FASTag brands: who owns FASTag, what differs

“Which FASTag should I take? Which bank is best?” You’ll hear this at the counter again and again. It sounds like a simple question, but a customer usually means one of three things: will the tag work wherever I drive, which bank is easiest to deal with, and can I switch if I don’t like it?

Good news: you can answer all three without recommending a bank. This page ranks none, and nothing in the official documents lets you do that anyway.

First, a quick map of who is who. FASTag is a programme of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) implements it, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) provides clearing and settlement, and certified banks issue the tags.

Does the issuing bank change where the tag works?

For toll acceptance on the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) network, no, according to IHMCL’s own pages. The NETC page on IHMCL’s site explains that a vehicle should be able to pay “at any toll collection point through a single ETC account and a single On-Board Unit”. The IHMCL user FAQ says FASTag is operational at all National Highway toll plazas, and that toll rates differ by vehicle category. Neither page names the issuing bank as a factor.

So if a customer says “I heard this bank’s tag works at more plazas”, the IHMCL pages don’t support that. Don’t repeat it.

What the issuer can do is block a customer’s own tag. The FAQ says a blacklisted tag is “blocked by the issuer bank and cannot be used to pay toll at a toll plaza”, and tells the customer to call the bank’s toll-free number to find out why. It also lists the National Highway Helpline 1033 and says further escalation can go to NHAI or IHMCL.

What if a customer’s tag is blocked?

Don’t guess, and don’t sell a new tag straight away. A blocked tag is the issuer’s decision, so the first step is to ask the issuing bank why. The IHMCL FAQ tells the customer to call the bank’s toll-free number, and it lists the National Highway Helpline 1033 for further help. If the bank’s answer doesn’t settle it, the FAQ says the matter can go on to NHAI or IHMCL.

Help the customer write down what they were told, with the date and the name of the bank. That note will matter if they have to escalate. And remember the one-active-tag rule below: buying another tag in a panic can make the picture even more confusing.

Who owns FASTag?

IHMCL’s About page says IHMCL was incorporated on 26 December 2012 by NHAI jointly with concessionaires and financial institutions.

There’s one more thing to check on the tag itself. The KYC FAQ has a separate route for tags issued by NHAI, so look at which name is printed on the customer’s tag. When people say “FASTag brands”, they usually mean the issuing bank named on a tag. Those names aren’t separate toll networks. They’re all part of one system.

What actually differs between issuers?

The rules are common. What each issuer controls is its own service layer. In practice, four things can differ.

The app, portal and support route. Each issuer runs its own customer portal, app and customer-care line. The KYC FAQ sends a customer with a bank-issued tag to that bank’s portal to update KYC. So when something goes wrong, the question “which bank issued this?” tells you where to send the customer.

Where charges are shown. For vehicle class VC04, the 20 June 2024 customer-onboarding guidelines, hosted by IHMCL, set standard charges: issuance ₹100, security deposit ₹200 and minimum recharge ₹100. They require issuers to display charges on their website or portal and to keep printed charge information available with point-of-sale agents. Later circulars may revise these figures.

As of 17 October 2026, IHMCL’s FAQ says the government has capped the tag price at ₹100 including GST. It says banks usually charge a security deposit of ₹200 and a first recharge of ₹200 depending on vehicle class, and that first-recharge amounts vary with each bank’s pricing policy. The two sources don’t agree on the first recharge (₹100 minimum in the guidelines, usually ₹200 in the FAQ), and the FAQ itself says amounts vary by bank. So don’t compare banks on charges. Ask for the issuer’s own charge sheet, and hand it to the customer.

Issuer standing. An issuer can be restricted. In March 2024 NHAI advised users of one issuer to procure a tag from another bank, because RBI restrictions meant they could not recharge after 15 March 2024, although they could still use the existing balance (PIB, 13 March 2024). So before a customer buys, check that the bank can still recharge the tag. The KYC FAQ also says a customer can recharge a FASTag “using any bank” and various payment methods, naming BBPS, UPI and net banking.

Vehicle number. The NETC procedural guidelines v2.1 tell issuers to update the vehicle registration number within 90 days of issue for a tag registered on a chassis number. If a customer buys a tag for a new vehicle that doesn’t have its plate yet, tell them to update the vehicle number as soon as the registration number arrives.

Can the customer change issuer later?

