Pass eligibility and status guide. If the journey extends beyond a regular local commute, the road-trip planner can help separate toll, fuel and route costs.

What to watch next

The next meaningful update will be the official notification for any annual Local Pass. It should settle the final fee, effective date, list of covered plazas, vehicle categories, verification steps and how renewals will work. It should also make clear whether the annual version remains restricted to one selected plaza and how it interacts with barrier-less tolling.

Until then, the confirmed change is the larger digital monthly network: the current Rajmargyatra page lists 300+ plazas, while the annual product remains a proposal. Local commuters can check the live list and applicable terms; other highway users should continue to treat the Local Pass as a single-plaza product rather than a national toll pass.