Everydaything

PAN Card

A Permanent Account Number, or PAN, is the ten-character alphanumeric ID that the Income Tax Department uses to track every rupee of tax-relevant activity linked to your name, from salary and bank interest to mutual fund purchases and property deals. If you’re opening a bank account, filing a tax return, starting a job, buying a car, or investing anywhere in India, sooner or later someone is going to ask for it. The good news is that getting one has become considerably easier than it used to be. Depending on your situation, you can walk away with a usable e-PAN in about ten minutes, or you can go through the slightly longer route that also gets you a physical card in the post. This guide walks through both paths in full: who actually needs a PAN, the documents you should have ready before you start, the free instant e-PAN option through the Income Tax e-filing portal, the standard paid application through Protean (formerly NSDL) or UTIITSL, the offline paper-form route for people who’d rather not do this online, and what it costs and how long it takes at each stage. If you’re applying for the first time, this is the only page you should need.

Quick answer: how to apply for a new PAN card

There are two main routes. If you’re an individual who has never had a PAN, isn’t a minor, and has an Aadhaar number linked to an active mobile number, the fastest option is the free Instant e-PAN service on the Income Tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in), it verifies you by Aadhaar OTP and DigiLocker, and typically issues a downloadable e-PAN within about 10 minutes, with no physical card. If you need a physical card, want it mailed abroad, are applying on behalf of a company or other entity, or aren’t eligible for the Aadhaar-based route, you apply through Protean eGov Technologies (tinpan.proteantech.in) or UTIITSL (pan.utiitsl.com) using the applicable application form, upload or courier your documents, pay the fee (around ₹107 for an Indian address, more for a foreign one), and receive your card by post in roughly two to three weeks. A paper-based offline application at a PAN facilitation centre is also available for either route.

Who needs a PAN card, and are you eligible to apply

A PAN is mandatory for anyone who needs to file an income tax return in India, and it’s practically unavoidable for a long list of everyday financial actions even if you don’t currently pay tax: opening a bank or demat account, investing in mutual funds or shares, buying or selling property above certain thresholds, making cash deposits or foreign currency transactions past prescribed limits, and applying for a credit card or loan. Employers routinely ask new hires for a PAN so they can deduct and report tax at source correctly, which is one reason it comes up so often during hiring, if you’re weighing whether a recruiter asking for your PAN is normal, Is It Safe to Share Your PAN Card With a Recruiter? is worth a read, and if you’re job-hunting without one yet, see Can You Get a Job Without a PAN Card?.

Any Indian citizen, including minors (through a guardian) and NRIs, can apply for a PAN, as can foreign citizens and foreign entities that carry out financial transactions in India. There’s no minimum age and no requirement to already be earning taxable income, students, homemakers, and first-time earners can all apply before they actually need it. What matters for eligibility is not who you are, but which application route fits you: the free instant e-PAN service is restricted to adult Indian individuals with a valid, mobile-linked Aadhaar who have never been allotted a PAN before; everyone else (companies, LLPs, trusts, foreign nationals, minors, or anyone without a usable Aadhaar) must use the standard Protean or UTIITSL application.

Documents you’ll need before you start

Whichever route you choose, a PAN application is built around proving three things about yourself: who you are, where you live, and when you were born. Having these ready before you start the form saves you from a half-finished application sitting in your browser tab.

Proof of identity

Accepted documents typically include your Aadhaar card, passport, voter ID card, driving licence, or a photo identity card issued by the government. Aadhaar is the simplest option for most Indian applicants since it’s also used for e-KYC verification during the online application.

Proof of address

A recent utility bill (electricity, landline, broadband), bank account statement or passbook, Aadhaar card, passport, or rent agreement are all commonly accepted. The address you submit is where your physical card and any correspondence will be sent, so double-check it’s current.

Proof of date of birth

A birth certificate, matriculation (Class X) certificate, passport, or Aadhaar card can serve as DOB proof for individuals. For the online instant e-PAN route, this proof is pulled through DigiLocker rather than uploaded manually.

You’ll also need a recent passport-size photograph and your signature for a physical application, a valid mobile number for OTP verification, and an email address for status updates and to receive your acknowledgment slip.

Option 1: Instant e-PAN via the Income Tax e-Filing portal (free, fastest)

If you qualify, this is by far the easiest way to get a PAN. It’s run directly by the Income Tax Department through the e-filing portal, costs nothing, and needs no paperwork beyond your Aadhaar.

Who can use it

You’re eligible if you don’t already have a PAN allotted to you, you’re not a minor, you’re not classified as a “representative assessee” under the Income Tax Act, and you have a valid Aadhaar number linked to an active mobile number, with access to DigiLocker to pull your date-of-birth proof.

