FASTag Blacklisted: Why Does It Happen? How to Activate It?

FASTag is compulsory for all four-wheelers (private and commercial vehicles) in India from February 15, 2021. It is nothing but a tag that attaches to your car’s windshield that enables electronic toll payment at toll plazas across the highways. It works on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, and the toll payment happens from a digital wallet linked to the tag.

Now, did you know that your FASTag could be blacklisted? Yes, once blacklisted, you cannot use the tag for toll payments. Read on as we discuss the FASTag blacklisting and how to activate a blacklisted FASTag.

FASTag blacklisting: What does it mean?

FASTag blacklist means that you will not be able to make digital toll payments at toll plazas. If blocked, the tag attached to your car’s windshield will no longer work, and the automatic payments will not happen through the linked digital wallet. Blacklisting is equal to disabling the FASTag. The only difference is only the tag issuer or any other law enforcement agency has the authority to block the tag.

A FASTag blacklisting could be due to several reasons, which we will discuss in the following sections. Once blocked, your FASTag is as good as not having any tag on your car. Hence, you should never leave the tag blacklisted as it may cause inconvenience, and you have to pay double the toll charges when you cross toll plazas on the highways.

What are the reasons behind your FASTag getting blacklisted?

There are mainly two reasons for the blacklisting of FASTag, which we will elaborate in this section.

1. Insufficient balance

One of the most common reasons for the blacklisting of FASTag is not maintaining the required minimum balance. Your tag issuer will block the tag if you fail to recharge the digital wallet within the stipulated time. 

Hence, always ensure that the tag account has at least the minimum balance even if you are not driving your car. Failing to maintain the required balance in your FASTag wallet will also lead to inconvenience and can also attract penalties in the form of double the toll charges when you pay through cash.

Also, read: How to Check FASTag Balance - Step-by-Step Procedure

2. Blacklisted by a law enforcement agency

Law enforcement agencies can also blacklist your FASTag if any violations or offences are registered against your vehicle. For instance, if you buy a tag for your private vehicle and use it on a commercial vehicle, it violates the law. In such cases, the law enforcement agency may ask your tag issuer to add your tag ID to the blacklist. To find out the exact reason for the blacklist, you may have to find out which law enforcement agency is blocking the tag and for what reason.

What if the FASTag is blacklisted even with balance?

Suppose you maintain sufficient balance in the FASTtag wallet. It still shows as blacklisted at the toll plaza; it may be due to blockage by the law enforcement agencies due to a rule violation or offence. In such a scenario, you can contact your tag issuer (bank) and find out the reason behind the blacklist. Your FASTag issuer will provide you with the exact reason behind the blockage of the tag.

Once you know the reason behind the FASTag blacklist, you can take further steps to unblock the tag. Ensure that you unblock the tag before driving your car on the highway, as it could turn out to be a hassle if the tag doesn’t work when you are about to cross the toll plaza. Moreover, you have to pay double the toll charges if you pay by cash. So, ensure that the FASTag is active and has sufficient balance before planning your highway drive.

How to check if a FASTag is blacklisted?

One of the easiest ways to check the status of your FASTag is by visiting the official FASTag portal. Below are the steps to check your tag status.

• Step 1: Visit the website https://www.npci.org.in/.

• Step 2: Click on the “What we do” drop-down menu.

• Step 3: Hover/click on the “NETC Fastag” option from the drop-down menu.

• Step 4: Next, click on the “Check Your NETC FASTag Status”.

• Step 5: Enter your vehicle registration number or FASTag ID, fill in the captcha code and click on the “Check Status” button.

• Step 6: The page will display the tag status and mentions whether your tag is active/inactive or blocked.

Another method to check the FASTag blacklist status is by visiting your tag issuer bank’s FASTag portal. Log in to the portal and check the status of your FASTag. The process may differ from one issuer to the other. If you are not comfortable checking on the portal, you can call the tag issuer’s customer care and check the status.

Also, read: How to find FASTag customer ID using vehicle number?

FASTag blacklisted solution: How to activate a blacklisted FASTag?

So, now you know how to check the status of your FASTag. The next question on your mind would be how to remove FASTag from the blacklist?  To activate a blocked FASTag, you need to recharge the wallet linked to the tag. You can recharge the FASTag by visiting your tag issuer's portal, My FASTag app, any other payment aggregators or at the toll plaza. 

If you purchased your FASTag through ACKO Drive, you can visit the ACKO Drive website or app and log in to your account to recharge the wallet.

Once you recharge the wallet, the FASTag will become active. You can check the tag's status by following the methods mentioned in the above section.

If the FASTag is still blocked post the recharge, you can call the customer care of the tag issuer and check the reason behind blacklisting. If the tag status still shows as blacklisted after account recharge, it may be due to some violation or offence; you can take necessary action to unblock the FASTag.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below are some most commonly asked questions regarding the FASTag blacklist.

What is the minimum balance I should maintain to avoid FASTag blacklisting?

It is better to maintain at least a minimum balance of Rs. 100 in your tag account to avoid blacklisting. However, NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) has removed the minimum balance requirement for the FASTag wallet. But to prevent blocking, it is better to maintain at least Rs. 100 as a minimum balance.

What happens if my FASTag balance is negative?

If your tag balance becomes negative after crossing a toll plaza, the issuer bank can recover the amount via the security deposit. The bank can recover the security deposit when you recharge the FASTag.

How to activate and remove my FASTag from the blacklist?

Yes. You can activate the blocked FASTag by recharging the tag wallet. If the tag blacklist is for any other reason, you can contact the tag issuer to determine the reason behind tag blockage and take necessary action.

Can I check if my FASTag is blocked?

Yes. You can check the FASTag status by visiting the official FASTag portal or the issuer bank’s FASTag portal. You can also call the issuer bank’s customer care to check if your tag is blocked.

Can I recharge my ACKO Drive FASTag online?

You can recharge the ACKO Drive FASTag through the ACKO Drive website/app. Alternatively, you can also visit the tag issuer bank’s (IDFC First Bank) FASTag portal to recharge the wallet online.

Will a blacklisted FASTag work if I cross a toll plaza?

No. A blocked FASTag will not work when you cross a toll plaza. The scanner will scan the tag, but it cannot deduct any amount from the digital wallet since the tag is blocked for transactions.

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