Vehicle owners who skip tolls on National Highways may now face administrative hurdles, as the government has made clearance of pending toll dues mandatory for several key services. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Tuesday notified the Central Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026, aimed at improving toll compliance and discouraging evasion.
Pending fees affect key vehicle services
Under the amended rules, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for transferring a vehicle’s ownership or moving it from one state to another will not be issued if toll dues remain unpaid. Similarly, vehicles will not be allowed to renew or generate a Certificate of Fitness without clearing outstanding fees. Commercial vehicles applying for a National Permit must also ensure no unpaid user fees exist.
“As per the provisions, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for transfer of ownership or transfer of a vehicle from one State to another will not be granted until any unpaid user fee is cleared. In addition, renewal or generation of a Certificate of Fitness for vehicles will not be permitted unless outstanding user fee dues have been paid. For commercial vehicles seeking a National Permit, the amended rules make it mandatory that the vehicle must not have any unpaid user fee," the Ministry said.
The rules introduce a new definition of ‘unpaid user fee,’ which applies when a vehicle passes through a toll plaza recorded by the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system but the applicable fee has not been received. Vehicle owners must now declare any pending toll dues in the updated Form 28, which is required for NOC applications.
“These Amendments will also help in user fee collection after the implementation of the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system, that will enable barrierless tolling on the National Highway network," the Ministry said.
Promoting digital efficiency, the amended rules allow portions of Form 28 to be submitted electronically through the designated portal. MoRTH said these changes will support better collection of user fees, especially after the rollout of the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system, which enables barrierless tolling across National Highways.
From draft to final notification
Draft rules were released in July 2025, and the final notification incorporates feedback received during the consultation period. Officials said the amendments will not only tighten toll compliance but also ensure smoother operations of vehicle-related services linked to legal and financial clearances
