The Aadhar card is a 12-digit unique-identity number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to all the residents of India based on their biometric and demographic data.
The Aadhar is provided to all residents of the country – that is, they should have been resident in India for more than 182 days. This automatically means that Non-Resident Indians (NRI) are not eligible for the Aadhaar card if they have not stayed in India for 182 days or more in the last 12 months, preceding the date of application.
Procedure to apply for Aadhar
• Locate an Aadhar enrolment center by logging into https://appointments.uidai.gov.in/centersearch.aspx and search for the center closest to you
• Book an appointment online or visit the center directly with the required documents.
o The main documentation needed are copies of identification proof, address proof and proof of birth.
• The following are any of the documents that can be submitted as identification proof. These need to be in the correct name and contain a photograph.
1. Passport.
2. Ration card or PDS photo card.
3. PAN card.
4. Driving license.
5. Voter ID.
6. NREGS job card.
7. Government photo ID cards or PSU issued service photo identity card.
8. Arms license.
9. Photo ID issued by a recognized educational institution.
10. Photo credit card.
11. Photo bank ATM card.
12. Kissan photo passbook.
13. Pensioner photo card.
14. Freedom fighter photo card.
15. ECHS/ CGHS photo card.
16. Certificate of identity that has photo issued by gazetted officer or tehsildar on a letterhead.
17. Address card that has name and photo issued by the department of posts.
18. Disability ID card or handicapped medical certificate that is issued by the respective state or union territory government or administrators
• Apart from ID proof, one also needs to provide proof of residence though any of the following documents:
1. Bank statement or passbook.
2. Ration card.
3. Passport.
4. Post office statement or passbook.
5. Voter id.
6. Government photo id cards or PSU issued service photo identity card.
7. Driving license.
8. Water bill (not more than 3 months old).
9. Electricity bill (not more than 3 months old).
10. Property tax receipt (not more than 1 year old).
11. Landline telephone bill (not more than 3 months old).
12. Credit card statement (not more than 3 months old).
13. Signed letter with photo from the bank on a letterhead.
14. Insurance policy.
15. Signed letter with photo issued by a recognized educational institution on a letterhead.
16. Signed letter with photo and is issued by a registered company on a letterhead.
17. Arms license.
18. NREGS job card.
19. Pensioner card.
20. Kissan passbook.
21. Freedom fighter card.
22. Income tax assessment order.
23. ECHS/ CGHS card.
24. Certificate of address issued by the head of village panchayat or an equivalent authority
25. Certificate of address with photo issued by a MLA or MP or tehsildar or gazetted officer on a letterhead.
26. Vehicle registration certificate.
27. Registered lease/ sale/ rent agreement.
28. Caste and domicile certificate with photo issued by the state government.
29. Address card with photo issued by the department of posts.
30. Gas connection bill (not more than 3 months old).
31. Disability ID card or handicapped medical certificate issued by the respective state or union territory government.
32. Passport of parents
33. Passport of spouse.
34. Marriage certificate with address issued by the government.
35. Allotment letter of accommodation that is issued by the state or central government and is not older than 3 years
• Proof of birth is also necessary and some of the documents that can serve as proof of date of birth include
1. SSLC Book/Certificate
2. Passport
3. Certificate of Date of Birth issued by Group A Gazetted Officer on letterhead
4. PAN card
5. Mark sheets issued by Government Board or University
6. Government Photo ID Card
• Fill the enrollment form either by printing it from here or getting it from the enrollment center
• At the enrollment center your bio metrics – your fingerprints from all fingers of both hands, iris scan of both eyes and facial photograph – are taken.
• Once this is done, and the documents are submitted, you will get an acknowledgement slip of your enrollment which has a unique 14-digit enrollment number to help keep track of the application status.
• The data that you have provided will be confirmed and on successful verification, the Aadhaar number will be sent to your address through post. It can take up to 90 days for the Aadhaar card to be sent.
• You can also download your e-Aadhaar by clicking “Download Aadhaar” on https://uidai.gov.in . This document has the same validity as the printed version and can be used as a proof of identity.
How does one change details on the Aadhar card?
Nowadays the Aadhar has become essential to avail many essential services and errors on the card can lead to problems in linking to other databases or receiving facilities.
