Kerala tourist vehicle permit: state permit vs All India Tourist Permit (AITP), fees and how to apply

Last updated: October 2026

A taxi or cab in Kerala can run legally in two ways: a Kerala state tourist or contract carriage permit if the vehicle stays within Kerala, or the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) if it crosses state borders. The official AITP fee is set by the All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023, not by the Kerala RTO: Rs.20,000 a year (Rs.6,000 a quarter) for a taxi carrying fewer than 5 passengers, rising with seating capacity to Rs.3 lakh a year for buses carrying 23 or more. The Kerala-only permit fee is not shown separately on the national fee schedule, so the Vahan payment screen is the final figure for that route. This guide compares the two routes, lists the official AITP fee table, the documents you need first, the online application steps, and what a missing permit can cost.

The two routes at a glance

The practical rule is simple: if your taxi never leaves Kerala, a state permit is enough. The moment you run regular inter-state bookings, for example Kochi to Coimbatore or Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari, the AITP is the route.

AITP fees 2026: the official table

The table below is from the fee schedule in the All India Tourist Vehicles (Permit) Rules, 2023 (MoRTH notification G.S.R. 302(E), dated 18 April 2023), as quoted in the current text of the rules. This is a central schedule, so it applies in Kerala as everywhere else.

• Clean-fuel exemption: tourist vehicles running on battery power, methanol or ethanol are issued the AITP without any permit fee.
• Authorization line on the portal: national guides report a separate Rs.1,000-a-year AITP authorization charge shown at checkout, and that the full permit fee is only needed if you do not already hold a valid state tourist permit. Both figures are reported, not read in the rule text, so go by the checkout screen.
• No extra state border taxes: under the 2023 rules the single permit fee is distributed among states and union territories, and MoRTH's advisory of 4 August 2023 directs states not to collect additional passenger tax, border tax or check-post tax from a vehicle holding a valid AITP.
• Renewal and duplicates: national guides describe the renewal fee as the same as the issue fee and a duplicate permit at half the original fee. The rules table itself does not list a renewal late fee, and the guides quote different late-fee numbers, so treat the renewal screen as final.

Some older guides quote a Rs.16,500-a-year Kerala national permit figure for passenger transport; that older schedule has been superseded for tourist vehicles by the 2023 Rules table above.

What a Kerala permit holder needs before applying

A permit is the last step, not the first. Kerala RTOs and the Parivahan portal check the vehicle's compliance stack electronically, and a gap in any of these blocks the application.

• Commercial registration (yellow board): a white-plate private car cannot be given a tourist permit and cannot carry fare-paying passengers. Convert or register commercial first.
• Valid fitness certificate: commercial passenger vehicles need a valid FC, generally 2 years at first issue and yearly renewals after that. See the Kerala fitness certificate renewal guide for the fee table and validity.
• Valid commercial insurance: the policy must reflect tourist taxi or commercial passenger use; a private-car policy on a yellow-board vehicle puts any claim at risk.
• Valid PUC certificate: checked alongside fitness and insurance. See the Kerala PUC guide for validity periods and charges.
• AIS-140 GPS and panic button: mandatory on commercial passenger vehicles registered from 1 January 2019, and verified at FC renewal.
• Driver's licence with transport endorsement plus badge: the driver needs the commercial driving credentials on top of the permit; they are separate items.
• Road tax receipts: up-to-date tax payment. See how to pay Kerala road tax online.

Steps: apply for a tourist permit online

1. Open the official portal: go to parivahan.gov.in (or vahan.parivahan.gov.in) and choose the permit services section. Do not pay on third-party sites that add their own service charges.
2. Select Kerala and your RTO, then enter the vehicle's registration number so the portal pulls its record.
3. Choose the permit type: state tourist or contract carriage permit for Kerala-only operation, or All India Tourist Permit for inter-state work.
4. Fill the application: owner details, seating capacity, chassis and engine numbers, and route or business details as asked.
5. Upload documents: RC, insurance, fitness certificate, PUC, Aadhaar or address proof, and road tax receipts.
6. Pay on the portal and save the receipt: pay only through the payment gateway on the official portal, then use the application status facility to track the case.
7. Inspection where required: the RTO may call the vehicle in for a physical check of condition, seating and body before issuing the permit.

How long it takes and how long it lasts

• Issue within 7 days: the 2023 Rules require the transport authority to issue the AITP within seven days of receiving the application, and if no decision is taken in that window the permit is deemed granted and generated electronically.
• Validity: AITP terms run 1 to 5 years at the applicant's choice. State contract carriage permits are generally issued for 5 years under the national permit framework.
• Renewal: guides describe the renewal fee as the same as the issue fee, with applications filed before expiry. Apply at least a couple of weeks early; do not let the permit lapse while the vehicle is running.

Penalties for running without a valid permit

Under Section 192A of the Motor Vehicles Act, using a transport vehicle without a valid permit (which includes an expired permit) carries a fine of up to Rs.10,000, plus possible vehicle detention at a check post or by enforcement authorities. National guides additionally report that running a white-board private car for fare-paying passengers is treated as running without the required permit, with fines in the Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000 band and possible impoundment. The full fine list is in our Kerala traffic fine guide.

FAQs

Can I use my white-board private car for Ola or Uber in Kerala?

No. A private registration cannot carry fare-paying passengers under Section 66 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Aggregators only onboard yellow-board vehicles with a valid commercial permit, fitness and commercial insurance.

Is the AITP the same as the national permit?

No. The AITP is for tourist and passenger vehicles under Section 88(9) and (14); the national permit is for goods carriages under Section 88(12). They are separate categories for different vehicle types.

Do I need a new AITP for each state my taxi enters?

No. That is the point of the 2023 rules: one permit fee paid on the Parivahan portal covers all-India operation, and the August 2023 MoRTH advisory bars states from adding border or passenger taxes on valid AITP vehicles.

What is the fee for a Kerala-only tourist permit?

No separate Kerala tourist permit fee could be verified on the national fee schedule during this research (parivahan.gov.in and mvd.kerala.gov.in were both unreachable at research time). Older guides quote around Rs.1,000 for the older Form 45 and 46 tourist permit route; treat that as reported, not official, and pay exactly what the Vahan checkout shows.

Can a diesel taxi get an AITP in Kerala?

Yes for Kerala. The vehicle-age cap reported in national guides is 12 years from first registration for a new or renewed AITP; the tighter 10-year diesel rule applies to vehicles registered in Delhi (NCT). Confirm the age rule with your RTO if the vehicle is old.

What happens if my AITP vehicle is stopped at a state border and asked for entry tax?

Under the 2023 Rules and the MoRTH advisory of 4 August 2023, a valid AITP vehicle should not face additional passenger or border tax, since the fee is already shared with the states. Carry a digital or physical copy of the permit and the advisory reference.

Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees and rules on parivahan.gov.in before applying, and treat the fee total on your own Vahan or Parivahan payment screen as final.