The All India Tourist Permit (AITP) is essential for any Delhi taxi operator running outstation routes — Delhi to Jaipur, Delhi to Agra, Delhi to Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, or any route crossing state borders. Without an AITP, your taxi can be seized at state border checkposts for operating without a permit in that state.
What is an All India Tourist Permit (AITP)?
An AITP is issued by the State Transport Authority (STA) and authorizes a commercial taxi to operate as a tourist vehicle across all Indian states and union territories. It is distinct from a city taxi permit, which restricts operations to a specific city or district. For Delhi-based outstation operators, AITP is mandatory.
Documents Required for AITP in Delhi (2026)
- Commercial RC (yellow plate) of the vehicle
- Valid commercial vehicle insurance covering inter-state travel
- Current Fitness Certificate from Delhi RTO
- Form 45 — Application for AITP
- Current PUC certificate
- Driver's Commercial Driving Licence (LMV-Transport)
- Owner ID proof (Aadhaar, PAN)
- Bank DD or challan for permit fee
- Passport-size photographs of owner
AITP Fees and Validity — Delhi 2026
- AITP permit fee, vehicles carrying under 5 passengers (e.g. Dzire, Etios): ₹20,000 a year, or ₹6,000 a quarter
- AITP permit fee, 5–9 passengers (e.g. Innova, Ertiga, Fortuner): ₹30,000 a year, or ₹9,000 a quarter; 10–22 passengers (Tempo Traveller): ₹80,000 a year
- Validity: 90 days or any multiple of it, up to 5 years at a time — All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023. A 25% fee cut was proposed in August 2026; the VAHAN AITP portal shows the fee that currently applies
- Renewal: Full process repeated before expiry
- Processing time at Delhi STA: 15–25 working days
- Agent fees (optional, faster processing): ₹3,000–₹8,000
Which Vehicles Qualify for AITP in Delhi?
Any commercial vehicle with a yellow plate RC, valid fitness certificate, and commercial insurance can apply for an AITP in Delhi. Popular vehicles with AITP in the Delhi NCR market include Toyota Innova Crysta, Toyota Fortuner, Maruti Ertiga, Force Traveller, and Tempo Traveller. City-specific vehicles like auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws do not qualify for AITP.
AITP vs City Taxi Permit — Key Differences
| State / city taxi permit | All India Tourist Permit (AITP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is valid | Inside the state that issued it | Every state and union territory |
| Issued by | The state transport authority (RTO / STA) | The Transport Authority, online through the national VAHAN AITP portal |
| Fee | Set by each state — check your RTO | ₹20,000 a year (under 5 passengers), ₹30,000 (5–9), ₹80,000 (10–22); or ₹6,000 / ₹9,000 / ₹24,000 a quarter |
| Validity | 5 years | 90 days or multiples of it, up to 5 years at a time |
| Renewal | Apply at least 15 days before expiry | Re-apply on the portal before it lapses |
| Vehicle age limit | State and NGT rules apply | No permit after 12 years from first registration — 10 years for diesel vehicles registered in Delhi |
| Electric vehicles | State rules apply | No permit fee |
| Who needs it | Local and within-state work | Tourist and outstation work that crosses a state border |
Sources: Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, section 81 (state permits); All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023, rules 3 and 4 (AITP). A 25% cut in AITP fees was proposed in August 2026 — the VAHAN portal shows the fee that currently applies.
- Outstation operators must have AITP — a state permit does not cover cross-state routes
- Many Delhi operators hold both permits: a state permit for local runs, AITP for outstation
What Is AITP Authorization? Permit vs Authorization Certificate
These are two different documents and the difference is money. In the government's own wording on the portal, an authorization lets a tourist vehicle ply throughout India subject to the taxes or fees levied by each state it passes through. A permit lets it ply throughout India without paying those state taxes, on the strength of the permit fee paid under rule 5 of the All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023.
