
Steps to Unblacklist Your FASTag Account
In 2019, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) made it mandatory to use FASTags to pay tolls in India. FASTags are radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that automatically debit the toll amount from the user’s FASTag account balance. Apart from paying tolls using FASTags, cash is the other option. However, paying tolls in cash comes with a 100% penalty, where you will have to pay double the toll amount.
Being such an important tag for commuters, it is crucial that they actively maintain it for seamless toll payments. However, your FASTag can be blacklisted for certain reasons, making it vital to know the reasons and the steps to unblacklist your FASTag account.
What are the reasons for FASTag blacklisting
Here are some reasons that may lead to your FASTag being blacklisted:
- Insufficient balance: One of the most common reasons for FASTag blacklisting is failing to maintain sufficient balance. Most FASTag issuing institutions, such as banks and NBFCs, require the user to maintain a minimum FASTag balance (typically Rs.100). In case of failure, the FASTag may get blacklisted.
- Legal violations: Your FASTag may get blacklisted by a law enforcement agency if your vehicle has been involved in any legal violation. One common legal violation is using your private car’s FASTag on a commercial vehicle.
- Suspicious account activities: The FASTag issuing institution may blacklist your FASTag if there are suspicious transactions in your FASTag account. This is generally done to avoid financial fraud and losses.
- Penalties: If you have ever been levied a penalty for a toll violation and you have still not paid it, your FASTag may get blacklisted.
Steps to unblacklist your FASTag account
Here are the steps to unblacklist your FASTag account:
Checking FASTag balance
Once you have notified that your FASTag has been blacklisted, you should check your FASTag account balance. Login to your FASTag account and check if it has sufficient minimum balance. In case the balance is insufficient, recharge your FASTag immediately using a trusted third-party online marketplace or platform. After recharging, the account will be unblacklisted.
Contact law enforcement
If a law enforcement agency has blacklisted your FASTag for some reason, visit their office or contact them through their customer support. Identify the blacklisting reason and ask them about the next steps to resolve your blacklisted FASTag. Follow the redressal process, and once it is completed, your FASTag will be unblacklisted.
Contact customer care
If the issuing institution has blacklisted your FASTag, contact their customer care to identify the main blacklisting reason. The customer care executive will help you identify the suspicious activities in your account. You can confirm or deny carrying out the identified transactions. Once satisfied, the customer care executive will unblacklist your FASTag or will provide you with a resolution process.
Revise KYC information
The issuing institution may also blacklist your FASTag account because of outdated KYC information. Check if the KYC for your FASTag account is up to date. If it is outdated, contact customer care and ask about the documents needed for KYC updation. Once you submit the required documents, the issuing institution will unblacklist your FASTag account.
Check vehicle information
Your FASTag can get blacklisted if the vehicle registration number is incorrect on your FASTag. Check if the vehicle registration number is written correctly on your FASTag. If it is incorrect, update the correct vehicle registration number to unblacklist your FASTag. You can contact the issuing institution’s customer care to learn about the process to update the vehicle registration number on the FASTag.
How to prevent FASTag blacklisting in the future
Here are some points to remember to avoid FASTag blacklisting in the future:
- Sufficient balance: Always maintain a sufficient FASTag account balance.
- KYC: Ensure that your KYC information is up to date in your FASTag account.
- Vehicle registration number: Ensure that the vehicle registration number is correct.
- Monitoring: Keep a close check on all the FASTag transactions.
Conclusion
There are many reasons for FASTag blacklisting. However, you can follow steps to unblacklist your FASTag, which will help you ensure seamless toll payments. It is better to ensure sufficient balance while monitoring the transactions and ensuring the information in your FASTag account is correct and up to date.