What Is An e-PAN? How To Download e-PAN?

The concept of a digital identification proof was not only introduced by the Indian government to promote digitalisation but to make the issue of ID proofs, like PAN, faster than it used to be. A new applicant of a PAN card can now be able to receive it in digital form automatically.

If you an existing PAN holder, you can download your e-PAN to be able to use it as handy ID proof anytime without having to carry the physical card everywhere.

According to a recent notification by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), e-PAN is now a valid mode of issuance of PAN in India. It will be accepted everywhere as a valid government issued ID proof.

While the current application process takes time, the Finance Ministry said that is it working on issuing instant e-PAN in less than 10 minutes of applying by using Aadhaar based e-KYC by starting real-time PAN card processing centres.

What Is e-PAN?

An e-PAN is simply the digital or electronic form of a PAN, just like e-mail is the electronic form of a physical mail. It contains the holder's name, father's or mother's name, date of birth, photograph and signature along with the PAN number.

In addition to the basic details, the e-PAN also has a QR Code which contains biometric information (scanned photograph and signature) of the PAN holder. The QR code can be used for PAN verification purposes offline using the PAN QR Code Reader app.

The e-PAN will be sent to the applicant via e-mail to the e-mail address mentioned on the application form. Both new applicants and existing card holders can avail the service.

How To Download e-PAN?

New Applicants

If you do not hold a PAN (permanent account number), you can apply for one with NSDL (National Securities Depository Limited) at www.onlineservices.nsdl.com or with UTIITSL (UTI Infrastructure Technology And Services Limited) at www.pan.utiitsl.com. These are the two official issuers of the numbers.

You will automatically receive the e-PAN in your e-mail inbox for free, however, a physical PAN card will cost Rs 107.

If you have recently received a new PAN (in the last 30 days), you can download the electronic form from the service provider's official website for free. If you applied on NSDL, click on this link to download e-PAN by providing the acknowledgment number of the application.

Existing PAN holders

If you already hold a PAN, you can download e-PAN from both UTI and NSDL websites. You can directly apply for e-PAN from the NSDL website by providing your PAN and Aadhaar number.

Note that this is a paid service and these issuers will charge you a nominal fee.

It is only free for PAN applications submitted to NSDL e-Gov where PAN is allotted or changes are confirmed by Income Tax Department within last 30 days, e-PAN. They will have to download it from the following URL:
https://www.onlineservices.nsdl.com/paam/MPanLogin.html

All other users will have to pay a fee of Rs 8.26 (inclusive of taxes) everytime you want to download a copy of the e-PAN through NSDL website. You can download the e-PAN from the following URL:

https://www.onlineservices.nsdl.com/paam/ReprintDownloadEPan.html

Make sure your Aadhaar is linked with PAN. Note that PAN will become invalid if not linked with Aadhaar by 31 August 2019.