You may have recently come across the new Know Your
Vehicle (KYV) requirement — an additional verification step introduced to
ensure your vehicle details correctly match your FASTag record. KYV is now
mandatory, and failure to complete it could result in your FASTag being
hotlisted, rendering it inactive at toll plazas regardless of your wallet
balance.
How a FASTag is issued
FASTags are issued by Authorised Issuers such as
banks or NHAI. To obtain one, vehicle owners must submit:
- Vehicle
Registration Certificate (RC) – front and back (mandatory)
- Owner’s
passport-size photograph
- KYC
documents (identity and address proof): Driving Licence, PAN, Passport,
Aadhaar, Voter ID, or other valid government ID
- Duly
filled application form
- For
corporate or commercial vehicles: company PAN, authorization letter, board
resolution, and GST certificate may also be required
Before issuing a FASTag, the authorized issuer verifies the
authenticity and legibility of all documents – confirming vehicle ownership
through the RC, identity and address through KYC, and cross-checking the
photograph for records.
In essence, every FASTag is tied to one specific registered
vehicle. The RC provides all the details needed to classify the vehicle into
its appropriate NHAI toll category.
Why the KYV policy was introduced
NHAI identified rising incidents of FASTag misuse, including
duplication and violations of the “One Vehicle, One FASTag” rule. Two major
fraud patterns emerged:
- Multiple
FASTags being issued for a single vehicle
- A
FASTag issued for one vehicle being used on another
The first case offers limited monetary incentive for tag
holders beyond minor administrative convenience. Moreover, NHAI already has
sufficient data to detect and block duplicate FASTags swiftly.
The second type of fraud, however, is more damaging. A heavy
commercial vehicle using a tag meant for a light motor vehicle can underpay
substantial toll amounts, leading to significant revenue leakage.
Where the real problem lies
The real challenge lies in ensuring that the FASTag scanned
at a toll booth actually belongs to the vehicle crossing at that moment. When a
vehicle approaches, its FASTag is read and the registration number flashes on
the display board—yet the system does not verify if that number matches the
physical vehicle before lifting the barrier.
This is the loophole that allows misused or mismatched
FASTags to pass through undetected.
Why KYV misses the mark
Despite its intent, the KYV process will likely address only
the first type of misuse—and even that, inefficiently. It does little to tackle
the second, more harmful fraud category.
In effect, the government has chosen to make every vehicle
owner undergo a cumbersome, repetitive validation exercise. It’s a classic case
of boiling the ocean while missing the main target—unless, of course, one
expects fraudsters to voluntarily confess through the KYV process.
The Burden on the Wrong Shoulders
The heavy-handed rollout of KYV once again shifts the responsibility away from where it truly lies.
The Authorised Issuers should be accountable for preventing duplicate FASTags,
and the toll booth operators/authorities should ensure that the tag matches the vehicle crossing the lane.
Yet, it is the law-abiding vehicle owner — who already complied with all rules during FASTag issuance — who now bears the burden of revalidation every three years.
All because the system meant to enforce compliance hasn’t done its job effectively.
In Closing
For a country that prides itself on having one of the most competitive bureaucratic selection processes, it’s remarkable how often we end up with well-intentioned but poorly thought-out policies.
KYV seems to be just another example — a solution that inconveniences millions while barely touching the root cause.
