Instant e-PAN: get a free PAN card online with Aadhaar, check status and download e-PAN

If you have never been given a PAN, you can get one free of cost from the Income Tax Department’s Instant e-PAN service on the e-Filing portal. You need three things: a valid Aadhaar, the mobile number linked to that Aadhaar, and DigiLocker access to share a date-of-birth document. You must not be a minor. The application has 11 steps, uses an Aadhaar OTP that is valid for 15 minutes with 3 attempts, and ends with an Acknowledgement Number. You then download the digitally signed e-PAN with just your 12-digit Aadhaar and an OTP. Everything below is taken from the official Instant e-PAN user manual on incometax.gov.in.

What is Instant e-PAN and who can get it?

Instant e-PAN is a pre-login service on the Income Tax e-Filing portal. It gives a digitally signed PAN in electronic format, free of cost, using your Aadhaar and the mobile number linked to it. The same service also lets you create an e-Filing account from your e-KYC details and check status or download the e-PAN before or after login.

Condition in the manual	What it means for you
Individual who has not been allotted a PAN	Only first-time applicants. If you already have a PAN, this is not the route.
Valid Aadhaar and mobile number linked to Aadhaar	OTPs go only to the Aadhaar-linked mobile.
Access to DigiLocker	Your date-of-birth proof is fetched from DigiLocker.
Not a minor on the date of request	Children cannot use Instant e-PAN.
Not a representative assessee (section 160 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 or section 303 of the Income Tax Act, 2025)	People applying on behalf of someone else, such as a guardian or agent, are excluded.

If you meet all five, you can apply online yourself without visiting any office.

Which documents do you need for Instant e-PAN?

You do not upload scans. The portal fetches your details from Aadhaar and from DigiLocker. Your DigiLocker account must hold at least one of these date-of-birth proofs:

1. Birth certificate issued by a municipal authority, an office authorised to issue birth and death certificates, the Registrar of Births and Deaths, or an Indian Consulate
2. Matriculation certificate
3. Driving licence
4. Matriculation marksheet issued by a recognised board
5. Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) card

You may select more than one document. The manual says that if several are selected, they are sorted alphabetically and the first one is used as date-of-birth proof. So pick carefully, and make sure the date of birth on that document matches your Aadhaar.

How do you apply for Instant e-PAN step by step?

1. Open the e-Filing portal homepage (incometax.gov.in) and click ‘Instant e-PAN’ in Quick Links.
2. On the e-PAN page, click ‘Get New e-PAN’.
3. Tick all four eligibility declaration boxes and the consent box for generating a PAN from DigiLocker data and Aadhaar e-KYC. Click Continue.
4. Read the disclaimer and click Continue. You are taken to DigiLocker.
5. Enter your Aadhaar or VID number and the captcha, then click Next.
6. Enter the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile.
7. Enter your 6-digit DigiLocker security PIN.
8. Select the document(s) to share for date-of-birth proof and click Allow.
9. On the Aadhaar validation page, enter the Aadhaar number for PAN allotment and click Generate OTP.
10. Enter the OTP received on your Aadhaar-linked mobile.
11. On the Aadhaar Details page, enter your father’s name, tick ‘I Accept that’ and click Submit.

After submission the portal shows a success message with an Acknowledgement Number, and you get a confirmation message on your Aadhaar-linked mobile. Write the number down.

Can you use a Virtual ID instead of your Aadhaar number?

Yes. At step 5 you can enter a VID (Virtual ID) instead of the Aadhaar number. The manual describes the VID as a temporary 16-digit number from UIDAI used for authentication and e-KYC. It is valid for 1 day and can be generated again at any time, free of cost.

The manual lists two ways to get it: on the UIDAI website through the Virtual ID option (Aadhaar number, captcha and OTP), or by SMS from your registered mobile — send GVID followed by the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar to 1947. Note that step 9 still asks for the Aadhaar number for PAN allotment.

What are the OTP and DigiLocker PIN rules?

Item	Rule from the manual
Aadhaar OTP validity	15 minutes only
Attempts to enter the correct OTP	3
Resend OTP	Generates and sends a new OTP
DigiLocker security PIN	6 digits, set when you first registered on DigiLocker; separate from Aadhaar, OTP or password
Forgot the PIN	Click ‘Forgot security PIN?’, verify by OTP, set a new 6-digit PIN

A countdown timer on screen shows when the OTP will expire. If your phone has weak signal, move to a better spot before starting, because the OTP is the step most people get stuck on.

How do you check status and download your e-PAN?

Without logging in:

1. On the e-Filing homepage, click ‘Instant e-PAN’ in Quick Links.
2. Click Continue on the Check Status / Download e-PAN tile.
3. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar and click Continue.
4. Enter the 6-digit OTP and click ‘Validate Aadhaar OTP and Continue’.
5. The page shows the status. If the e-PAN has been allotted, click ‘View e-PAN’ or ‘Download e-PAN’.

After logging in: go to Services, then View / Download e-PAN, enter your Aadhaar, validate the OTP and download.

The same status page also has a ‘Create e-Filing Account’ button, so you can register right away.

What errors can stop your e-PAN?

The manual mentions two error situations:

• Aadhaar and DigiLocker details do not match. Fix the mismatch first — usually your name or date of birth differs between Aadhaar and the document in DigiLocker.
• A PAN is already allotted and linked with that Aadhaar, or the Aadhaar is linked with some other PAN. Instant e-PAN is only for people with no PAN, so you cannot get a second one this way.

If you see either error, do not keep retrying. Correct the record at its source (UIDAI for Aadhaar, the issuing body for the DigiLocker document) and then apply again.

What should you do after getting the e-PAN?

Two things are worth doing at once.

Register on the e-Filing portal. The manual says you need to register yourself on the portal after receiving the e-PAN; only then can you log in. You can do this from the ‘Create e-Filing Account’ button on the status page.

Validate your e-mail. Linking or validating the e-mail ID registered with Aadhaar is optional while applying for e-PAN. But if you skip it, the manual says it is compulsory during e-Filing registration. The OTP for e-mail validation also comes on your Aadhaar-linked mobile.

You may need a PAN for bank, scheme or job paperwork. Our other citizen guides cover the Jan Dhan account and the e-Shram card.

What does the official manual not say?

• How long allotment takes. The manual does not give a time limit. Other websites quote a few minutes, but that is not in the official text.
• A printed PAN card. The manual covers only the electronic e-PAN. It says nothing about a physical card or its fee.
• Minors, or people without Aadhaar or DigiLocker. The manual only says such cases are outside Instant e-PAN; it does not explain their route. It also says nothing about NRIs.
• Correcting an existing PAN. Not covered here.

For these cases, check the Income Tax e-Filing portal or the department’s helpdesk listed there. Never pay an agent for Instant e-PAN — the official service is free.