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Commercial Vehicle Permits: Tourist, National Permit and Fitness
A taxi, bus, truck or tourist cab can't carry passengers or goods for hire on its RC alone. It also needs a permit from the state or regional transport authority, a valid fitness certificate, tax paid to the state and insurance. The main permits are stage carriage (route buses), contract carriage (taxis, cabs, hired buses), goods carriage, the national permit for goods across India, and the All India Tourist Permit. A new transport vehicle's fitness certificate lasts 2 years; after 8 years it must be renewed every year.
- Issued by
- State or regional transport authority
- State permits
- Usually 5 years
- Tourist permit
- 90 days up to 5 years
- Fitness
- 2 years, then 1 year after age 8
- Where
- VAHAN permit services and the RTO
On this page
Which permit do you need?
The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 makes a permit necessary for using a vehicle as a transport vehicle (section 66). A permit is issued by a State Transport Authority (STA) or a Regional Transport Authority (RTA). The type depends on what you carry and where you go.
Passenger vehicles
- Stage carriage permit: buses and minibuses carrying passengers along a route with set stops (stages). In Himachal Pradesh, for example, you apply to the RTO in Form St. S.A. with the route, the number of daily trips and the timetable; the permit is valid for 5 years.
- Contract carriage permit: taxis, tourist cabs, auto-rickshaws, buses and minibuses hired as a whole, under a contract, to a destination. Himachal Pradesh's state contract carriage permit is valid for 5 years across the state.
- Temporary permit: for special occasions such as fairs, religious gatherings or seasonal business. Assam issues these for up to 4 months.
Goods vehicles
- Goods carriage permit: for carrying goods for hire, or for your own trade or business, within the state or region.
- National permit: lets a goods vehicle run across India, or in at least four neighbouring states including your home state. How it works.
- Assam lists goods vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3,000 kg or less among the vehicles that don't need a permit. Ask your RTO how your state applies this.
Tourist vehicles going to other states
- All India Tourist Permit (AITP): for tourist buses and cabs carrying tourists and their luggage anywhere in India. It is issued under central rules from 2023. Fees and rules.
- Special permit: for a short trip, often a single round trip, to another state.
Vehicles of the central and state governments, police, local bodies, fire brigades and ambulances are also on Assam's list of vehicles that don't need a permit.
A permit is separate from the transport driving licence and badge. Since November 2024 an LMV licence covers transport vehicles up to 7,500 kg (see licence types), but the vehicle still needs its own permit.
How do you apply for a permit?
Each state uses its own forms and fees, but the order is the same. You apply to the STA or RTA, online through VAHAN permit services where your state offers them, or at the RTO. Himachal Pradesh, for example, lists New/Renew/Home State Authorisation/Special/Duplicate Permit there.
You (owner)STA / RTA / RTOFee
- Register the vehicle as a transport vehicle
- Get a valid fitness certificate, insurance, PUC and the tax receipt
- Apply to the STA or RTA in the state's permit form, online on VAHAN or at the RTO
- Pay the permit fee set by the state
- Documents and dues in order?No: clear tax, toll or challans first
- The authority grants the permit for the route or area
Documents for a permit application
- The application form for your permit type (your state's form, or Form 1 for the All India Tourist Permit)
- Registration certificate (RC)
- Fitness certificate
- Insurance certificate
- PUC certificate
- Proof that tax is paid, or a tax clearance certificate
- Address proof
- For a stage carriage: the route, number of trips and timetable
These lists come from the Assam and Himachal Pradesh transport departments. Your state may ask for more, such as a resolution of the RTA.
How does the All India Tourist Permit work?
The All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 302(E), 18 April 2023) apply from 1 May 2023 and replaced the 2021 rules.
- The owner of the tourist vehicle applies in Form 1, online on the portal. The authority checks insurance, fitness, PUC and road tax electronically.
- The permit is issued within 7 days. If there is no decision in 7 days, it counts as granted.
- It is valid for 90 days or multiples of 90 days, up to 5 years at a time.
- No permit is given once the vehicle is 12 years old from first registration (10 years for a diesel vehicle registered in Delhi).
- Carry the permit and a list of tourists with where each journey starts and ends, on paper or electronically, and keep the records for at least a year.