Some of the information that can be changed or corrected includes:
1. Name
2. Address
3. Date of Birth
4. Gender
5. Mobile number
6. Email Id
The following procedure details how to make corrections in the above fields of the Aadhar card.
Offline Method
• Go to the nearest Aadhar center and get a Aadhar card correction form.
• Fill the form and submit it along with the copy of the Aadhar card and some identity proof such as a PAN card.
• Give the required bio-metric details verification such as fingerprints and/or iris scan .
• An acknowledgment slip will be provided and changes will be made in a few days.
• An Aadhaar holder looking to correct or update the address though post can download the form from the UIDAI website.
Online
• Login to the UIDAI updation website https://ssup.uidai.gov.in/web/guest/update with your Aadhar and the OTP sent to the registered mobile number
• Choose the field that needs updation
• Upload scanned copies of supporting documents
• Select BPO Service Provider and submit request
• You can check the updation status with the help of your Aadhaar and URN (Update Request Number).
Points to be noted regarding biometrics:
• If a child below the age of 5 has been enrolled for Aadhar, all biometric information has to be updated after the child turns 5 years. The card issued to such minor children will be blue in colour. The Aadhar number will however continue to be the same as before the re-enrollment.
• A child has to furnish all biometrics for updates when he/she reaches 15 years
• Residents are recommended updation of their biometric data every 10 years
Linking with other identity proof documents
The Aadhar card needs to be linked with various other government identifications, most importantly the PAN card, ration card etc.
In order to link Aadhaar with PAN, your demographic details should match. If there are differences in name, gender or date of birth, then the details need to get updated/ corrected in one of the ID documents before the linking is attempted.
How to link Aadhar with PAN card?
• Visit this site and submit the correct PAN and Aadhar numbers along with the OTP to link the two identity documents
• The name, date of birth and gender will be validated across both documents and so needs to be identical.
• If the name has minor variations, a One Time Password will be sent to the mobile registered with Aadhaar. However, the gender and date of birth should be the same.
• A major difference in names means the two IDs will not be linked. In such a case, the name in one of the documents should be corrected before proceeding with the linkage.
Permanent Account Number (PAN)
The PAN or Permanent Account Number, is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric identity issued by the Income Tax department of India to all tax payers. The PAN has been made mandatory for almost all financial transactions, so as to track taxable transactions.
Why Get a PAN?
Anybody who earns a taxable income in India or who needs to file a return, including foreign nationals and business entities must have a PAN card. PAN cards are mandatory for the following:
• Individuals whose total income exceeds the threshold amount which is not chargeable to tax.
• Charitable Trusts,
• Individuals carrying on any business or profession whose total sales, turnover, or gross receipts are or is likely to exceed Rs 5,00,000 in any financial year.
• For obtaining Import Export code by Importer/Exporter.
• Individuals who are entitled to receive any sum or income after deduction of tax at source (TDS).
• Individuals who intend to do specified financial transactions where PAN is compulsorily required such as purchase of real estate, gold or vehicles, investments in stocks or mutual funds, banking transactions such as opening a new account, availing loans or applying for credit cards.
• NRIs also need to apply for PAN if they fall into any of the above categories.
Procedure to apply for PAN Card
The income tax department allows PAN applications through two agencies: NSDL (National Securities Depository Ltd) and UTIITSL (UTI Infrastructure Technology and Services Ltd).
Procedure for PAN application
1. Form 49A is the application form for Indian citizens (to be filled online on the NSDL website at or on the UTIITSL website while 49AA is the form foreign nationals need to use
