Guidance & official links

PAN Card Online — Apply, e-PAN, Correction & Status

PAN (Permanent Account Number) is the ten-character identifier issued by the Income Tax Department that ties your tax filings, bank accounts and major financial transactions together. This guide explains, in plain language, which official route applies to your situation — a brand-new PAN, a correction, an e-PAN download or a status check.

ToolBandhu is an independent information and guidance website. We are not affiliated with the Government of India, the Income Tax Department, Protean, or UTIITSL. PAN applications and related services are completed on the respective official portals.

How to Get a New PAN

There are two broad routes to a new PAN. Which one applies depends on whether you are an individual with a valid Aadhaar and whether you meet the eligibility conditions the Income Tax Department publishes for its Instant e-PAN service.

A. Instant e-PAN (Income Tax e-Filing portal)

The Income Tax Department currently provides a free online Instant e-PAN service for eligible individuals who have not already been allotted a PAN. The application is Aadhaar-based and completed entirely on the official e-Filing portal.

Current prerequisites shown by the Income Tax Department

  • You are an individual who has not already been allotted a PAN.
  • You have a valid Aadhaar.
  • Your mobile number is linked with your Aadhaar (OTP verification is used).
  • You meet the other eligibility restrictions displayed by the Income Tax Department on the Instant e-PAN service page at the time you apply.

Eligibility rules can change. Confirm the conditions on the official portal before you begin.

Get Instant e-PAN — Official Income Tax Portal

B. Regular PAN application

If the Instant e-PAN route does not apply to you — for example you are not an individual, you do not have Aadhaar-linked mobile access, or the portal shows you as ineligible — you apply through the PAN service providers authorised by the Income Tax Department. Details are in the next section.

Apply for PAN — Income Tax Department

How to Apply for PAN Through the Regular Route

The Income Tax Department has authorised two service providers to accept and process PAN applications. Both handle new PAN applications as well as changes and reprints. Apply on either provider's own website — not through an agent or a third-party site.

  • UTI Infrastructure Technology and Services Limited (UTIITSL)

    Authorised PAN service provider. Its PAN portal covers new PAN applications, changes or correction requests, reprint and e-PAN facilities, along with the current fee and document requirements.

    PAN Services — UTIITSL

  • Protean eGov Technologies Limited

    Authorised PAN service provider (formerly NSDL e-Governance). Its PAN pages explain the online application process and its network of TIN facilitation and PAN centres.

    PAN Services — Protean

PAN Card Correction / Update

If you already hold a PAN and something on it is wrong or out of date, you do not apply for a new PAN. You raise a change or correction request through one of the authorised PAN service channels. Common examples include:

  • Name (including a change after marriage or a spelling correction)
  • Date of birth
  • Address on record
  • Contact details such as email and mobile number

Not every field follows the same procedure. The proofs required, whether an Aadhaar-based electronic route is available, and the fee all depend on the field being changed and the provider you use — so read the instructions shown on the provider's own portal before you start.

PAN change/correction — UTIITSLPAN change/correction — Protean online application

Download / Get e-PAN

An e-PAN is a digitally signed PDF copy of your PAN. Where you can download it depends on how and where your PAN was issued — there is no single portal that serves every PAN holder.

  • PAN obtained through Instant e-PAN: use the Instant e-PAN status and download facility on the Income Tax e-Filing portal.
  • PAN processed by UTIITSL: use the e-PAN facility on the UTIITSL PAN portal, subject to the conditions shown there.
  • PAN processed by Protean: use the e-PAN facility on Protean's PAN service pages, subject to the conditions shown there.

Some download options are free only within a certain period after issue, and a charge may apply afterwards. The portal states the current position when you use it.

Instant e-PAN — Income Tax portale-PAN facility — UTIITSL

Check PAN Application / e-PAN Status

Check status on the portal that matches the route you used to apply. An application made through one provider cannot be tracked on another provider's website.

  • Instant e-PAN: the e-Filing portal's Instant e-PAN service shows the status and the download option.
  • UTIITSL application: use the status facility on the UTIITSL PAN portal with your application coupon number.
  • Protean application: use the status facility on Protean's online PAN application site with your acknowledgement number.
Income Tax e-Filing portalUTIITSL PAN portalProtean online PAN application

Documents and Information You May Need

There is no single document list that applies to everyone. What you need depends on the applicant type — individual, minor, HUF, firm, company, foreign national — and on the route you choose.

For Instant e-PAN

The Income Tax Department's prerequisites are a valid Aadhaar, a mobile number linked with that Aadhaar for OTP verification, and no PAN already allotted to you. The service is Aadhaar-based, so no separate document upload is part of it.

For a regular application

Proof of identity, proof of address and proof of date of birth are generally required, but the accepted documents differ by applicant category and are revised from time to time. Check the current document list published by UTIITSL or Protean for your applicant type before you begin, and keep clear scans ready in the sizes the portal specifies.

PAN Safety Tips

  • Never share your PAN, Aadhaar number, OTP, password or payment details with ToolBandhu.
  • Enter sensitive information only on the official government or authorised provider website.
  • Check the address bar and confirm the domain before entering any personal information.
  • Do not apply for another PAN if one has already been allotted to you.
  • Keep your acknowledgement or reference number safely until the PAN is delivered.

Official PAN Websites

These are the only websites you need for PAN. Anything else offering to "process" your PAN is not an official channel.

How to Use This Guide

  1. 1Choose the PAN service you need — new PAN, correction, download or status.
  2. 2Read the relevant guidance on this page.
  3. 3Open the official portal using the clearly labelled link.
  4. 4Complete the process on the official portal.
  5. 5Keep your acknowledgement or reference details safely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful ToolBandhu tools

Free tools that often come in handy while preparing a PAN application on the official portal.

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