Now, you do not need to spend money or wait several days to apply for a PAN card. Thanks to the Instant e-PAN feature from the Department of Revenue, you can obtain your PAN number online without leaving home. The PAN number is required for opening bank accounts, filing income tax returns, and conducting numerous financial transactions exceeding 50,000 rupees. This service can be very useful for those who do not yet have a PAN.
Previously, the process of applying for a PAN card required completing the entire procedure, followed by waiting for the physical card to arrive by mail. Now, the Department of Revenue has digitized the PAN issuance process, allowing applications to be submitted online via Instant e-PAN. No fees are charged when using this service.
This option is available only to those who have not yet been assigned a PAN. The applicant must possess a valid 12-digit Aadhaar number. Furthermore, the applicant must be at least 18 years old. Another important condition is that the Aadhaar number must be linked to a mobile phone. During the Instant e-PAN application, identity verification is carried out by sending an OTP to this mobile number.
To receive Instant e-PAN, you will need certain necessary elements. Date of birth and KYC data can be verified through DigiLocker. For date of birth verification, documents such as a high school diploma or birth certificate must be available.
What needs to be done in DigiLocker?
After OTP verification, the system may redirect you to DigiLocker. There, you must grant the appropriate permissions to verify date of birth and KYC information. You may need to allow the exchange of documents confirming the date of birth. If your Aadhaar has an updated email address, it can also be verified, although email verification is not mandatory.
Before submitting the application, be sure to check the following. After verification, information such as your name, date of birth, and photograph, according to Aadhaar records, will be displayed on the screen. Before applying for Instant e-PAN, carefully check all these details. Apply only if the information is correct. Upon successful submission, a notification number will be generated on the screen, which you must save for future reference.
No. There is no charge for using the Instant e-PAN feature. This service is free, and eligible applicants can apply from home using a smartphone or laptop.
e-PAN is also a valid PAN, and its utility is similar to a physical PAN card. Therefore, if you only need the PAN number, there is no need to wait for the physical card to arrive.
