In this article, I'll answered some of the frequently asked questions about Aadhaar card and PAN card and their linking for NRIs and Indians living abroad. Though, the most important thing to remember is that NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card and they are also exempted from quoting Aadhaar number in their income tax return in India. Since they are not legally eligible for Aadhaar, they are also don't need Aadhaar number if they want to apply for PAN card from 1st July 2017.
Are NRIs eligible for Aadhaar Card? (answer)
No, NRIs or Indians living abroad are not eligible for Aadhaar Card. The Aadhaar is only for resident Individual i.e. people living in India. You must be living for more than 182 days in last 12 month to apply for Aadhaar card. See here to learn more about this issue.
How NRIs, PIOs and OCI holder can apply for Aadhaar Card online?
NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card but PIOs and OCI, which are currently living in India are eligible for Aadhaar card. They are the people who doesn't hold Indian passport. They can go to any local Aadhaar center and apply there. You also need to go for biometeric scan hence in person presence is required for applying Aadhaar card.
What is the process if NRI / OCI holder needs to apply for Aadhaar? And if they don't have their own residential address in India now?
In order to apply for Aadhaar card you need ID, Address, and proof of Date of birth. You can give rent agreement or utility bills for address proof if you are currently living in India. As I said before, NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card in India.
Is it mandatory for NRIs to link Aadhaar card and PAN card?
No, its not. Since NRIs cannot apply for Aadhaar card, they are also exempted by Income tax department to link Aadhaar with PAN card. Btw, if you already have both Aadhaar and PAN card, then you should link them e.g. you may have got them when you are resident of India but now you are an NRI. See here to learn more about this issue.
Is it mandatory for NRIs to provide Aadhaar number while filling income tax return in India?
Again,, its not mandatory for NRIs to quote 12 digit Aadhaar number while filling income tax return in India. Since they are not eligible to apply for Aadhaar card, government has exempted them for mandatory quoting of Aadhaar number in their income tax return. See here to learn more about this issue.
What will happen if you don't link PAN card with Aadhaar card?
For resident Indians, if you fail to link PAN card with Aadhaar then PAN will be cancelled but for NRIs, who doesn't have Aadhaar card, there is no mandatory requirement to link with PAN card, hence I believe there PAN card will not be cancelled.
Is Aadhaar card mandatory for NRIs? (answer)
No, it's not. As I have said before, NRIs, PIOs and OCI are not eligible for Aadhaar card if they are staying outside of India. Aadhaar is only for people living in India, though if OCI and PIO are living in India they can apply for Aadhaar and yes it's mandatory for them.
What to do if NRIs already have Aadhaar card?
If you are an NRI but hold Aadhaar card, probably you got that before you become an NRI, you should link your PAN card to Aadhaar. You can do that online in just a couple of steps. Here is a step by step guide to link Aadhaar to PAN card online.
Can NRIs cancel Aadhaar card?
No, you cannot cancel Aadhaar card. Once generated, Aadhaar number is for life.
Can NRIs apply for PAN card without Aadhaar?
Yes, since NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card, respective government department has to give them exemption on Aadhaar number. Hence, if you are an NRI and don't have Aadhaar but need PAN card, I believe you can still apply.
How to link Aadhaar card to PAN card online?
Follow the steps given here to link your Aadhaar card with PAN card online.
What to do if name is different in PAN card and Aadhaar. It is not allowing me to link both?
In order to Link Aadhaar with PAN, your demographic details – Name, Gender and Date of Birth should match. We request you to please get your Name Spelling Corrected in appropriate document i.e. PAN or Aadhaar and try to link again. In-case linking problem still persists, we request you to please get in touch with Income Tax department incometaxindia.gov.in or visit https://www.utiitsl.com
How to check status of Aadhaar card online?
Yes, you can check the status of Aadhaar card online by accessing the UIDAI's official website. Though, beware, it may not be accessible outside India
Can we access Aadhaar website outside India?
UIDAI's official website i.e. www.uidai.gov.in doesn't have any such restriction and should be accessible from anywhere. However, some of the UIDAI web based features like Resident Portal, eAadhaar, Self Service Update Portal (SSUP), Aadhaar Linking Status etc are Geo-Based policy enabled and therefore, will not be accessible from outside India.
That's all about some of the frequently asked questions related to Aadhar card, PAN card, their linking and income tax for NRIs in general. As I said, since NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card in first place, they are exempted from quoting the 12 digit Aadhaar number in their income tax return. They are also exempted from linking their PAN card with the Aadhaar card, if they don't have any and don't intend to apply for Aadhaar in near future. They can also apply for PAN card from 1st July 2017 without Aadhaar card.
