NHAI Expands Digital Local Toll Pass to 121 Plazas Through RajmargYatra App
NHAI (The National Highways Authority of India) has expanded its digital local toll pass facility to 121 toll plazas across the country, giving eligible residents a more convenient way to manage frequent toll crossings. The new system allows qualifying residents living within 20 kilometres of a designated toll plaza to apply for a monthly local pass through the RajmargYatra app without visiting a toll booth or submitting physical documents.
The digital facility is designed specifically for non-commercial vehicles and allows eligible users to make unlimited crossings at their designated toll plaza for a fixed monthly fee of Rs 350. The expansion is part of NHAI’s broader effort to digitise toll collection and move Indian highways towards more automated and barrier-free systems.
For regular commuters who live close to toll plazas, the facility could reduce both paperwork and the recurring cost of paying toll charges individually. However, eligibility depends on residence, vehicle category and successful online verification.
Table of Contents
What Is NHAI’s Digital Local Toll Pass?
NHAI’s digital local pass is a monthly toll facility intended for residents living near designated toll plazas. Instead of paying the applicable toll fee every time they cross the plaza, eligible local residents can obtain a pass that permits unlimited crossings at their designated toll plaza during its validity period.
The facility is particularly relevant for people who regularly travel through a toll plaza because of their residence, work, education or other routine requirements.
Under the current system, eligible residents can apply digitally through the RajmargYatra app. This represents a significant change from the earlier process, when commuters often had to visit toll plazas in person and provide physical documents for verification.
The digital process uses existing government and highway databases to verify the applicant’s details, making the application process faster and more streamlined.
Who Is Eligible for the NHAI Local Toll Pass?
The local pass is not available to every vehicle owner. NHAI has specified eligibility requirements that applicants must meet before they can receive the facility.
Residents living within a 20-kilometre radius of a designated toll plaza are eligible to apply for the monthly local pass.
The pass is applicable only to non-commercial vehicles. This means private vehicles used for personal transportation can qualify, subject to the required verification.
Applicants must also be able to establish their residential address and vehicle details through the digital verification system.
The availability of the facility depends on whether the relevant toll plaza is among the 121 plazas currently covered by the expanded programme.
Therefore, residents should check the list of participating toll plazas through the RajmargYatra app before applying.
How to Apply Through the RajmargYatra App
One of the biggest changes introduced by the digital system is the ability to complete the application process online.
Previously, residents seeking a local toll pass could be required to visit a toll plaza and submit documents physically. The new process reduces the need for such visits by using digital databases for verification.
The application process relies on three important sources of information:
- DigiLocker: Used to verify the applicant’s address and supporting identity or residence documents.
- VAHAN database: Used to validate vehicle-related information.
- FASTag credentials: Used to connect the pass with the vehicle’s existing electronic toll-payment identity.
This integrated verification process is intended to ensure that only eligible residents and vehicles receive the local pass.
Once the required information has been verified, eligible applicants can obtain the pass digitally through the RajmargYatra system.
Monthly Local Pass Costs Rs 350
The monthly local pass is priced at Rs 350 for eligible residents using non-commercial vehicles.
The fixed monthly fee provides unlimited crossings at the designated toll plaza during the applicable validity period.
For frequent local commuters, this can be more convenient than paying individual toll charges every time they cross the plaza. The financial benefit will depend on how frequently the vehicle uses the particular toll route.
However, the pass is linked to the eligibility criteria and designated toll plaza. It should not be interpreted as a nationwide toll-free pass.
The facility is intended specifically for local residents and their eligible non-commercial vehicles at participating toll plazas.
Digital Verification Removes Need for Physical Paperwork
A major advantage of the new system is the reduction in physical documentation.
Earlier, residents could face the inconvenience of travelling to a toll plaza to submit address and vehicle-related documents. The digital system instead uses information already available through government databases.
DigiLocker helps establish residential information, while VAHAN provides vehicle-related verification. The FASTag connection ensures that the relevant vehicle can be identified electronically at the tolling system.
This approach also reduces the scope for manual errors and makes the process more closely integrated with India’s broader digital infrastructure.
For residents who frequently cross toll plazas, the ability to complete the process through an app could make obtaining the local pass substantially easier.
Why the Digital Pass Has Become Important
The expansion of the local pass programme comes as NHAI continues to move toward increasingly automated toll collection.
Officials have observed that residents living within 20 kilometres of certain toll plazas were receiving e-notices for unpaid tolls. The issue became more prominent as toll collection systems moved away from manual intervention.
At traditional toll booths, commuters could sometimes receive assistance or informal clearance based on their local status. Automated systems, however, depend on digital records and electronic identification.
With vehicles increasingly being processed through FASTag and automated tolling infrastructure, eligible local residents need to have the appropriate digital pass linked to their vehicle.
Without the required pass, an eligible local commuter may still be treated as a regular toll-paying vehicle when passing through the plaza.
Penalties for Unpaid Toll Payments
The shift toward automated toll collection also makes compliance increasingly important.
According to the information provided, residents who do not have the required local pass may receive e-notices for unpaid tolls. In certain circumstances, the penalty can include payment of double the applicable toll amount.