The permit fee under rule 3(3) depends on the seats:
| Seats (without driver) | A year | A quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | ₹20,000 | ₹6,000 |
| 5 to 9 | ₹30,000 | ₹9,000 |
| 10 to 22 | ₹80,000 | ₹24,000 |
| 23 or more | ₹3,00,000 | ₹90,000 |
| Electric, methanol or ethanol | No fee | No fee |
- Check the vehicle is under 12 years old and its fitness, insurance, PUC and tax are valid
- Fill in Form 1 on the tourist permit portal and choose the period
- Pay the fee for the seating capacity (none for electric vehicles)
- Decided within 7 days?No: the permit counts as granted
- Download and carry the permit with the tourist list
Open the tourist permit portal (official) vahan.parivahan.gov.in
How does the national permit for goods work?
A national permit is granted under section 88(12) of the Act. It lets a goods vehicle run throughout India, or in a group of at least four neighbouring states including the home state.
- You hold a home-state permit and an authorisation to use it in other states. Andhra Pradesh uses Form 48 for the permit and Form 46 for the authorisation.
- The authorisation needs a consolidated fee of ₹16,500 a year, paid into the national permit account. This scheme started on 18 May 2010. Your home state charges its own authorisation fee too.
- Attach the RC, fitness certificate, insurance and proof of the current quarter's tax paid to your home state.
- The vehicle must have no unpaid toll (user fee) on record (Central Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026).
Open the National Permit portal (official) vahan.parivahan.gov.in
How long is a transport vehicle's fitness certificate valid?
Every transport vehicle must have a valid certificate of fitness (section 56). It is valid throughout India. Without it, the vehicle is treated as unregistered (Jharkhand transport department).
Vehicles up to 8 years old
- A new transport vehicle gets a fitness certificate for 2 years from the date of grant.
- Each renewal is also for 2 years until the vehicle is 8 years old (Telangana and Meghalaya transport departments).
Vehicles over 8 years old
- The fitness certificate must be renewed every year.
- A private vehicle is different: its first certificate lasts 15 years and is renewed with the RC. See RC renewal.
Testing at an automated testing station
Notification G.S.R. 709(E) of 14 November 2024 made testing of transport vehicles at an automated testing station (ATS) mandatory from 1 April 2025. Manual testing at the RTO is being withdrawn as stations open, and the government revised the timelines for several states, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. There were 276 stations in 20 states and union territories by 17 July 2026 (Lok Sabha answer, 23 July 2026). Ask your RTO whether your vehicle goes to an ATS or to the RTO.
- Clear any unpaid toll, tax and challans on the vehicle
- Book a slot (Telangana calls it Renewal of Fitness Certificate) before the old certificate expires
- Pay the test and certificate fee; it depends on the vehicle class and age
- Take the vehicle with the RC, insurance, tax receipt and PUC to the ATS or RTO
- Passed the inspection?No: repair the defects and present it again
- The renewed fitness certificate is issued
Late renewal costs extra. Meghalaya and Jharkhand, for example, charge a late fee of ₹50 a day after expiry. The fee table changes from time to time, so check the amount VAHAN or your RTO shows.
What tax and insurance does a commercial vehicle need?
Tax in your home state
- Transport vehicles usually pay periodic tax (yearly or quarterly), not the one-time tax most private vehicles pay. Bihar's Act, for example, requires annual tax from commercial vehicle owners, and Delhi lets autos, taxis and other commercial vehicles pay half-yearly, quarterly or monthly.
- Rates are set by each state. See road tax for how state taxes work.
Tax when you enter other states
- With a national permit, the yearly consolidated fee covers the other states.
- Other vehicles may have to pay the visited state's tax. Uttarakhand, for example, lets vehicles from other states pay online on Parivahan or at its border tax centres.
Insurance: the Act requires insurance against third-party risks (section 146). A permit, a fitness renewal and the Green Card each need a valid policy. For claims, see motor insurance claims.
What is the Uttarakhand Green Card for Char Dham?
The Green Card is an Uttarakhand document that lists a vehicle's fitness, permit, tax, insurance and pollution certificate. It is needed for public service vehicles (buses, maxi cabs and taxi cabs) on the Char Dham Yatra, including vehicles from other states. Goods vehicles, private cars and non-religious hill trips don't need one.
Green Card (the vehicle)
- Apply online only; manual applications are not accepted.
