New Delhi (ABC Live): FASTag has transformed toll collection on India’s national highways. As a result, it has reduced queues, limited cash handling, and improved travel efficiency. However, over time, post-activation verification—particularly the Know Your Vehicle (KYV) process—created avoidable friction for ordinary car owners.

In many cases, banks activated FASTags first and verified vehicle details later. Consequently, users received repeated calls, document requests, and warnings even after submitting valid registration details. In effect, this approach shifted the compliance burden from institutions to citizens.

Therefore, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) introduced a corrective reform. With effect from 1 February 2026, NHAI has removed KYV as a routine post-activation requirement for Car/Jeep/Van FASTags. Instead, NHAI now requires issuer banks to complete verification before activation.

At the same time, NHAI has retained KYV as a narrowly defined, complaint-based tool. Accordingly, this clarification explains how the new framework operates, who may trigger KYV, and which practices are no longer permitted.

1. Background

NHAI has officially discontinued routine KYV for Car/Jeep/Van category FASTags with effect from 1 February 2026.

Accordingly, this note clarifies:

• the legal position of KYV after FASTag activation, and

• The limited situations in which KYV may still apply.

Authoritative Government Source (PIB):
🔗 https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2210506&reg=3&lang=1

Related Regulatory Context (ABC Live Internal Analysis):
🔗 https://abclive.in/2026/01/02/mca-director-kyc/

2. General Rule: No Routine KYV

Under the revised framework, KYV no longer applies automatically.

Specifically:

• KYV does not apply to new Car/Jeep/Van FASTags issued on or after 1 February 2026.

• Likewise, KYV does not apply to existing Car/Jeep/Van FASTags already in use.

Moreover, banks and agencies cannot demand KYV as a condition for:

• continued FASTag usage,

• recharge, or

• account maintenance.

In short, where there is no complaint, KYV cannot be demanded.

3. Limited Exception: KYV Only After a Complaint

However, the reform does not eliminate KYV. Instead, it limits KYV to clearly defined situations.

KYV may occur only when a specific complaint arises. Such complaints must relate to:

• a loose or damaged FASTag;

• incorrect vehicle category mapping;

• suspected misuse or wrongful issuance; or

• a data mismatch suggesting fraud or a system error.

Therefore, in the absence of a complaint, no authority may initiate KYV.

4. Who Can Raise a Complaint

Only the following persons or bodies may lawfully trigger KYV:

A. FASTag User (Vehicle Owner)

The registered owner may complain if:

• The FASTag malfunctions or becomes loose;

• The vehicle category is incorrect; or

• Abnormal toll deductions appear.

B. Issuer Bank

Additionally, the issuing bank may raise a complaint where:

• audits reveal inconsistencies;

• transaction patterns appear suspicious; or

• earlier verification proves defective.

C. Toll Plaza Operator / Concessionaire

Similarly, a toll operator may report issues where:

• The vehicle visibly does not match the FASTag category; or

• Repeated toll anomalies occur.

D. NHAI / FASTag System Oversight

Finally, NHAI may act where:

• system analytics detect misuse; or

• Vigilance or enforcement inputs flag irregularities.

5. Practices That Are Not Allowed

In contrast to earlier practices, the revised framework clearly prohibits:

• ❌ random or mass KYV drives;

• ❌ KYV without a recorded complaint;

• ❌ KYV based only on the age of a FASTag;

• ❌ KYV as a condition for recharge or continued validity;

• ❌ repeated follow-ups without complaint-based justification.

6. Legal and Operational Effect

Under the new regime:

• Issuer banks must complete all checks before activation, primarily through VAHAN validation.

• Consequently, motorists no longer carry post-activation compliance duties.

• Further, any KYV demand outside this framework contradicts declared policy and may be treated as procedurally improper.

As a result, accountability now rests with institutions rather than users.

7. Conclusion

This reform marks a decisive administrative shift. Previously, citizens absorbed the compliance burden. Now, institutions bear it.

Therefore, KYV no longer operates as a routine obligation. Instead, it functions only as a targeted response to a genuine complaint, within strict limits.