Apply for Permanent Account Number (PAN Card) in India

About Permanent Account Number or PAN Card in India

PAN is also identified as Permanent Account Number. It is an identification method that recognises all the individuals who pay tax in our country. The PAN number is an exceptional number that is allotted to citizens of India, mostly to those individuals of the nation who pay tax. The number functions as an identification number to identify all the payers of tax. The identification method of PAN Card is primarily a computerised system that gives a unique number that identifies all tax-paying Indians. This technique efficiently stores all the required information of the cardholder related to tax and this extraordinary number performs the function of the key to all those information. Two taxpayers cannot have the same PAN number. The same system is going on in all over India.

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In the United States of America, SSN is a rare number of nine digits that the American Government issues to all the permanent as well as the temporary citizens of the country. Although the central idea behind the introduction of the SSN was to keep track of residents for the sake of social security, later the same number started functioning as the primary identification number to carry out taxation procedures.

The User has an option to Link PAN with Bank Accounts through online/offline. Any PAN number issued to a citizen of India will be considered as a valid identification card for a person, as long as he or she is alive. It is possible because, under the new system, change in residential address will not be a problem. So, no two individuals in the country have one common PAN number anymore. At the initial stage, similar issues have been founded. But the problem has been resolved.

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PAN’s history in India

Before the introduction of PAN in India, taxpayers were given a GIR number which was actually a guiding system. The uniqueness of this GIR number was it was under a specific assessing officer or a particular ward. The problem with the number was that at the national level, it failed to act as a unique identification number. In 1972, the idea of PAN was considered statutory under Income Tax’s section 139A, which was formulated in the year 1961.

The Assessing Officers allotted the GIR number to a citizen who was taxable, and it contained the data of the assessing officer as well.

There was another major drawback of the GIR system. The GIR number was not a unique number. A certain GIR number functioned as a unique identification number only in a particular circle or ward. It increased the chances of errors in calculation and therefore, resulted in several calculative mistakes at the time of assessment of tax.

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The present form of PAN Card introduced in India in 1972 with the aim of overcoming the problems that the GIR Card failed to solve. The process was initially voluntary. In the year 1976, usage of PAN Card was made compulsory for all the citizens of India who paid tax.

In the initial phase, the process of allotment of the PAN number was manual. A particular pair of numbers given to every circle or ward to control duplication. In 1955, this manual system came to an end because of multiple issues related to this particular system.

Irrespective of all the changes, the PAN Card’s first avatar had to deal with several limitations. Let us have a look at those limitations:

To maintain the records of the PAN number a specific database needed. The unavailability of this database was a considerable problem because the information that recorded by assessing officers was insufficient.
The number of the PAN Card was not permanent. The PAN number was a subject to change depending upon the address of the cardholder.

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Issuance of the PAN Cards was not done by any centralized authority. This is because different centers ended up allotting precisely the same PAN card to several individuals across the country.

Application for the PAN Card

As it has mentioned earlier, one can apply for a PAN Card either offline from a PAN agency or online from the official website of NSDL. There are also procedures for availing new PAN Cards and also for correction of informational errors in the existing PAN Card. If you want a fresh PAN number, you need to fill the form 49A.

Some other additional facilities are also there for the citizens of India. In case you cannot find your PAN Card anywhere, you can go through the legal procedure and obtain a duplicate copy of your PAN Card from the government. PAN can receive by Indians, NRIs and also foreigners. The method and types of forms may vary, depending on the nationality of the candidate applying for the PAN Card.

There are separate forms available for new PAN application and for reprinting the existing PAN. After finishing the registration process successfully to get a new PAN Card, a person is free to monitor his PAN application status at the official site of NSDL which is https://www.nsdl.co.in. If you want to check the PAN application status, you need to mention the acknowledgment number that has been provided by NSDL at the time of this application process. One can choose the offline or the online process of application, depending on one’s convenience.

Online process of application to get a PAN Card in India

Follow these simple steps for completing the application process to get a PAN Card:

Log in to the official website of TIN NSDL or any UTIITSL site and choose the option that says “New PAN.” The official website of TIN NSDL is https://www.tin-nsdl.com, and the official website of UTIITSL is https://www.utiitsl.com.
You need to select the form, 49A. All citizens of India (including NRI, NRE, OCI) have to choose the same form, 49A.
After entering all details asked in the form such as address, name, birth date, contact number, gender, and details related to the candidate’s income, click on the “Submit” button.
Then you have to pay the fees.

After making the payment, you will ask to publish the page along with the acknowledgment number of 15 digits.
Don’t forget to put the signature in the provided space.
Upload your photograph (passport sized) and also valid documents of identity proof, residential address, etc.
If your payment do through Demand Draft, evidence of that needs to be submitted as well.
After completing the online application process, you need to send all the documents to the office of NSDL via post. You’ll get 15 days time for that.
They will send you your PAN Card to your residential address within 15 days.

How to apply for a PAN Card offline?

Download the application form for PAN Card from the official site of NSDL or any UTIISL site. You’ll easily get a copy of the application form, from any UTIISL agent.
Fill in the application form following all their instructions correctly.
You need to submit this form along with all supporting documents and the required fee to the office of NSDL in your district.
They will send your PAN Card to your home within 15 days of your form submission.

To receive a PAN Card, two kinds of forms are available:

Form 49A: This application form is for all citizens of India, whether they reside in the country or outside the country. So, NRIs also can apply for PAN Card by filling up this form.

NGOs, companies, local bodies, and trusts need to submit this form at the time of applying for a PAN Card.
Students and minors also need to submit the form 49A.

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Form 49AA: When foreign nationals apply for PAN Card in India, they fill up the form 49AA to pay tax. Companies, bodies, and trusts that registered outside the country also have to fill up this form for paying tax. Both Non-Resident Entity (NRE) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) can apply to get a PAN card with the help of the form, 49AA.

You can Apply for a PAN Card in any of these Websites:

PAN Card Customer Care Number: 020 27218080