PAN (Permanent Account Number) is unique alphanumeric combination. It is issued by the Indian Income Tax Department under the supervision of the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) and is almost equivalent to a national identification number. It also serves as an important ID proof.This number is almost mandatory for financial transactions such as:-

Opening a bank account, receiving taxable salary or professional fees, sale or purchase of assets above specified limits.PAN structure is as follows: AAAAA9999A: First five characters are letters, next 4 numerals, last character letter.The first three letters are sequence of alphabets from AAA to zzz.The fourth character informs about the type of holder of the Card.

C — Company
P — Person
H — HUF(Hindu Undivided Family)
F — Firm
A — Association of Persons (AOP)
T — AOP (Trust)
B — Body of Individuals (BOI)
L — Local Authority
J — Artificial Judicial Person
G — Government

Other details you would like to know about PAN card :-

• Any person whose total income in respect of which he is assess-able under the Income Tax Act,exceeds the maximum amount which is not chargeable to tax.

• Any person who is carry on any business or profession whose total turnover or gross receipts are likely to exceed Rs. 5 lacs in any previous year. 

• Any person who is required to furnish a return of income under section 139(4) of the Act.

Effective 1st January 2007, all Non-Resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin, need a PAN card to invest in the Indian stock markets, It is also necessary for opening a NRO & NRE Bank accounts.

• Applicants may obtain  for PAN from any IT PAN Service Centers available across India. 

• Download from the Income Tax Department website www.incometaxindia.gov.in  or the NSDL website (www.tin-nsdl.com).

• Having two Pan numbers is illegal, any person who requires changes or corrections to their pan can get their Pan cards replaced.

• Online Application for Pan Card Applications for a new Pan card can also be made through the Internet. To apply on the Internet for  Pan card, Indian nationals and foreign nationals can access the appropriate Pan card application form by using the links below.

1. Indian Nationals:    Pan Card Form 49A for Indian Nationals.
2. Foreign nationals: Pan Card Form 49AA for Foreign Nationals.
3. PAN Card Status: Track PAN Card Status.

Fill in the Pan card application form .Submit the application along with the required proof of identity and address, photograph and the processing fee.If all documents are correct, a Pan card is mailed out to the applicant.As of April 8, 2012, PAN applications are required to be submitted in the new forms prescribed by the Indian Income Tax Department (ITD). Indian citizens will have to submit their ‘Application for allotment of new PAN’ in revised Form 49A only. Foreign citizens will have to submit their ‘Application for allotment of new PAN’ in newly notified Form 49AA only.The current fee, effective from April 1, 2012, for PAN application has changed to Rupees 96 for applications where Pan is mailed to an Indian address and to Rupees 962, if mailing address of Pan card is outside India.

Where to send completed Pan card change form and documents

Forms, photograph, fee and proof of the relevant documents as proof to confirm the changes requested should be sent to NSDL at 'National Securities Depository Limited, 3rd floor, Sapphire Chambers, Near Baner Telephone Exchange, Baner, Pune - 411045'.-Acknowledgment Number' The acknowledge number is the number generated when online application is submitted.IMPORTANT: All required documents and fees should reach NSDL within 15 days from the date of online application.

Pan Card Corrections 

PAN Change Request Form online and submit the form. For Changes or Correction in your PAN card, applicants must fill all mandatory fields (marked with *) of the Form  In such case, if there is a change in the applicants address, then the records will be updated by the tax department to reflect the changed address.

Replacing a Lost Pan Card

In cases where a Pan card is lost, the same procedure of making changes to form has to be followed. However the Pan card number of the lost Pan is required when requests are made to replace Pan cards that have been previously been issued.Along with the copy of FIR from the police station when lodge.