Exempted FASTags: which eligible vehicles get three or five years?
From October 2, eligible vehicles get longer exempted FASTag validity. The three- and five-year bands depend on the recorded disability percentage.
Exempted FASTags for eligible vehicles used by persons with disabilities now last three or five years, replacing annual renewal. The change takes effect on October 2, 2026. The validity period depends on the disability percentage recorded in the person’s valid supporting document.
Which vehicles are covered?
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announcement covers vehicles specially designed and constructed for persons with physical disabilities, or vehicles registered under the ownership type “Divyangjan”. That registration category is part of the eligibility test; having a disability document alone does not establish that every vehicle a person uses qualifies.
FASTag normally lets a toll plaza identify a vehicle and its linked account electronically. An exempted FASTag identifies a vehicle’s eligible exemption, allowing the toll system to recognise that status.
Three years or five?
The ministry has extended the validity period as follows:
| Disability percentage in the valid record | Exempted FASTag validity |
|---|---|
| 40% to below 70% | Three years |
| 70% to 100% | Five years |
The percentage is taken from a valid Disability Certificate, Unique Disability ID (UDID), or another applicable record. A recorded percentage of 70% falls in the five-year band.
What changes at renewal?
The exemption operates under the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008. Renewal at the end of the validity period remains subject to eligibility.
NHAI’s FASTag FAQ explains the underlying document-based system: exempted tags are issued through an authorised agency, with an application and proof such as the vehicle registration certificate, identification and evidence of exemption.
The ministry’s announcement does not specify an automatic extension for an already issued tag. An owner whose tag is approaching expiry therefore needs confirmation of its recorded validity and the renewal arrangements, rather than assuming that the old expiry date has changed. The rules cited in this announcement concern National Highways toll exemptions; other toll roads can have their own arrangements.
Archival photograph: Hilalpur Toll Plaza, March 2023, by In Transit. Cropped images and the social composition are available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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