How to Apply for a PAN Card Online: Instant e-PAN, Protean and UTIITSL

Quick answer: If you are an adult with Aadhaar and a mobile number linked to it, the fastest way to get a PAN is the free Instant e-PAN service on the Income Tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in). Everyone else, including minors, NRIs, foreign citizens and companies, applies online through Protean (onlineservices.proteantech.in) or UTIITSL (pan.utiitsl.com) using the new Form 93 to 96. A physical card dispatched in India costs about ₹107 including GST; check the fee on the portal before you pay.

Which way should you apply?

Protean is the new name of NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure, which older guides (including an earlier version of this article) call “NSDL”. Its old web addresses no longer work.

Option 1: Instant e-PAN (free, for adults with Aadhaar)

The Income Tax Department’s Instant e-PAN service uses your Aadhaar details to allot a PAN. According to the e-filing portal’s FAQ, you need a valid Aadhaar linked to an active mobile number, you must not already have a PAN, and you must not be a minor. The portal also sends you to DigiLocker to fetch a proof of date of birth, such as a driving licence, birth certificate or Class 10 certificate, and you can create a DigiLocker account during the process if you do not have one.

1. Go to incometax.gov.in and choose Instant e-PAN under Quick Links.
2. Select Get New e-PAN and enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
3. Accept the consent terms and enter the 6-digit OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile. The OTP is valid for 15 minutes, and you get three attempts.
4. Complete the DigiLocker step for your date-of-birth proof, check the details pulled from Aadhaar, and add an email ID if you want the e-PAN emailed to you.
5. Submit and note the acknowledgement number.
6. Later, choose Check Status / Download e-PAN on the same page, enter your Aadhaar number and OTP, and download the e-PAN once it has been allotted.

The e-PAN is a digitally signed PDF. If you also want a plastic card, you can order a reprint for a fee; see our guide to reprinting a PAN card.

Option 2: Apply online through Protean or UTIITSL

Choose the right form

From 1 April 2026, PAN applications use new forms under the Income-tax Rules, 2026. UTIITSL states that the old Form 49A, Form 49AA and the old change-request form are not accepted after 31 March 2026.

• Form 93: individuals who are Indian citizens, including Indian citizens living abroad.
• Form 94: other Indian applicants, such as HUFs, companies, firms, LLPs and trusts.
• Form 95 and Form 96: foreign citizens and foreign entities.

Steps on the Protean portal

1. Open the Protean PAN portal and choose the new PAN application, selecting Form 93 (or Form 94), your category and your title.
2. You get a temporary token number, also sent to your email, so you can save the form and come back to it.
3. Fill in your details. Quoting your Aadhaar number is mandatory unless you are in an exempt category, and the name as per Aadhaar is the one printed on the card. Mobile number and email ID are both mandatory on Form 93.
4. Choose how you will submit documents: paperless (Aadhaar e-KYC with e-Sign, or scanned documents with e-Sign or a digital signature certificate) or physical (posting the signed acknowledgement and documents).
5. Say whether you want a physical card or only an e-PAN, then pay online.
6. Save the acknowledgement. It carries a 15-digit acknowledgement number that you use to track the application.

If you chose the physical mode

Print the acknowledgement, paste two recent colour photographs with a white background, sign across the left-hand photo (part on the photo, part on the paper) and sign in the box provided. Form 93 asks for photos of 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm. Enclose your proofs of identity, address and date of birth and a copy of your Aadhaar, and write “APPLICATION FOR PAN — N-” followed by your 15-digit acknowledgement number on the envelope.

Protean says the papers should reach it within 15 days of the online application, at: Income Tax PAN Services Unit (managed by Protean eGov Technologies Limited), 4th Floor, Sapphire Chambers, Baner Road, Baner, Pune 411045. An earlier version of this article gave an older Protean address at Mantri Sterling, Model Colony, Pune; do not use it.

Our list of documents required for a PAN application explains which proofs are accepted.

