In a recent update, the Ministry of National Highways asked drivers to complete their FASTag cards’ KYC (Know Your Customer) process as this would be required in streamlining the toll collection and avoid traffic blocks at toll plazas.
Deactivation Of Fastags With Incomplete KYC
Its deadline is already set for January 31.
In case of non-compliance, it will cause the deactivation of FASTags rendering your cards inactive.
Once your cards get inactive, the toll charge will almost double when you cross a toll plaza as they usually double the regular amount for those with without or inactive tags.
Besides this, penalties may be incurred on malfunctioning tags.
How Does FASTag Work?
When it comes to the FASTag, it is a sticker affixed on a vehicle’s windscreen.
It is used in automatic electronic toll payment through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology which is presently used at over 615 toll plazas in the country across national highways.
The barcode on each FASTag is automatically Linked to a car’s registration details.
It deducts the toll fee from the associated digital wallet whenever the vehicle crosses a toll plaza.
Earlier, the government has made FASTag mandatory for all commercial and personal four-wheelers as of February 2021.
According to the The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, it is a prerequisite for obtaining mandatory third-party motor insurance.
So far, almost 98 percent of Indian vehicles are equipped with these digital toll payment cards, with over 8 crore users, the government’s data indicates.
It is observed that the drivers possessing multiple FASTags for a single vehicle, lead to unnecessary delays in toll plazas, despite efforts to streamline traffic.
In order to address this issue, the center is planning to manage FASTag use, by eliminating the use of a single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FastTags to one vehicle.
Basically, this duplication is caused by the issuance of FASTags without KYC in violation of RBI’s mandate.
How To Avoid FasTag Deactivation?
To avoid this, the NHAI has announced that only the latest FASTag account will remain active, after January 31, 2024.
At the same time, the previous allocated tags will be deactivated or blacklisted.
Please note here that there is a possibility that this latest FASTag’s KYC update may not be completed by some users.
So, in order to avoid the inconvenience, the NHAI has asked FASTag users to ensure their KYC is complete on their latest received FASTag by January 31, 2024.
This is to avoid any deactivation or blacklisting.
In the meantime, all the FASTag holders should update their KYC using a National Identity Card.
They can use their Passport, driver’s license, Voter ID Card, PAN Card, or an Aadhaar Card, by the deadline.
Update FASTag KYC Details Step By Step
If you would like to update your KYC details online, you can do this through the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) FASTag portal here.
- At the top of the website, click on the “Login” tab and log in with the mobile number.
- Here select the “My Profile” section, where you will get to see the KYC status of your FASTag and also the profile details submitted during the registration process.
- In case you want to update the status, go to the ‘KYC’ tab and select ‘Customer Type’.
- Now, enter your details using above-mentioned documents and also upload a passport-sized photo.
- After checking and confirming the declaration, you can submit the information for further processing.
Please note here that your KYC will be processed in a maximum of seven working days.
If you would like to do this offline then you can visit the bank branch that issued the FASTag.
They fill out a KYC update form, and physically submit the required documents there.
It is also noteworthy here that FASTags are available for purchase at most toll plazas.
Once you buy them, it can be simply linked to bank accounts, and recharged with amounts ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 1 lakh for a full-KYC account.