NRI Aadhaar and PAN Card Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the frequently asked questions related to Aadhaar and PAN card for NRIsAre NRIs eligible for Aadhaar Card? (answer)
No, NRIs or Indians living abroad are not eligible for Aadhaar Card. The Aadhaar is only for resident Individual i.e. people living in India. You must be living for more than 182 days in last 12 month to apply for Aadhaar card. See here to learn more about this issue.
How NRIs, PIOs and OCI holder can apply for Aadhaar Card online?
NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card but PIOs and OCI, which are currently living in India are eligible for Aadhaar card. They are the people who doesn't hold Indian passport. They can go to any local Aadhaar center and apply there. You also need to go for biometeric scan hence in person presence is required for applying Aadhaar card.
What is the process if NRI / OCI holder needs to apply for Aadhaar? And if they don't have their own residential address in India now?
In order to apply for Aadhaar card you need ID, Address, and proof of Date of birth. You can give rent agreement or utility bills for address proof if you are currently living in India. As I said before, NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card in India.
Is it mandatory for NRIs to link Aadhaar card and PAN card?
No, its not. Since NRIs cannot apply for Aadhaar card, they are also exempted by Income tax department to link Aadhaar with PAN card. Btw, if you already have both Aadhaar and PAN card, then you should link them e.g. you may have got them when you are resident of India but now you are an NRI. See here to learn more about this issue.
Is it mandatory for NRIs to provide Aadhaar number while filling income tax return in India?
Again,, its not mandatory for NRIs to quote 12 digit Aadhaar number while filling income tax return in India. Since they are not eligible to apply for Aadhaar card, government has exempted them for mandatory quoting of Aadhaar number in their income tax return. See here to learn more about this issue.
What will happen if you don't link PAN card with Aadhaar card?
For resident Indians, if you fail to link PAN card with Aadhaar then PAN will be cancelled but for NRIs, who doesn't have Aadhaar card, there is no mandatory requirement to link with PAN card, hence I believe there PAN card will not be cancelled.
Is Aadhaar card mandatory for NRIs? (answer)
No, it's not. As I have said before, NRIs, PIOs and OCI are not eligible for Aadhaar card if they are staying outside of India. Aadhaar is only for people living in India, though if OCI and PIO are living in India they can apply for Aadhaar and yes it's mandatory for them.
What to do if NRIs already have Aadhaar card?
If you are an NRI but hold Aadhaar card, probably you got that before you become an NRI, you should link your PAN card to Aadhaar. You can do that online in just a couple of steps. Here is a step by step guide to link Aadhaar to PAN card online.
Can NRIs cancel Aadhaar card?
No, you cannot cancel Aadhaar card. Once generated, Aadhaar number is for life.
Can NRIs apply for PAN card without Aadhaar?
Yes, since NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card, respective government department has to give them exemption on Aadhaar number. Hence, if you are an NRI and don't have Aadhaar but need PAN card, I believe you can still apply.
How to link Aadhaar card to PAN card online?
Follow the steps given here to link your Aadhaar card with PAN card online.
What to do if name is different in PAN card and Aadhaar. It is not allowing me to link both?In order to Link Aadhaar with PAN, your demographic details – Name, Gender and Date of Birth should match. We request you to please get your Name Spelling Corrected in appropriate document i.e. PAN or Aadhaar and try to link again. In-case linking problem still persists, we request you to please get in touch with Income Tax department incometaxindia.gov.in or visit https://www.utiitsl.com
How to check status of Aadhaar card online?
Yes, you can check the status of Aadhaar card online by accessing the UIDAI's official website. Though, beware, it may not be accessible outside India
Can we access Aadhaar website outside India?
UIDAI's official website i.e. www.uidai.gov.in doesn't have any such restriction and should be accessible from anywhere. However, some of the UIDAI web based features like Resident Portal, eAadhaar, Self Service Update Portal (SSUP), Aadhaar Linking Status etc are Geo-Based policy enabled and therefore, will not be accessible from outside India.
That's all about some of the frequently asked questions related to Aadhar card, PAN card, their linking and income tax for NRIs in general. As I said, since NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card in first place, they are exempted from quoting the 12 digit Aadhaar number in their income tax return. They are also exempted from linking their PAN card with the Aadhaar card, if they don't have any and don't intend to apply for Aadhaar in near future. They can also apply for PAN card from 1st July 2017 without Aadhaar card.
Is aadhar card compulsory for demat account ? My sister is Australian citizen but her named account is already opened from last 15 years. and yes I do also some treading on her account.. is aadhar compulsory for her account ?
ReplyDeleteHello Trish, Since NRIs are not eligible for Aadhaar card, I don't think there is such requirement for them. That should only be for residents of India.
DeleteBtw, NRI cannot keep normal Demat account, they must open PIS account
My understanding is that NRI can convert normal demat account to non-repatriable NRI account ( one can repatriate upto $1M with appropriate paperwork 15CA/15CB by a CA who has to certify the source of funds). For trading purposes, one can open PIS account funded with foreign currency which is repatriable account .
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