The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has published a draft of the All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Amendment Rules, 2025, inviting public comments on several key changes to the existing rules. The proposed amendments aim to modernize the permit process, enforce stricter compliance with road regulations, and curb the issue of unpaid tolls and fines.
The draft rules, which are open for a 30-day public consultation period, introduce new conditions for obtaining and maintaining an All India Tourist Permit.
Key Proposed Amendments
- Linking Permits to Fines and Tolls: A major new condition for permit renewal is that a vehicle must have no unpaid user fees (tolls) or outstanding challans for more than 30 days from the date of issuance. This links a vehicle’s permit status directly to its compliance with traffic laws and toll payments. The draft rules define “unpaid user fee” as a recorded passage through an Electronic Toll Collection (FASTag) lane without the applicable fee being paid.
- Digital Route Reporting: Tourist vehicle operators will now be required to upload their route particulars, including the point of origin, destination, and the states on the route, to the Vahan portal before each trip. The route can be modified, but this must be done at least 24 hours prior to departure.
- Stricter Stay Limits: The rules propose a new condition that a tourist vehicle cannot remain outside its “home State” for more than 45 days. This is intended to be monitored through a vehicle location tracking device.
- Electronic Verification: The application process will be digitized, with the Transport Authority inspecting all documents electronically. Applicants will be required to provide digital identifiers such as Aadhaar, Corporate Identification Number (CIN), or GSTIN to verify their details.
- Other Amendments: The number of members on the Transport Authority’s committees will be increased from twelve to fifteen. The capacity of a vehicle will also now be referred to as “Seating or sleeper capacity, or combination thereof” in the application forms.
The Ministry has invited objections and suggestions on the draft rules, which can be sent to comments-morth@gov.in within the next 30 days.