FASTag Annual Pass: When Does It Expire, and How Are the 200 Trips Counted?

A FASTag Annual Pass ends one year after the date you activated it, or after 200 trips, whichever comes first. When either limit is reached it automatically reverts to a regular FASTag, so tolls are deducted from your FASTag balance again until you buy a new pass, which costs ₹3,075 from 1 April 2026.

Because the trip limit can run out long before the year does, the useful thing to know is your own likely end date, not just the anniversary.

This is general information from NHAI's announcements and FAQ, current in October 2026. Check your own pass where you bought it before relying on it for a long trip.

What is the FASTag Annual Pass?

It is a prepaid toll plan from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), launched on 15 August 2025. You pay once and get toll-free crossings at designated National Highway and National Expressway fee plazas. According to the Press Information Bureau, it is used by "over 56 lakh users" and works at "about 1,150 fee plazas on National Highways and National Expressways."

It goes on your existing FASTag. NHAI's FAQ says you do not need a new tag as long as it is properly fixed on the windscreen, linked to a valid vehicle registration number, and not blacklisted. You buy it through the Rajmarg Yatra app or the NHAI website, and PIB says it "gets activated within two hours".

How much does the FASTag Annual Pass cost in 2026?

₹3,075. PIB announced that the fee would rise "from the current Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 3,075 for the Financial Year 2026–27", applicable from 1 April 2026. If you bought your first pass in 2025, your next one will cost ₹75 more.

A simple way to judge value (our arithmetic, not NHAI's): ₹3,075 across 200 trips is about ₹15.40 a crossing. If the plazas you regularly use charge more than that, and you will actually use most of the 200 trips within the year, the pass usually saves money.

When does the FASTag Annual Pass expire?

NHAI's FAQ: "The Annual Pass is valid for one year from the date of activation or 200 transactions (trips), whichever comes first."

So there are two ways a pass ends:

Limit reached first	Typical driver
One year from activation	Occasional highway trips, weekend drives
200 trips	Daily commuters through a plaza, frequent intercity drivers

The date that matters is the activation date, not the date you paid; with activation taking up to two hours, they are normally the same day. If you bought a pass in October or November 2025, it reaches its one-year limit this October or November, right in the festival travel season.

How are trips counted on the Annual Pass?

This is where people get caught out. From NHAI's FAQ:

• Point-based fee plazas (the usual kind): "Each crossing of fee plaza counts as one trip. A round trip (to and fro) counts as two trips."
• Closed tolling plazas (where you pay on exit for the distance travelled): "One pair of entry and exit counts as one trip."

That makes the trip limit move faster than many people expect. As our own example: if your daily commute crosses one plaza each way, that is 2 trips a working day, and 200 trips last about 100 working days, roughly four and a half months. A long intercity drive uses one trip for every plaza it passes, in each direction.

What happens when the Annual Pass runs out?

NHAI says that once it completes 200 trips or one year, "it will automatically revert to a regular FASTag." Nothing stops at the barrier; tolls are simply deducted from your FASTag wallet again. So keep a balance on the tag, or the first toll after expiry will be a surprise.

To continue, you "re-activate the Annual Pass", which means paying the fee again for another 200 trips or one year. The pass cannot be moved to another car either: NHAI says it is "non-transferable" and using it on another vehicle "will lead to deactivation."

Where does the Annual Pass not work?

It is only for private, non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans, checked against the VAHAN database. NHAI warns that use in a commercial vehicle "will result in immediate deactivation without notice." FASTags registered only with a chassis number are not eligible until the registration number is updated.

It also only covers NH and NE fee plazas. At plazas on state highways or expressways run by state governments or local bodies, and at parking lots, "the FASTag will operate as a regular FASTag" and normal charges apply. Keep some balance on the tag even with an active pass.

A reminder plan for your pass

1. The day you activate: note the date, and set a reminder for 11 months later to decide whether to renew.
2. If you commute through a plaza: estimate when you will reach 200 trips (trips per week divided into 200), and set a reminder a couple of weeks before.
3. The evening before a long highway drive: check the pass is still active and the FASTag wallet has a balance for non-NH plazas.
4. After renewing: set the next reminder straight away, from the new activation date.

If you manage the car for a parent or a family member who drives, put these dates in your own reminders too.

How ReminderIt can help

ReminderIt places a real phone call at the exact time you choose and reads your reminder in a natural voice, for example "Your FASTag Annual Pass ends next week. Renew it before Saturday's drive." If the call is missed, you get a WhatsApp message.

You can set reminders by sending a WhatsApp message (text, voice note or a photo), such as "Call me on 10 November at 8pm to renew the FASTag pass", or on the website. There is no app to install. You can also set the call for a family member's phone; they confirm first.

There is a 7-day free trial with 7 free reminder calls (3 if your number is in a country where calls cost more). After that it is one plan: ₹299 a month in India (you can also pay once for a month, with no autopay), or $7 a month elsewhere, with annual and 2-year options.

The short answer

The FASTag Annual Pass lasts one year from activation or 200 trips, whichever comes first, and then automatically reverts to a normal FASTag. Each crossing of a normal plaza is one trip, so a return journey is two. A new pass costs ₹3,075 from 1 April 2026, activates within two hours through the Rajmarg Yatra app or the NHAI website, and works only for private cars, jeeps and vans at National Highway and National Expressway plazas. Note your activation date and set a renewal reminder before the year, or the 200 trips, run out.

Sources: Press Information Bureau, NHAI to Revise FASTag Annual Pass Fee from 1st April 2026 for FY 2026–27 (15 March 2026); Vikaspedia, FASTag Annual Pass: User Guide and FAQs (source: NHAI).