If you are an NRI, which has both PAN card and Aadhaar card then it is must for you to link your PAN card with the Aadhaar card. Failing to do so, will result in their PAN card cancellation. Though I have not seen any official news on that this is what many newspapers in India quote. On other hands, it's not legal for NRIs to get the Aadhaar card because it is only for the residents of India i.e. anyone currently living in India, irrespective of their citizenship. This means, both foreigners and Indias with foreign passports e.g. OCI and PIO holder can apply and get Aadhaar card if they are currently living in India.
The Aadhaar card gives you a 12 digit unique identification number, similar to social security numbers in the USA and Canada. Aadhaar also keeps a record of your biometric details. The move from government to link PAN Card with the Aadhaar card is inspired by the fact that many people hold multiple PAN cards and use them to evade tax.
The fact is more obvious with currently 25 crore PAN card issued as opposed to 11 crore Aadhaar card. By linking Aadhaar and PAN card, they will remove all those multiple PAN cards.
Though, if you are an NRI and don't have an Aadhaar card but hold a PAN card, you don't need to worry. For the time being NRIs are exempted from linking their PAN card with Aadhaar card, but only if they don't have any Aadhaar number and don't intend to get it in near future, but if you do have both Aadhaar and PAN card, it is must link both of them.
They are also exempted to quote Aadhaar number while filing income tax returns for this year because it's not legal for them to obtain Aadhaar number as they live outside of India.
Many of my NRI friends have also received a letter from Income tax department to link their PAN card with the Aadhaar card, as it's mandatory from 1st July 2017 to link Aadhaar to PAN for all people who hold both Aadhaar and PAN card.
Linking of PAN and Aadhaar is not very difficult. you can link your Aadhaar card with the PAN card even without login into the income tax portal in India.
Step 1:
Just go to www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and login to your profile, then go to the profile setting and click on the drop down menu – Link Aadhaar
The Aadhaar card gives you a 12 digit unique identification number, similar to social security numbers in the USA and Canada. Aadhaar also keeps a record of your biometric details. The move from government to link PAN Card with the Aadhaar card is inspired by the fact that many people hold multiple PAN cards and use them to evade tax.
The fact is more obvious with currently 25 crore PAN card issued as opposed to 11 crore Aadhaar card. By linking Aadhaar and PAN card, they will remove all those multiple PAN cards.
Though, if you are an NRI and don't have an Aadhaar card but hold a PAN card, you don't need to worry. For the time being NRIs are exempted from linking their PAN card with Aadhaar card, but only if they don't have any Aadhaar number and don't intend to get it in near future, but if you do have both Aadhaar and PAN card, it is must link both of them.
They are also exempted to quote Aadhaar number while filing income tax returns for this year because it's not legal for them to obtain Aadhaar number as they live outside of India.
Many of my NRI friends have also received a letter from Income tax department to link their PAN card with the Aadhaar card, as it's mandatory from 1st July 2017 to link Aadhaar to PAN for all people who hold both Aadhaar and PAN card.
Linking of PAN and Aadhaar is not very difficult. you can link your Aadhaar card with the PAN card even without login into the income tax portal in India.
How to Link PAN Card to Aadhaar Card Online?
Here is the step by step guide to link your PAN card with the Aadhaar card online:Step 1:
Just go to www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in and login to your profile, then go to the profile setting and click on the drop down menu – Link Aadhaar
Step 2:
Provide PAN, Aadhaar no. and enter your name as given in Aadhar card (avoid spelling mistakes) and submit. After verification from UIDAI which is the government website for Aadhaar and maintains all your personal data, the linking will be confirmed.
If there is any minor mismatch in the name provided in Aadhaar card, an Aadhaar OTP will be required. Please ensure that the date of birth and gender in PAN and Aadhaar are exactly same. Once you do this, it will display the message that "PAN card and Aadhar linking is successful".
In a rare case where Aadhaar name is completely different from name in PAN, then the linking will fail and the taxpayer will be prompted to change the name in either Aadhaar or in the PAN database.
Btw, you can also link your Aadhaar card with the PAN card without even logging into the income tax website. It has a page where you just need to enter both PAN and Aadhar number and click the link, as shown here.
That's all about whether it's mandatory for NRIs to link PAN card with Aadhaar or not. It's not mandatory if you don't have Aadhaar card and don't intend to apply for it in near future. If you living outside India, obviously you cannot apply until you go to India. You also need to make a declaration that you are not an NRI. But, if you have an Aadhaar card and PAN card, it's better to link both of them online.
Provide PAN, Aadhaar no. and enter your name as given in Aadhar card (avoid spelling mistakes) and submit. After verification from UIDAI which is the government website for Aadhaar and maintains all your personal data, the linking will be confirmed.
In a rare case where Aadhaar name is completely different from name in PAN, then the linking will fail and the taxpayer will be prompted to change the name in either Aadhaar or in the PAN database.
Btw, you can also link your Aadhaar card with the PAN card without even logging into the income tax website. It has a page where you just need to enter both PAN and Aadhar number and click the link, as shown here.
That's all about whether it's mandatory for NRIs to link PAN card with Aadhaar or not. It's not mandatory if you don't have Aadhaar card and don't intend to apply for it in near future. If you living outside India, obviously you cannot apply until you go to India. You also need to make a declaration that you are not an NRI. But, if you have an Aadhaar card and PAN card, it's better to link both of them online.
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Thanks for reading this article so far, if you like this article then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.
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Thanks for reading this article so far, if you like this article then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.
NRIs are not required but there is a good news for residents which are required to link their Aadhaar with PAN card. The deadline to link your Aadaar to PAN card is now extended upto 31st December from the 5th August 2017. btw, the returns filed by those who have not linked their Aadhaar card with PAN card will not be processed until they link their aadhaar with PAN.
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