June 19, 2025 - The Central Government has announced the launch of a FASTag-based Annual Pass Scheme, which will be implemented nationwide starting August 15. Under this scheme, for an annual fee of Rs 3,000, you can travel on any national highway or expressway across the country using the National Toll Freedom pass. This will enable seamless travel across India’s national highway network and is expected to benefit millions of private vehicle owners, making highway travel cheaper, faster, and hassle-free.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, shared this information on June 18 on X (formerly Twitter). He said this scheme will do away with the need for vehicles to stop at toll plazas, thereby allowing for smooth traffic flow. The Minister clarified that however, the scheme will be applicable only for private vehicles (cars, jeeps and vans) and will not apply to commercial vehicles. The pass will remain valid for one year from the date of issuance or up to 200 toll plaza crossings, whichever comes first.

The Minister said this initiative will ease the financial burden on highway travellers, cutting down their annual toll expense from Rs 10,000 to only Rs 3,000. This means that the cost of one trip would work out to be around Rs 15.

The scheme is aimed at simplifying and streamlining the toll process. It will help resolve issues related to toll plazas located within a 60 km radius and facilitate smooth toll payments through a single convenient transaction. 

Links to apply for and renew the pass will be made available on the Highway Travel App and NHAI websites. The government will soon make the application link public.

However, the annual pass is valid only at National Highway and Expressway fee plazas and not at toll plazas under State highways or local authorities where the FASTag will function normally and standard toll rates will apply.

Source: Media Reports