Online application for PAN Card – All you need to know

When it comes to applying for a PAN Card, every common man in India have many a number of doubts. Is it compulsory that I should have a pan card even if I am not an Income tax payee? How do I apply for one? Is the application mode available both online and offline? Can it be used as an equivalent alternate to other accepted identity proofs? – Questions about PAN Card and its utilities are simply numerous in the minds of any average Indian.  Lack of proper education among the common people about the importance of PAN Card can possibly help in eliminating the various fears and misconceptions that majority of them have about it.

Though the PAN or Permanent Account Number is primarily intended to keep in track all the financial transactions, it has now become inevitable that a person is a PAN Card holder to receive salaries or other professional consultation charges that fall within the taxable criteria, or even carry out asset (properties, vehicles, etc) transactions above certain specified limits. Also, it is mandatory for a person to have PAN Card if they need to buy foreign currency, file their income tax returns, Claim for the TDS (Tax Deduction at Source) money back, or even to make bank deposits of above Rs. Fifty Thousand. Issued by the Income Tax department of India, PAN is a ten digit alpha-numeric number that is unique and valid for a life time, irrespective of any address changes of the card holder.

Just as in the case of a Passport or driving license, it is optional for the individual to have a PAN Card, considering the nature of the financial transactions that he has to carry out every year. The best way to know whether you would require a PAN Card is to analyze the various situations wherein one would compulsorily need one and hence find out whether any of those are directly applicable to you. To obtain a PAN Card, it is possible for you to file an application both offline and online. Offline applications are generally submitted through specified PAN agencies that are functional in your respective district. However, most people prefer to go for the online mode of application as it is quite simple and effective. Here is a detailed overview on the procedures to apply for PAN Card online.




To apply online for PAN Card

The application for a PAN Card can be submitted by any individual provided he is an Indian citizen, or a foreign national who is on a valid visa. There is no specific age limit – minimum or maximum, to apply for PAN Card. The application can be filed either by an individual or an organization for its employees. The following instructions consider that the applicant is an “individual” who is an Indian citizen.

Before filling the online application form

  1. Visit the web page of the Income Tax PAN Services unit – https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/pan/
  2. Click on the box “New PAN for Indian citizens (Form 49A)”.
  3. This will direct you to a new window that has 3 links: (a) Online Application for New PAN (Form 49A) (b) Do’s and Don’ts for New PAN Application (c) Important Instructions and Guidelines at a glance
  4. Read through the various instructions given in the links (b) and (c) before you start filling in the application.
  5. To fill in the application, click on the link (a). This will take you to a new page that has general guidelines for the applicants.
  6. Towards the end of the page, you can see the instruction “Apply for a new PAN Card”, followed by a drop down menu to select the “Category of Applicant”
  7. Choose the option “Individual” from the menu and click on the “Select” button.
  8. “Form No.49A”, which is the “Application for Allotment of Permanent Account Number” is now open.

While filling the online application form

  1. The application asks for your Area Code, AO type, Range Code, and AO number. To find these details, visit the URL https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/pan2/servlet/AOSearch. Towards the end of the page, there is an option to search for your city or the nearest with its first letter. Once you have found the appropriate location, click on it to find the necessary details.
  2. There is a column asking you about the details of the enclosed documents. These are the documents that you would need to enclose with your completed application.
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Documents to be enclosed – Photostat copy of any one of given list:

For Proof of Identity:

  1. School leaving certificate
  2. Matriculation certificate
  3. Degree of a recognized educational institution
  4. Depository account statement
  5. Credit card statement
  6. Bank account statement/ bank pass book
  7. Water bill
  8. Ration card
  9. Property tax assessment order
  10. Passport
  11. Voters Identity Card
  12. Driving License
  13. Certificate of identity signed by Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councilor or Gazetted Officer.

For Proof of Address:

  1. Electricity bill
  2. Telephone bill
  3. Account statement
  4. Credit card statement
  5. Bank account statement/bank pass book
  6. Rent receipt
  7. Employer certificate
  8. Passport
  9. Voters Identity card
  10. Property tax assessment order
  11. Driving License
  12. Ration card
  13. Certificate of address signed by Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councilor or Gazetted Officer.

When selecting any document from “a to g” as a proof of your address, make sure that it is not more than six months old from the date of application.

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  1. Processing fee for PAN application: A processing fee of Rs.105 has to be paid. This can be made through a Demand Draft, Cheque, Credit card /Debit card, or Net banking. If you are opting to pay through either Demand Draft or Cheque, you should have the respective document ready in your hand so as to submit the application. Also, the Demand draft and cheque should be drawn in favor of ‘NSDL – PAN’.

Documents for PAN Card

Submitting the application

  1. Once you have filled in all the required details in the application, check for any errors and click on “Submit” at the end of the page.
  2. A confirmation screen will be now displayed displaying all the information that you had filled in the application. Read through the information once again to ensure that the details are correct. If anything needs to be edited, click on “Edit” option.
  3. Once the information are all correct and satisfactory, click on the “Confirm” option.
  4. An acknowledgement with a 15 digit unique Identification number will be now displayed.
  5. Save and print the acknowledgement.
  6. Once the print out is taken, affix two recent photographs of yours in the space provided. Make sure that the photograph has a white background, and is not stapled or clipped to the acknowledgement. The quality of this photograph determines the clarity of your image in the PAN card.
  7. In the box provided in the acknowledgement, place your signature or left thumb impression. Your signature should not overrun your face in the photograph as it might lead to rejection of your application. In case of using a thumb impression instead of a signature, it should be duly attested by a Magistrate or a Notary Public or a Gazetted Officer under official seal and stamp.
  8. The completed acknowledgement should now be attached with the necessary documents such as copies of address proof and identity proof. If you have chosen Demand draft as your payment method, attach your DD also with the acknowledgement.
  9. This is now ready to be sent to NSDL at the given address -‘Income Tax PAN Services Unit, NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited, 5th floor, Mantri Sterling, Plot No. 341, Survey No. 997/8, Model Colony, Near Deep Bungalow Chowk, Pune – 411016’.
  10. Make sure to super scribe the envelope with ‘APPLICATION FOR PAN – your Acknowledgement Number’

While the processing of applications would start as soon as the application is received by NSDL, those with Cheque or DD as the payment mode will be processed only after the realization of fee.

One Response

  1. vinayashree v jadhav January 19, 2018

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