Step-by-step instant e-PAN process

1. Go to the Income Tax e-filing portal homepage (incometax.gov.in) and click “Instant e-PAN” under Quick Links.
2. Select “Get New e-PAN.”
3. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and confirm you agree to the terms.
4. Verify the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
5. You’ll be redirected through DigiLocker to fetch your date-of-birth proof automatically.
6. Validate your email address (this also sets you up for e-filing account access later).
7. Review the auto-filled details pulled from Aadhaar and submit the application.
8. Note down the Acknowledgement Number shown on screen and sent by SMS.
9. Check status on the same portal using your Aadhaar number; once approved, download your e-PAN as a PDF.

The whole process commonly completes within about 10 minutes, though actual issuance time can vary. This route issues only an e-PAN (a digitally signed PDF), there’s no physical card mailed to you unless you separately request a reprint later, which is covered in How to Get a Duplicate PAN Card.

Option 2: Standard application via Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL

This is the route for anyone who isn’t eligible for instant e-PAN, needs a physical card, needs delivery to a foreign address, or is applying on behalf of a company, LLP, trust, firm, or other entity rather than as an individual.

New application forms from April 2026: Form 93/94/95/96

For years, the standard PAN application forms were Form 49A (for Indian citizens and entities) and Form 49AA (for foreign citizens and entities). As of April 1, 2026, the Income Tax Department replaced these with four category-specific forms: Form 93 for Indian individual citizens (including NRIs), Form 94 for Indian-incorporated entities such as companies, LLPs, firms, trusts, and HUFs, Form 95 for foreign individuals (including PIOs and OCIs), and Form 96 for foreign entities operating in India. If you already hold a PAN issued under the old 49A or 49AA form, it remains fully valid, you don’t need to reapply or do anything differently because of this change. The new forms simply apply to fresh applications filed from April 2026 onward, and both Protean and UTIITSL have updated their online application flows accordingly.

Step-by-step online application process

1. Go to the Protean PAN services portal (tinpan.proteantech.in or onlineservices.proteantech.in) or the UTIITSL PAN portal (pan.utiitsl.com), and choose “Apply for New PAN.”
2. Select your applicant category: Indian citizen, foreign citizen, or entity type, which determines the applicable form.
3. Choose between physical mode (you print, sign, and courier documents) or paperless/e-KYC mode (Aadhaar OTP-based digital verification, no physical documents needed for most individual applicants).
4. Fill in personal details: name, gender, date of birth, parents’ names, address, and contact details.
5. Select whether you want a physical PAN card dispatched, or an e-PAN only.
6. Enter your Assessing Officer (AO) code, the portal provides a lookup tool based on your address if you don’t know it.
7. Upload scanned copies of your identity, address, and date-of-birth proof (paperless mode) or note that you’ll courier physical copies (physical mode).
8. Pay the applicable fee online via debit/credit card, net banking, UPI, or demand draft.
9. Complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC/e-Sign OTP verification to authenticate the application.
10. Download and save your acknowledgment receipt, which carries a unique acknowledgment number, the PDF is password-protected with your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format.
11. If you chose physical mode, print the acknowledgment, affix your photograph and signature, and courier it along with self-attested document copies to the Protean/UTIITSL address printed on the form, so it reaches them within 15 days.

Keep your acknowledgment number safe, you’ll need it to track your application, and the process for doing that is covered in detail in PAN Card Status Tracking: How to Check Your Application Status.

Fees for a new PAN application

The official fee structure from the Income Tax Department is ₹91 (plus applicable GST) for applications with an Indian communication address, which works out to roughly ₹107 all-in, and ₹862 (plus GST) for a foreign communication address, roughly ₹1,017 all-in. Choosing an e-PAN-only delivery (no physical card printed or posted) typically brings the domestic cost down to around ₹72, since printing and postage are the main added costs of the physical card. Fees are broadly similar whether you apply through Protean or UTIITSL, though it’s worth checking the live fee table on whichever portal you use, since amounts are periodically revised.

Offline/physical application process

If you’d rather not complete the form online, or don’t have reliable internet access, you can still apply the traditional way through a PAN facilitation centre.

1. Download the applicable PAN application form (or collect a blank copy) from a Protean/UTIITSL-authorised PAN centre, or print it from the official portal.
2. Fill it out in block letters using black ink, following the instructions printed on the form carefully (even small errors, like writing your name out of the expected order, can cause rejection).
3. Affix two recent passport-size photographs and sign in the designated boxes without smudging or crossing the photo.
4. Attach self-attested photocopies of your identity, address, and date-of-birth proof.
5. Submit the form along with the fee (payable by demand draft or, at larger centres, card/cash) at your nearest PAN facilitation centre.
6. Collect your acknowledgment receipt with a unique number, which you can use to track your application status the same way as an online applicant.

