Does ETC require the vehicle owner's personal ID?
4 Answers
Yes, the vehicle owner's personal ID is required to apply for ETC. According to the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Application of Electronic Non-stop Toll Collection Services on Expressways" issued by the Ministry of Transport, the original valid ID card of the vehicle owner, the original and a copy of the vehicle registration certificate (with the most recent annual inspection stamp) are required. If applying on behalf of someone else, the original valid ID card of the agent is also required. If applying for ETC through major bank branches, a corresponding bank debit or credit card must also be prepared. Some banks only support ETC binding with credit cards, while others may require freezing a certain amount as a deposit when binding ETC with a debit card. Documents required for official vehicles: An introduction letter from the vehicle owner (with official seal); a copy of the organization code certificate or business license (with official seal); the original ID card of the agent; the original vehicle registration certificate; the vehicle for which ETC is to be applied. ETC billing principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on expressways. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle-mounted electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with the bank, the vehicle can pay tolls without stopping at the toll station. All this is based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees later. Benefits of installing ETC: Time-saving: eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: green and low-carbon, vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: saves costs, reduces the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase vehicle passing efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC faster and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key urban clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will be significantly increased," and set a target in the main indicators of the "13th Five-Year Plan" for comprehensive transportation development: "by 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles will reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC usage for trucks in the future, exploring deep integration between the ETC system and smart transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC usage. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. When encountering a vehicle in front that has stopped, to prevent the vehicle in front from having a faulty ETC device or no ETC device at all, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters to avoid automatic sensing and paying for the vehicle in front. The recognition speed for ETC lane passage is 20 km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle device information cannot be read, leading to billing failure. Unauthorized disassembly or movement of the OBU device, detachment or loosening of the ETC electronic tag, etc., will cause the electronic tag to fail. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was issued or the expressway service office for testing. For non-human-caused loosening or detachment, reactivation is sufficient. When using a debit card bound to ETC, insufficient balance will also cause billing failure. Follow the guidance of on-site staff to use the manual MTC lane, paying with cash or card. Excessive windshield thickness may cause poor sensing. This is especially important for vehicles that have had their windshields replaced after accidents or for those who have modified their front windshields.
Registering for ETC does require the vehicle owner's ID documents, but there's actually considerable flexibility in practice. For example, last week my friend and I went to the bank to apply for ETC using my car under my name. My friend simply brought my original ID card and the vehicle registration certificate, and the bank teller only verified the document details without requiring my physical presence. Nowadays, online channels are even more convenient—some platforms only need photos of the front and back of the ID card, not even the original. However, it's important to note that if the vehicle owner and the bank card holder are different persons during the bank card binding process, an additional power of attorney may be required. It's advisable to call ahead and check the specific requirements of the service provider, as regulations may vary slightly between banks or highway ETC service points.
It depends on the specific processing channel. When I helped my father apply for ETC last time, I found that if you apply through the WeChat mini-program, you can complete the authentication by scanning the vehicle owner's ID card, and the owner does not need to be present. However, on-site processing at highway service points is stricter, where staff will verify whether the ID photo matches the person. Another common situation is company vehicles using the legal representative's ID for proxy applications. As long as you bring the company seal and a copy of the business license, it can generally be processed. However, I'd like to remind everyone that when applying with a non-owner's ID, make sure to confirm the mobile phone number for receiving ETC deduction SMS to avoid billing issues later. It's best to keep the contact information of the proxy applicant in case of device malfunctions.
The ID requirements for ETC application are quite user-friendly. I recently used my mother-in-law's ID to apply for an ETC for her - the key is to bring the original ID card of the vehicle owner and the vehicle registration certificate. Online application is even simpler: just take photos of the ID card on the Alipay ETC service page, and the system automatically recognizes the information. However, there are two points to note: first, the ID card must be within its validity period; second, if you're handling the credit card binding on behalf of someone else, the vehicle owner needs to grant remote authorization via the bank's app. Some cities are now piloting electronic ID applications, eliminating the need for physical documents altogether. It's advisable to avoid the end-of-month peak period to skip long queues and save time.