Yes, through OneTag, if the vehicle is eligible. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways release on PIB of 17 September 2026 says the portability service is available on NHAI’s Rajmargyatra app. It lets a user change issuer while keeping the FASTag already fixed to the vehicle, without a new physical tag. The steps as announced:

1. The user logs in to the app and enters the vehicle registration number to check eligibility.
2. The current issuer sends a six-digit Mobile Verification Code.
3. After authorisation, the user selects a new issuer and completes customer verification and wallet onboarding.
4. The FASTag ID linked to the vehicle remains unchanged.
5. The previous issuer closes the old wallet and refunds the available balance “post applicable adjustments”.

The announcement adds that an interoperable FASTag has a cooling period of 6 months before it can be ported again. It doesn’t say what happens if the app finds a vehicle ineligible. If that happens, ask the current issuer before the customer buys a second tag.

That matters because IHMCL’s KYC FAQ says a vehicle may hold only one active tag, and all earlier tags on that vehicle except the latest are deactivated. A second tag bought in a hurry can switch the first one off.

Which issuers can a counter offer?

A counter sells only the tags of banks that have authorised it. The 20 June 2024 guidelines say issuers must make sure their tags are sold only through the issuer’s authorised point-of-sale agents, that authorisation is done by the issuer, and that each issuer undertakes KYC of its agents.

So your programme decides which issuers a customer can buy from you. It isn’t up to the customer’s preference, or yours.

On SiOnline’s current FASTag agent page, onboarding of FASTag agents runs through an issuing bank’s channel programme, and the page says a counter sells under the programme it is onboarded to. The same page says that if a specific issuer is needed, the agent should say so at the enquiry stage. Read how FASTag agent onboarding works if you plan to offer tags.

What if a customer wants a bank you don’t offer? Say so, and send them to that bank’s own channels. IHMCL’s FAQ says customers can also apply online at the respective issuer bank’s website or at www.nhai.gov.in.

How do you answer “which is best”?

Don’t answer with a bank’s name. Say this instead:

1. “IHMCL says FASTag works at all National Highway toll plazas.” A tag the issuer has blocked will not work, though.
2. “The difference is the bank’s service.” Ask which bank’s app or support the customer already uses.
3. “Read the charges on the bank’s own page.” The issuer is required to display them.
4. “You can change later, if the vehicle is eligible.” Mention OneTag’s eligibility check, the code from the current issuer and the six-month cooling period.
5. “A vehicle can have only one active tag.” Ask whether the vehicle already has one.

And three things not to say: that one bank’s tag is accepted at more plazas, that one bank refunds faster, or that a bank is “recommended”. The IHMCL and NPCI documents support none of these.

A made-up conversation

Say a customer comes in with a new car and asks, “My friend says Bank X is best. Should I take that one?” You don’t need to argue about the bank. You can say:

“The tag works at toll plazas whichever bank gave it. Where banks differ is the app and the support line. Do you already use that bank’s app? And do you have a tag on this car already? If you do, a second one can switch off the first.”

Then check one more thing: can that bank still recharge the tag? Banks can be restricted, as the March 2024 NHAI advisory shows, so it’s worth a quick look rather than an assumption. If the customer’s bank isn’t one you offer, tell them to apply on that bank’s own channels. You’ve answered honestly and haven’t promised anything you can’t back.

Before you sell or switch a tag

A short checklist works well at the counter:

• Has the customer got a tag on this vehicle already?
• Does the vehicle’s registration number exist yet, or will it need updating within the 90 days?
• Has the customer seen the issuer’s own charge sheet?
• Can the issuer still recharge the tag?
• If the customer wants to switch later, is the vehicle eligible, and do they know about the six-month cooling period?

Sources

• IHMCL, National Electronic Toll Collection, FASTag user FAQ and About us, retrieved 17 October 2026.
• IHMCL, FASTag KYC FAQ, retrieved 17 October 2026.
• NPCI circular file hosted by IHMCL: customer-onboarding guidelines, Annexure 1, 20 June 2024, and NPCI’s NETC procedural guidelines v2.1, retrieved 17 October 2026.
• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways via PIB: OneTag release, 17 September 2026, retrieved 17 October 2026.
• PIB, NHAI advisory of 13 March 2024, retrieved 17 October 2026.

For anything about a particular tag, contact the issuing bank. For your own SiOnline agent account, read which portal your FASTag agent login belongs to or use customer care.