- Fee: ₹400 for a light motor vehicle, ₹600 for a medium or heavy vehicle, paid online and not refundable.
- Documents: RC, Uttarakhand road tax receipt, fitness certificate, Uttarakhand permit, insurance and PUC.
- The vehicle is inspected at a transport office. It must be in sound condition with good tyres, and carry a first-aid box, a wooden wedge, a dustbin and vomit bags.
- Valid until 30 November each year, or until any listed document expires. Valid only in Uttarakhand; one card covers all the dhams and many trips.
Trip Card (each journey)
- Records the driver's licence details and the passengers. Free, and valid for one return trip, so you need a new one each trip.
- Needs: a valid Green Card, the driving licence with a hill endorsement, the Uttarakhand permit, tax proof and the passenger list in the set format.
- A hill endorsement is compulsory for driving a commercial vehicle on hill routes.
- Check the RC, fitness, Uttarakhand permit, tax, insurance and PUC are all valid
- Apply on the Green Card portal and upload the documents
- Pay ₹400 (light vehicle) or ₹600 (medium or heavy)
- Vehicle passes the inspection at the transport office?No: fix the defects and present it again
- Download the Green Card, then a Trip Card for each trip
Buses with a wheelbase over 4,500 mm, an overhang over 60% of the wheelbase or a width over 2,570 mm are not allowed on the hill routes. The yatra itself needs set minimum days (10 days for all four dhams). For driving tips on the mountain roads, see hill and ghat driving.
Open the Green Card portal (official) greencard.uk.gov.in
What can go wrong, and how do you fix it?
| Your situation | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fitness renewal or national permit refused | Unpaid toll (user fee) on the vehicle | Clear the toll dues; see FASTag. |
| Permit application not accepted | Fitness, insurance or tax has lapsed | Renew the lapsed document first, then apply. |
| Tourist permit refused | The vehicle is over 12 years old (10 for a Delhi diesel) | The 2023 rules don't allow it; use a state permit where allowed. |
| Fitness expired | Late fee builds up and the vehicle counts as unregistered | Book the test at once and don't run the vehicle until it passes. |
| Stopped at a Char Dham check post | No Green Card, Trip Card or hill endorsement | Apply on the Green Card portal; the driver needs the endorsement. |
| Challans block the application | Pending fines on the vehicle | Pay or contest the challans. |
Frequently asked questions
Who issues permits?
The State Transport Authority or a Regional Transport Authority. You usually apply through VAHAN or the RTO.
How long is a state permit valid?
Himachal Pradesh issues stage and contract carriage permits for 5 years. Check your state; temporary permits are much shorter.
What does the All India Tourist Permit cost?
From ₹20,000 a year (₹6,000 a quarter) for fewer than 5 seats, up to ₹3,00,000 a year for 23 seats or more. Electric vehicles pay no permit fee.
How fast is the tourist permit issued?
Within 7 days. If there is no decision by then, it counts as granted.
What is the national permit fee?
A consolidated fee of ₹16,500 a year for the other states, plus your home state's permit and authorisation fee.
How often is a taxi's fitness certificate renewed?
Every 2 years until the vehicle is 8 years old, then every year.
Does my private car need a Green Card for Char Dham?
No. The Green Card is for buses, maxi cabs and taxi cabs. Private cars and goods vehicles don't need it.
Does a small goods vehicle need a permit?
Assam lists goods vehicles of up to 3,000 kg gross weight as not needing a permit. Check with your RTO.
Sources
- Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (India Code): sections 2(31), 56, 66, 72, 74, 79, 88 and 146 (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023, G.S.R. 302(E) (government copy) and MoRTH notification page (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Commissionerate, Assam – motor vehicle permit issue and renewal (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Himachal Pradesh – stage carriage permit and contract carriage permit (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Andhra Pradesh – national permit and new national permit and composite fee (2010) (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- PIB – unpaid user fee blocks NOC, fitness and national permit (20 Jan 2026) (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Telangana – fitness FAQ, Meghalaya – vehicle fitness and Jharkhand – vehicle fitness (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Lok Sabha unstarred question 818, 23 Jul 2026 – automated testing stations (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- CAG – taxes on vehicles, Bihar and Delhi Transport Department – tax payment for commercial vehicles (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Uttarakhand – Green Card and Trip Card FAQ (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
Page history: 26 Oct 2026: first published.