If you are an adult with no PAN, an Aadhaar number and a mobile number linked to that Aadhaar, you can get a PAN for free on the Income Tax e-Filing portal in one sitting. The service is called Instant e-PAN. You verify with an Aadhaar OTP, receive an acknowledgement number by SMS, and then download the e-PAN. This page explains the conditions, the steps, and what to do when the portal turns you away.
Before you start
The Income Tax Department’s user manual sets these conditions:
- You are an individual with no PAN today.
- You are 18 or older.
- You have a valid Aadhaar number, and a mobile number linked to it. The OTP goes only to that number.
- You are not a representative assessee under section 160 of the Income Tax Act.
The portal rejects the request in two situations that are worth knowing about in advance. One is when the Aadhaar you enter is already linked to a PAN. The other is when the Aadhaar has no active mobile number linked. Foreign citizens cannot use the Aadhaar e-KYC route at all, according to the FAQ.
One more point. The FAQ says that if the date of birth in your Aadhaar is only a year, with no day and month, the application will not go through, and you should correct the Aadhaar first.
Steps
- Open the e-Filing portal home page and choose Instant e-PAN from the quick links.
- Select Get New e-PAN.
- Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number, tick the confirmation box and continue.
- Read the consent text, tick the box and continue.
- Enter the 6-digit OTP sent to your Aadhaar mobile. It stays valid for 15 minutes and you have three attempts. Tick the Aadhaar validation box and continue.
- Accept the terms on the next screen. You can optionally validate or link an email ID with another OTP. Continue.
- You get an acknowledgement number on screen and by SMS. Keep it.
Email is optional here, but the manual notes it becomes mandatory later when you register an e-Filing account, so doing it now saves a step.
The portal’s wording can change. If a button is called something slightly different when you get there, follow the portal. The order above is what the department’s manual describes.
After you submit: status and download
If you are unsure whether it went through, use the status page rather than applying again.
- From the home page, go to Instant e-PAN, then Check Status / Download e-PAN.
- Enter your Aadhaar number and the OTP.
- When the PAN is ready you can view or download the e-PAN from that page.
If you later register and log in, the department also lists Dashboard > Services > View / Download e-PAN, with the same Aadhaar OTP check. Our guide to downloading your e-PAN covers that path.
Which route should you use?
| Situation | Route |
|---|---|
| Adult, no PAN, Aadhaar with linked mobile | Instant e-PAN (free) |
| Already have a PAN, need a copy | Download e-PAN or Know Your PAN |
| Details on your PAN are wrong | PAN correction |
| Need a printed card | Reprint PAN card |
| Instant e-PAN fails or does not apply to you | Regular application through Protean (NSDL) or UTIITSL |
The Income Tax Department’s apply-for-PAN page lists a charge of Rs 91 plus GST for the Protean online application with an Indian address, with documents sent by post. Check the agency’s own page for the amount that applies when you apply, because agency charges are revised.
Common reasons it does not work
“Already linked with a PAN.” You probably have one, perhaps allotted long ago. Find the existing one through Know Your PAN rather than trying other routes to get a second.
No mobile linked to Aadhaar. Update the number at UIDAI first. Our Aadhaar mobile update guide shows the options.
Name or date of birth in Aadhaar looks wrong. The department’s FAQ says to correct Aadhaar details through the UIDAI website or an enrolment centre and then retry, so fix Aadhaar first.
You are not eligible. Minors and representative assessees are outside this service. The department’s pages direct applicants who cannot use Instant e-PAN to the Protean or UTIITSL application.
One help page for this service also mentions a DigiLocker account with date-of-birth documents among its conditions, which the step-by-step manual does not. If the portal asks you to use DigiLocker, follow the prompt.
Staying safe
The only free, official route is the Income Tax portal. Do not share your Aadhaar OTP with anyone who calls, messages or runs a website offering “instant PAN”. The OTP is the only thing standing between a stranger and your Aadhaar-verified identity.
Official sources
- Instant e-PAN user manual
- Instant e-PAN FAQ
- Instant e-PAN help page
- Apply for PAN (Income Tax Department)
- Instant e-PAN on the e-Filing portal
Details checked against the Income Tax Department’s help pages on 5 October 2026. Back to the PAN services hub.
EasyApplications.in is an independent information site and is not affiliated with the Income Tax Department. Confirm details on the official portal before you apply.