This makes it important for eligible residents to complete the local-pass process rather than assuming that their residential proximity automatically provides toll exemption.
Living within the 20-kilometre radius is an eligibility condition, but residents still need to obtain the digital pass and ensure that their vehicle and FASTag information are correctly linked.
NHAI’s Move Towards Multi-Lane Free Flow Tolling
The digital local pass is also connected to India’s larger transition toward Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling.
MLFF is designed to reduce or eliminate the need for vehicles to stop at conventional toll plazas. Instead of requiring vehicles to queue at toll booths, automated systems identify vehicles and process toll payments electronically.
The objective is to improve traffic flow, reduce waiting times and create a more seamless highway travel experience.
The first MLFF system mentioned in the provided information was launched at the Mundka-Bakkarwala Toll Plaza in Delhi in July 2026.
The system has since expanded to six locations: Choryasi, Mundka, Daulatpura, Gharaunda, Manoharpur and Shahjahanpur.
As more toll plazas move toward automated systems, digital passes such as the local pass become increasingly important for residents who qualify for special toll arrangements.
121 Toll Plazas Now Covered
NHAI’s expansion to 121 toll plazas significantly increases the geographical reach of the digital local pass programme.
The participating plazas are spread across several states, making the facility relevant to a large number of local commuters.
The updated list is available through the RajmargYatra app, allowing residents to determine whether their nearest toll plaza is covered.
Some of the newly added locations include:
- Bartana in Haryana
- Bharatkund in Uttar Pradesh
- Bhramanapalli in Andhra Pradesh
- Boothakudi in Tamil Nadu
- Chikhalikala in Madhya Pradesh
- Devkuli in Bihar
The expansion across different regions indicates that NHAI is attempting to create a more standardised digital process for local toll users rather than limiting the facility to a small number of locations.
Why FASTag Remains Important
FASTag continues to play an important role in the digital toll ecosystem.
Because the local pass is linked to FASTag credentials, applicants need to ensure that their vehicle’s FASTag information is correctly associated with the relevant vehicle records.
FASTag has already become a central component of electronic toll collection across India’s national highways. The local-pass system builds on this infrastructure by adding another layer of digital identification for eligible residents.
This also means that vehicle owners should keep their vehicle information updated in the relevant databases to avoid verification problems.
What Local Commuters Should Check Before Applying
Residents considering the NHAI digital local pass should verify several details before completing their application.
First, they should confirm that their residence falls within the specified 20-kilometre radius of the toll plaza.
Second, the vehicle must qualify as a non-commercial vehicle.
Third, the toll plaza must be among the 121 locations covered by the programme.
Applicants should also ensure that their address information is correctly reflected in the documents available through DigiLocker and that the vehicle details in the VAHAN database are accurate.
Finally, the FASTag associated with the vehicle should be active and correctly linked.
These checks can help reduce the chances of delays or unsuccessful verification during the online application process.
A Step Towards More Convenient Highway Travel
The expansion of the digital local pass represents another step in the modernisation of India’s highway tolling infrastructure.
For residents who frequently use the same toll plaza, the Rs 350 monthly pass could provide both convenience and predictable costs. The ability to apply through RajmargYatra also removes much of the paperwork associated with older local-pass procedures.
At the same time, the system reflects a broader change in how toll roads are managed. As NHAI moves toward MLFF and other automated tolling technologies, digital identification and electronic verification are becoming increasingly important.
The transition could eventually make highway travel smoother by reducing queues and minimising manual intervention at toll points.
NHAI Toll Pass: Key Points at a Glance
The expanded digital local pass can be summarised through a few important points:
Eligibility: Residents living within 20 kilometres of a participating toll plaza.
Vehicle type: Non-commercial vehicles.
Monthly fee: Rs 350.
Application platform: RajmargYatra app.
Address verification: DigiLocker.
Vehicle verification: VAHAN database.
Toll identification: Linked FASTag credentials.
Coverage: 121 toll plazas across India.
Purpose: Unlimited crossings at the designated toll plaza for the applicable monthly validity period.
MLFF connection: The programme supports India’s broader transition towards automated and barrier-free toll collection.
NHAI’s expansion of the digital local toll pass to 121 toll plazas could make highway travel significantly easier for residents who regularly cross nearby toll points. With a monthly fee of Rs 350, eligible non-commercial vehicle owners can obtain a digital pass through the RajmargYatra app rather than relying on older physical application procedures.
The use of DigiLocker, VAHAN and FASTag makes the verification process largely digital, while the growing adoption of Multi-Lane Free Flow tolling is pushing India’s highway system toward a more automated model.
For residents within 20 kilometres of participating toll plazas, the key is to check eligibility and obtain the digital pass rather than assuming local residency alone is sufficient. As toll collection becomes increasingly automated, having the correct digital credentials linked to the vehicle will become more important.
With the programme now covering 121 toll plazas and MLFF already operational at six locations, NHAI’s latest move signals a broader shift toward faster, digitally managed and increasingly barrier-free tolling on India’s national highways.
