Visas, Phones & Money · Travel
M-Tag as of October 2026: where it is required, documents, cost, how to recharge now cash top-ups have ended, and the suspended 50% extra toll.
AI Summary
An M-Tag is a prepaid windscreen sticker that pays motorway tolls. It became mandatory on all motorways from 15 Jun 2026, and Islamabad requires it at entry points. Bring your original CNIC and vehicle registration card; Islamabad charged Rs 250. Cash top-ups ended on 30 Jun 2026; recharge in the One Network app or a wallet such as easypaisa (Rs 10 a top-up). The Islamabad High Court suspended NHA's 50% extra toll on 3 Jul 2026 and extended the stay on 3 Aug 2026.
An M-Tag is a prepaid sticker on your windscreen that pays motorway tolls automatically. It became mandatory on all motorways from 15 Jun 2026, One Network said, and Islamabad has required one at its entry points since January 2026. To get one, take your original CNIC and the vehicle’s registration card or book to a registration point. Cash top-ups ended on 30 Jun 2026, so you now recharge from an app or wallet.
The extra toll for driving without a tag is on hold: the Islamabad High Court suspended NHA’s 50% surcharge on 3 Jul 2026 and extended that stay on 3 Aug 2026, the last hearing we found reported. That can change, so keep a tag and a balance.
Dawn describes the M-Tag as a prepaid RFID windscreen sticker for automated toll payment. A reader at the toll plaza scans it, and the toll comes out of your M-Tag balance.
The tags are run by One Network, which manages M-Tag services for the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), according to a May 2024 Zindigi press release. One Network’s app is called M-TAG One Network.
Only the current “One Country One Tag” sticker counts. A May 2026 notice reported by Pakistan Observer showed the older “MORE” and earlier “M-Tag” sticker designs as no longer valid.
On motorways. NHA made the M-Tag mandatory for all motorway users from 1 Feb 2025, Profit reported. In June 2026, One Network’s advisory said it was required for travel on all motorways from 15 Jun 2026. When NHA set its extra toll in June 2025, ARY News listed these roads (routes for M-3 and M-4 from PakWheels’ July 2026 toll report):
| Road | Route |
|---|---|
| M-1 | Islamabad to Peshawar |
| M-2 | Lahore to Islamabad |
| M-3 | Lahore to Abdul Hakeem |
| M-4 | Pindi Bhattian to Multan, via Faisalabad |
| M-5 | Multan to Sukkur |
| M-9 | Karachi to Hyderabad |
| M-14 | D.I. Khan to Hakla |
| E-35 | Hassanabdal to Mansehra |
At Islamabad’s entry points. The Islamabad administration said vehicles without an M-Tag would not be allowed into the capital from 1 Jan 2026, with tag readers at the entry points. The deadline was then pushed back 15 days, to 15 Jan 2026. Motorcycles followed: tagging for all motorcycles in Islamabad began on 20 Feb 2026, PakWheels reported, citing the Deputy Commissioner.
APP’s report says the CNIC must be the vehicle owner’s, so if the car is in someone else’s name, bring the owner’s original CNIC.
M-Tag issuance fee, Islamabad
Rs 250
Dawn, 28 Dec 2025. We found no 2026 fee for registration points outside Islamabad.
We couldn’t confirm a national registration fee for 2026. The Rs 250 figure is what Islamabad charged when it made tags compulsory for entry. Older guides quote a Rs 200 fee from 2022; we treat that as out of date.
Replacing an old tag. Tags more than five years old had to be replaced, One Network’s advisory said:
| When | Replacement fee |
|---|---|
| Until 31 May 2026 | Free |
| From 1 Jun 2026 | Rs 150 |
| From 1 Jul 2026 | Rs 300; old tags to be blocked |
If the schedule was kept, the Rs 300 fee applies as of October 2026. We found no later notice changing it, but we couldn’t check One Network’s own site.
Cash top-ups ended on 30 Jun 2026, One Network said on Facebook, Pakistan Observer reported. These are the digital options we could confirm, as of October 2026:
| Channel | How | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| M-TAG One Network app | Recharge inside the app | Not stated |
| easypaisa | M-Tag top-up in the app | Rs 10 per top-up (Oct to Dec 2026 schedule) |
| JazzCash | Named by One Network as a recharge option | Not stated |
| NayaPay | M-Tag icon on the Home screen, enter your M-Tag ID (help page, Nov 2024) | Not stated |
| Zindigi (JS Bank) | M-Tag top-up in the app | No extra charge (May 2024 press release) |
One Network also pointed users to banking apps. We found no bank page that confirms which apps include M-Tag, so check your bank’s bill-payment list first. To compare the wallets on other charges, see Easypaisa vs JazzCash and NayaPay vs SadaPay.
Checking your balance. The M-TAG One Network app shows your balance and trip history. For problems, call 1313 or email [email protected], according to the app’s App Store listing.
Not as of the last court report we found (APP, 3 Aug 2026). That comes from a court order, not a change in policy, so it can change. Here is how it happened:
The Islamabad High Court case was filed by advocate Jalal Haider. He argued that the NHA Act lets NHA collect tolls but not penalties or surcharges, and asked for refunds of the extra charges. We found no report of a hearing after 3 Aug 2026, so as far as we know the case is still open. We also don’t know whether the Peshawar High Court’s M-1 order is still in force.
Tolls were revised in July 2026. These are the car rates reported, as of October 2026:
| Motorway | Car toll | From |
|---|---|---|
| M-2 Lahore to Islamabad | Rs 1,430 | 5 Jul 2026 |
| M-1 Islamabad to Peshawar | Rs 700 | 10 Jul 2026 |
| M-3 Lahore to Abdul Hakeem | Rs 1,000 | 10 Jul 2026 |
| M-4 Pindi Bhattian to Multan | Rs 1,350 | 10 Jul 2026 |
| M-5 Multan to Sukkur | Rs 1,500 | 10 Jul 2026 |
The M-2 rate comes from Profit and is valid until 23 Apr 2027. The M-2 is run by an FWO company under a 2014 deal with NHA, so its rates are set separately. The others come from PakWheels’ report of NHA’s 10 Jul 2026 notice. NHA’s own website blocked our requests, but an archived copy of its home page from 14 Jul 2026 lists the “revised toll rates” notice for 10 Jul 2026.
Planning a long road trip? Compare the cost with a coach or train in our intercity travel guide, and make sure your car insurance and token tax are up to date.
More guides: digital banks in Pakistan, Neelum Valley road trip, all trip planning guides.
NHA charged 50% extra toll to vehicles with no M-Tag or a low balance from 15 Jun 2025. The Islamabad High Court suspended that charge on 3 Jul 2026, and on 3 Aug 2026 NHA's lawyer told the court it had stopped collecting it, APP reported. We found no later hearing report, so the case may still change.
Your original CNIC and the vehicle's registration card or book. APP reported in January 2026, for Islamabad registration points, that no other certificates or affidavits are needed, and the tag is issued once staff check the documents.
Cash top-ups stopped on 30 Jun 2026. Recharge in the M-TAG One Network app, or through easypaisa (Rs 10 per top-up, October to December 2026 schedule), JazzCash, NayaPay, Zindigi or a banking app.
1313. You can also email [email protected] or file a complaint in the M-TAG One Network app, according to its App Store listing.
If your tag is more than five years old, yes. One Network's advisory, reported by PakWheels in June 2026, said old tags would be blocked from 1 Jul 2026 and replacement would then cost Rs 300. Only the 'One Country One Tag' sticker counts as current.
Photo: Jugni / CC BY-SA 3.0
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