- Authorization — compulsory, issued for one year. You still settle each state's tax as you go
- AITP permit — optional, quarterly or yearly. Costs more upfront and removes the per-state tax
- The permit can never outlast the authorization, so the authorization is always taken first or alongside
- Which is cheaper depends entirely on how much you actually cross state lines — a Delhi taxi doing occasional Jaipur runs usually stays on authorization alone; a vehicle living on outstation routes is generally better off with the permit
How to Apply for AITP Online — Full Walkthrough with Screenshots
AITP is issued centrally from one government portal, and the whole thing is self-service — there is no file to submit at an RTO counter and, unlike most permit work in India, nothing to upload. The portal pulls your vehicle record straight from VAHAN. Most owners finish in about ten minutes.
Official government links you will need
- AITP portal — vahan.parivahan.gov.in/aitp — the only official site; there is no fee to simply open it
- Apply for AITP Authorization / Permit — the application form itself
- Online payment / retry a failed transaction — use this if money left your account but no certificate appeared
- Check AITP authorization / permit status
- Print Authorization certificate (Form 2)
- Print AITP Permit certificate (Form 3)
- Official NIC user manual (PDF) — the government's own step-by-step document
Step 1 — Open the portal and choose your state
Go to vahan.parivahan.gov.in/aitp and select the state your vehicle is registered in. The page stays empty until you do; the service tiles only appear once a state is chosen. Then click "Apply for AITP Authorization / Permit".
Step 2 — Identify the vehicle
You need only three things: the registration number, the last five digits of the chassis number, and the verification code shown on screen. Then press "Get Details". Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are not on VAHAN, so their records come through a state API — the form looks the same.
Step 3 — Check the record the portal pulls back
The portal displays the owner and vehicle details it holds — chassis and engine number, vehicle class, seating capacity, and critically the dates your insurance, fitness certificate and motor vehicle tax run to, plus any existing base permit. It validates all four automatically. This is where most applications stop: if your fitness or insurance has lapsed, renew that first, because the portal will not let you proceed. Check the details carefully — an error in the VAHAN record has to be corrected at your RTO, not here.
Step 4 — Choose authorization, permit, and duration
Authorization is compulsory and is issued for one year. The AITP permit itself is optional and can be taken quarterly or yearly, but its validity can never run past the authorization's. Tick what you need and the portal calculates the fee for you — it varies by vehicle class and seating capacity, so trust the figure the portal shows rather than any number quoted elsewhere.
Step 5 — Pay, then print both certificates
Pay online and the certificates are issued immediately — there is no waiting period and no visit to a counter. Print the Authorization as Form 2 and, if you took one, the AITP Permit as Form 3. If a payment fails but the money leaves your account, use the "Online Payment or Check Failed Transaction" tile rather than paying a second time.
Renewing it
Renewal of the AITP authorization opens 30 days before the current one expires, through the same "Apply" route. Diarise it: an expired authorization means the permit stops being valid too, and a checkpost will treat the vehicle as running without one.
Total AITP Price: The All-In Cost to Get on the Road
- AITP permit fee (car, under 5 passengers): ₹20,000 a year — ₹1,00,000 over 5 years
- AITP permit fee (MPV, 5–9 passengers): ₹30,000 a year; Tempo Traveller (10–22 passengers): ₹80,000 a year
- Fitness certificate (if renewal due): ₹500–₹1,500
- Commercial insurance uplift for inter-state cover: usually included, verify with insurer
- Agent charges (optional): ₹3,000–₹8,000
- Realistic all-in cost for a sedan/MPV: ₹11,000–₹20,000 — roughly ₹2,200–₹4,000 per year of validity
- Compare: a state or city permit costs far less but stops at the state border — the AITP is priced for operators who genuinely run inter-state
Is AITP Worth the Price for a Single-Taxi Operator?
For an owner-driver doing even 3–4 outstation trips a month, yes. A Delhi–Jaipur round trip pays ₹6,000–₹9,000, so a year's permit for an MPV (₹30,000) is covered by roughly three to five trips — a month or two of steady outstation work. The AITP also raises your taxi's resale value — buyers pay ₹15,000–₹30,000 more for a vehicle with a live AITP because it saves them the fee and the 15–25 day processing wait. The only operators who should skip it are pure city app-cab drivers who never cross the NCR border.