Protean fees

Protean’s published fees, including taxes, are:

Protean notes that UIDAI’s Aadhaar authentication or e-KYC charges and e-Sign charges are added on top. Card payments may carry a gateway fee of up to 2%, and net banking a small surcharge. UTIITSL lists ₹107 for a card in India, ₹1,017 for dispatch abroad and ₹72 for e-PAN only. Fees change, so check the amount on the payment page before you pay.

PAN for minors

A minor cannot use Instant e-PAN, but a parent or guardian can apply through Protean or UTIITSL. On Form 93, the representative assessee section (the parent or guardian) is mandatory for a minor. The minor’s Aadhaar is quoted along with the parent’s or guardian’s proof of identity and address, and the date-of-birth proof must be the minor’s own. For a child born on or after 1 October 2023, Protean’s document list makes a birth certificate from the municipal authority or registrar mandatory as date-of-birth proof.

PAN for NRIs and foreign citizens

• Indian citizens living abroad (NRIs) use Form 93. Passport number is mandatory for non-residents, and the Form 93 notes ask non-resident applicants to give a representative assessee with an Indian address. A bank statement from your country of residence or an NRE account statement can be used as proof of address.
• Foreign citizens, including Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), use Form 95. A passport, OCI card or Person of Indian Origin card is accepted as proof of identity; some other documents need an apostille or attestation by an Indian embassy.
• Delivery of a card abroad costs ₹1,017 or ₹1,011 depending on the mode, as shown above.

NRIs are among the groups exempt from compulsory PAN-Aadhaar linking, so check the exempt-category rules on the portal when you fill the Aadhaar field.

Tracking your application

Protean says you can check status about three days after applying, using your 15-digit acknowledgement number on its status-track page, its automated IVR on 080-69708080 or WhatsApp on 8096078080. UTIITSL tracks applications by application/coupon number or PAN. Our guide on checking your PAN application status walks through both.

What was wrong in the older version of this guide

• It asked for four photographs. Applications need two.
• It quoted a fee of about ₹110. The current Protean fee for a card in India is ₹107 including taxes (or less for paperless and e-PAN-only applications).
• It said PAN is mostly needed for transactions “above ₹50,000”. The list of transactions that need PAN, and their limits, was revised on 1 April 2026, so check the current rule for your transaction.
• It said PAN can be used for a driving licence or scholarship. PAN is a tax identifier; it may be accepted as a photo ID in some places, but it is not proof of address.

Frequently asked questions

Is a PAN card free?

The Instant e-PAN on incometax.gov.in is free. Applications through Protean or UTIITSL carry a fee, from ₹66 for a paperless e-PAN-only application to ₹107 for a physical card in India, according to Protean.

Can I apply if I already have a PAN?

No. Nobody may hold more than one PAN, and the penalty can be ₹10,000. If you have lost your card, request a reprint or download your e-PAN instead. If you have forgotten the number, see how to find your own PAN number.

Do I have to link my new PAN with Aadhaar?

Aadhaar is quoted on the application itself, so a PAN allotted on your Aadhaar number is generally linked from the start; you can confirm this with the Aadhaar link status check on the e-filing portal. People who received a PAN using only an Aadhaar Enrolment ID had to link it separately. See our guide to linking Aadhaar with PAN and other documents.

Is e-PAN valid without a physical card?

Yes. The e-PAN is a digitally signed copy issued by the Income Tax Department’s agencies and carries the same PAN. A physical card is optional.

Should I use an agent?

You do not need one. Apply directly on incometax.gov.in, Protean or UTIITSL, or at an authorised PAN centre. Avoid websites that charge extra fees to “process” your application.

This guide was checked in October 2026 against the Income Tax e-filing portal’s Instant e-PAN FAQ, Protean’s Form 93/94 application pages and fee table, UTIITSL’s PAN portal and PIB’s PAN 2.0 releases. Fees and forms changed on 1 April 2026, so confirm details on the official portal before you pay or apply.