2. There are detailed guidelines available on the NDSL website on procedures to fill in the form
3. One can opt to submit all documents either physically, through E-KYC or E-sign methods.
4. Documents to be submitted with the forms include the following:
a. Proof of Identity (any of the following can be submitted)
i. Aadhaar Card issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India;
ii. Voter ID card;
iii. Driving License;
iv. Passport;
v. Ration card having photograph of the applicant;
vi. Arm’s license;
vii. Photo identity card issued by the Central Government or State Government or
PSU;
viii. Pensioner card having photograph of the applicant;
ix. Central Government Health Service Scheme Card or Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme photo card
x. Certificate of identity in Original signed by a Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councilor or a Gazetted officer
xi. Bank certificate on letter head from the branch (along with name and stamp of the issuing officer) containing duly attested photograph and bank account number of the applicant
b. Proof of Address (any of the following can be submitted)
i. Aadhaar Card issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India;
ii. Elector’s photo identity card;
iii. Driving License;
iv. Passport;
v. Passport of the spouse;
vi. Post office passbook having address of the applicant;
vii. Latest property tax assessment order;
viii. Domicile certificate issued by the Government;
ix. Allotment letter of accommodation issued by Central or State Government of not more than three years old;
x. Property Registration Document;
xi. Electricity Bill
xii. Landline Telephone or Broadband connection bill
xiii. Water Bill
xiv. Consumer gas connection card or book or piped gas bill
xv. Bank account statement
xvi. Depository account statement
xvii. Credit card statement
xviii. Certificate of Address in Original signed by a Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councilor or a Gazetted officer,
xix. Employer certificate in original
c. Proof of Date of birth (any of the following can be submitted if they bear the name, date, month and year of birth of the applicant)
i. Aadhaar card issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India;
ii. Elector’s photo identity card;
iii. Driving license;
iv. Passport;
v. Matriculation certificate or Mark sheet of recognised board;
vi. Birth certificate issued by the municipal authority;
vii. Photo identity card issued by the Central Government or State Government or PSU;
viii. Domicile certificate issued by the Government;
ix. Central Government Health Service Scheme photo card or Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme photo card;
x. Pension payment order;
xi. Marriage certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriages;
xii. Affidavit sworn before a magistrate stating the date of birth
d. For a company, trust, body of individuals, local authority or artificial juridical person all the relevant documents need to be submitted;
i. Copy of certificate of registration issued by the registrar of companies, firms, LLPs or cooperative society (competent authority)
ii. Partnership deed
iii. Trust deed
5. Under the E-sign facility, one is required to upload the photograph, signature (in black ink) and supporting documents in a prescribed format.
6. After the form is submitted along with all relevant documents, an acknowledgement with a unique 15-digit number will be displayed.
7. –
8. Payments
Payment can be either made online or a demand draft should be attached to the acknowledgement posted.
If communication address is within India, Rs 110 is the cost of the PAN card processing. Payments can be made by credit or debit card or net banking or DD while submitting the application online.
If communication address is outside India, Rs 1020 is the cost of processing the application and payments can only be made via credit/debit cards or through DD.
E-KYC Facility
While filling the PAN application form online, there are three options to choose from for submitting documents; submit digitally through e-KYC and e-sign, submit scanned images through e-Sign and forward application documents physically. The e-sign and manual processes have been described above, but if one has an Aadhar number, then the paperless option is the easiest way to file for a PAN.
The paperless facility is called e-KYC and e-sign where Aadhar details are used to authenticate the person’s identity. Here, one does not need to upload images such as photo, signature or other supporting documents since the Aadhar will be used to get this information.
The Aadhar will need to be authenticated via OTP sent to the registered mobile number and once this is done a receipt is generated. Take a print out of the receipt with the 15-digit acknowledgement number, sign it and send it to NSDL at the address mentioned earlier.
In case the authentication is not successful, post the acknowledgement receipt with signature, photographs, and a photocopy of the documents uploaded to NSDL within 15 days of online application.
How to make changes in the PAN?
In the past, many people simply used to apply for a new PAN if any corrections had to be made. However, it is illegal to have more than one PAN so an application for correction or reprint needs to be made on the NSDL website to correct the first PAN. One can surrender any new PANs by filling the correction form and mentioning all other PAN(s) that may have been allotted. /paam/endUserRegisterContact.html should be filled and relevant amendments to the data should be made if required.
The remainder of the process is the same as applying for a new PAN; i.e. online submission of the form along with the relevant documents, payment of the processing charges, and posting the acknowledgment.
If the old PAN has been lost or misplaced, then the same process can be followed for a reprint of the PAN. But first, the loss should be reported at a police station to safeguard against any misuse of the document.
Sources
https://uidai.gov.in/
https://cleartax.in/s/how-to-apply-for-aadhaar-card
https://uidai.gov.in/your-aadhaar/help/faqs.html
https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.tin-nsdl.com/services/pan/instructions49A.html