Turnaround time for the offline route is generally the same as the online physical-mode application, since both eventually go through the same processing and printing pipeline at Protean or UTIITSL.

e-PAN vs. physical PAN card: which do you actually need

An e-PAN is a digitally signed PDF issued by the Income Tax Department that carries the same legal validity as a physical card for identity and tax purposes, it’s accepted for opening bank accounts, e-KYC, filing returns, and most everyday verification. For day-to-day use, many people never need the plastic card at all. A physical card is still worth having if you frequently need to show a photo ID card in person (some offline KYC processes and older-style verification counters still expect one), if you want a backup that doesn’t depend on having a phone or printer handy, or if an organisation you’re dealing with specifically insists on the physical format. You’re not locked into one or the other permanently: if you started with an e-PAN and later want the plastic card, you can request a reprint without changing any of your PAN data, exactly as described in How to Get a Duplicate PAN Card.

How long does it take

Instant e-PAN through Aadhaar is the outlier for speed; many applicants get a downloadable e-PAN within roughly 10 minutes of completing the OTP verification, though the portal doesn’t guarantee an exact time. The standard Protean/UTIITSL application takes longer: after successful e-KYC or receipt of your courier documents, processing generally moves through stages like application received, under process, and PAN card under printing, with the physical card typically dispatched by post within about 15 to 20 working days of your application being accepted. You can track exactly where your application stands at any point using the acknowledgment number, which is explained step by step in PAN Card Status Tracking.

What to do after you get your PAN

Once your PAN is allotted, a few follow-up steps make it fully useful. Link it to your Aadhaar if you haven’t already, this is now mandatory for most taxpayers and unlinked PANs can become inoperative, so see How to Link Aadhaar with PAN Card for the exact steps. Next, link your PAN to your bank account so interest income and TDS are reported correctly; covered in How to Link Your PAN Card to Your Bank Account. If you’re self-employed or freelancing, it’s worth understanding the specific PAN-related requirements that come with that status, in PAN Card Requirements for Self-Employed Professionals and Freelancers. And if you’re ever unsure whether a business or employer should be asking for a PAN or a TAN instead, PAN vs TAN: What’s the Difference and Who Actually Needs Each? clears that up, while Benefits of Having a PAN Card is a useful reference for everything a PAN unlocks day to day.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to get a PAN card completely free of cost?

Yes. The Instant e-PAN service on the Income Tax e-filing portal is entirely free for eligible individuals, it’s Aadhaar-OTP based, paperless, and issues only an e-PAN (no physical card). You’re eligible if you don’t already have a PAN, aren’t a minor, aren’t a representative assessee, and have Aadhaar linked to an active mobile number. If you need a physical card or don’t qualify for the instant route, the standard application through Protean or UTIITSL carries a fee, currently around ₹107 for an Indian address.

Can I apply for a PAN card without Aadhaar?

Yes, though it limits your options. The free instant e-PAN service specifically requires a valid, mobile-linked Aadhaar, so without it you’d need the standard application through Protean or UTIITSL, submitting alternative identity, address, and date-of-birth proof such as a passport, voter ID, or driving licence instead of Aadhaar-based e-KYC. Foreign citizens and entities, who typically don’t hold Aadhaar, always use this standard route with Form 95 or 96 and appropriate supporting documents.

How long does it take to get a physical PAN card by post?

Once your standard application is accepted and processed, the physical PAN card is typically dispatched by post within about 15 to 20 working days, though this can vary based on document verification and courier timelines. You can track your application at any point using your acknowledgment number on the Protean or UTIITSL status-tracking tools, or by SMS, rather than guessing at the timeline.

What’s the difference between Form 49A and the new Form 93?

Form 49A was the standard PAN application form for Indian citizens and entities for many years. Since April 1, 2026, it has been replaced for new applications by four category-specific forms: Form 93 for Indian individuals, Form 94 for Indian entities, Form 95 for foreign individuals, and Form 96 for foreign entities. If you already have a PAN issued under the old Form 49A or 49AA, it remains fully valid; the change only affects people applying for a fresh PAN from that date onward.

Can a minor apply for a PAN card?

Yes. A minor can be allotted a PAN, with the application made by a parent or guardian who provides their own signature and, in most cases, the minor’s date-of-birth and identity proof. Minors are not eligible for the Aadhaar-based Instant e-PAN service, so this must go through the standard Protean or UTIITSL application process using the appropriate form.

Do I need a PAN card if I don’t currently pay income tax?

You can still be required to have one. PAN is used for far more than tax filing, it’s needed to open a bank or demat account, invest in mutual funds, make certain high-value transactions, and get a credit card or loan, regardless of your current income level. Many people apply for a PAN well before they start earning taxable income, precisely because it’s needed for these everyday financial and identity-verification purposes.

References

1. Income Tax Department – Instant e-PAN (e-Filing Portal Help)
2. Income Tax India – Apply for PAN Card Online
3. Protean eGov Technologies – Apply Online for PAN
4. ClearTax – New PAN Card Application Forms 2026: Form 93, 94, 95, and 96
5. Paisabazaar – How to Apply for PAN Card Online through NSDL (Protean) and UTIITSL
6. UTIITSL – PAN Card Services