NSDL Login: Registration and Application Process (2026 Guide)

Quick Summary

• NSDL login means accessing the PAN and TAN portal run by Protean eGov Technologies Limited, the company formerly known as NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited.
• The portal covers four core services: new PAN applications, PAN corrections, e-PAN downloads, and TAN registration for tax deductors.
• There is no single persistent login account. Every transaction is tracked by a 15-digit (PAN) or 14-digit (TAN) acknowledgment number and verified by OTP.
• New PAN application and correction fees are Rs. 91 excluding GST (about Rs. 107 with GST) for an Indian address, and Rs. 862 excluding GST (about Rs. 1,017 with GST) for a foreign address.
• Since April 1, 2026, Aadhaar alone no longer covers date of birth proof. Applicants must submit a separate DOB document and use new Forms 93, 94, 95, or 96, which replaced Forms 49A and 49AA.
• The government’s PAN 2.0 project will eventually merge Protean, UTIITSL, and the e-filing portal into one unified system, but as of mid-2026 it remains in testing and the process below still applies.

NSDL login refers to accessing the online PAN and TAN services once operated by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited, now run under the name Protean eGov Technologies Limited. The portal handles new PAN applications, corrections, e-PAN downloads, and TAN registration. Most first-time users reach it through onlineservices.nsdl.com or onlineservices.proteantech.in, both of which point to the same Protean-managed system.

The name change confuses a lot of applicants searching for “NSDL login” in 2026, because the login pages, acknowledgment formats, and even some URLs still carry the NSDL name even though the company itself rebranded years ago. This guide walks through what the portal actually does, how registration and application work for PAN and TAN, how to correct existing PAN data, and what changed after the Income Tax Department rolled out new application forms in April 2026.

What NSDL Actually Is Today

NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited restructured its business in 2012, spun off its depository operations into NSDL Depository Limited, and later rebranded as Protean eGov Technologies Limited to reflect its shift toward IT services and digital public infrastructure. Protean completed its IPO in November 2023 and trades on the BSE under the code 544021. The company still operates the PAN and TAN infrastructure that most people associate with the old NSDL name, which is why “NSDL login,” “TIN NSDL PAN,” and “NSDL online” remain common search terms despite the corporate rename.

Protean is one of two entities authorized by the Income Tax Department to process PAN applications. The other is UTIITSL (UTI Infrastructure Technology and Services Limited), which runs a separate portal at pan.utiitsl.com. Applicants generally stick with whichever provider processed their original PAN, since correction and reprint requests need to go through the same system that issued the card.

NSDL Login: Accessing the Portals That Matter

There is no single “NSDL login” screen for every service. Protean operates several distinct entry points depending on what the applicant needs:

• PAN application and registration: onlineservices.proteantech.in/paam/endUserRegisterContact.html, mirrored at onlineservices.nsdl.com
• e-PAN download: a dedicated download section under PAN Services on the same portal, requiring either a PAN number or the 15-digit acknowledgment number
• TAN application (Form 49B route): the Protean TIN portal at tin.tin.nsdl.com, used by anyone required to deduct or collect tax at source
• Application status tracking: available on both the PAN and TAN sections of the portal using the acknowledgment number

None of these require a persistent user account in the way that internet banking or the income tax e-filing portal does. Each transaction is tied to an acknowledgment number and OTP verification rather than a saved login profile, which is a structural detail that surprises applicants expecting a Gmail-style dashboard.

PAN Registration and Application Process, Step by Step

Applying for a new PAN through Protean follows a fixed sequence. As of April 1, 2026, the Income Tax Department replaced the long-standing Form 49A and Form 49AA with four new forms under the Income Tax Rules, 2026: Form 93 (Indian individuals, including minors and NRIs, replacing Form 49A), Form 95 (non-residents and foreign entities, replacing Form 49AA), and Forms 94 and 96 for other applicant categories. Old forms filed before March 31, 2026 remain valid, but every fresh application now uses the new set.

1. Visit the Protean PAN application page and select the applicant category (individual, HUF, company, firm, and so on).
2. Fill in personal details exactly as they appear on Aadhaar. Since April 2026, the name on the PAN application must match Aadhaar records precisely, and mismatches are a common cause of rejection.
3. Submit proof of identity, proof of address, and a separate proof of date of birth. This third document category is new: before April 2026, Aadhaar alone covered identity, address, and date of birth. It no longer does. Acceptable DOB proof includes a birth certificate, passport, voter ID, driving licence, matriculation certificate, or a magistrate-issued affidavit.
4. Pay the application fee: Rs. 91 (excluding GST) for an Indian communication address, or Rs. 862 (excluding GST) for a foreign address, payable by credit/debit card, net banking, or demand draft. With GST included, this works out to roughly Rs. 107 for Indian addresses and Rs. 1,017 for foreign addresses.
5. Complete e-verification through Aadhaar-based OTP, or send physical documents by courier to Protean if OTP verification is not used.
6. Save the 15-digit acknowledgment number generated after submission. This number is the only way to track status, download the e-PAN, or follow up on a stalled application.

Applicants who already have an Aadhaar number and have never held a PAN can skip the paid Protean route entirely and use Instant e-PAN through the Income Tax e-filing portal instead. That service is free, requires only Aadhar-linked OTP verification, and typically issues an e-PAN within about ten minutes, though it is limited to applicants without an existing PAN.

Documents Required for PAN Registration

Rule 114 of the Income Tax Rules, 1962 sets out what counts as acceptable proof, and the list differs by applicant category. For an individual Indian citizen applying with Form 93, the three document categories now required are:

• Proof of identity: Aadhaar, passport, voter ID, driving licence, or a photo ID issued by a central or state government department
• Proof of address: Aadhaar, utility bill not older than three months, bank account statement, or passport
• Proof of date of birth: birth certificate, passport, matriculation certificate, voter ID, driving licence, or a magistrate-issued affidavit

Companies, firms, and other non-individual entities submit a different set centered on the certificate of incorporation or registration and a partnership deed or trust deed, where applicable. Since Aadhaar can no longer double as date of birth proof, applicants who show up with only an Aadhaar card and no separate DOB document are the single most common cause of first-attempt rejection under the post-April 2026 rules.

NSDL e-PAN: Download Process

“NSDL e-PAN” and “e-PAN download” are functionally the same request handled two different ways depending on whether the applicant knows their PAN or is working from a recent acknowledgment number.

Using the PAN number:

1. Go to the Download e-PAN section on the Protean portal.
2. Enter the PAN, Aadhaar number, and date of birth (month and year for companies, full date for individuals).
3. Complete the captcha and submit.
4. Choose to receive the OTP by email, mobile, or both, then validate it.
5. Download the PDF. It is free within 30 days of the PAN being issued or last updated; after that window, a small fee applies.

Using the acknowledgment number:

1. Select the acknowledgment number option instead of PAN.
2. Enter the 15-digit number, date of birth, and captcha.
3. Verify by OTP and download.

The downloaded file is password-protected. The password is the date of birth in DDMMYYYY format, so someone born on 15 August 1990 would enter 15081990. This trips up a surprising number of applicants who try MM/DD or DD-MM-YYYY formatting instead.

NSDL PAN Card Update and Correction Online

PAN card correction online through NSDL, now Protean, covers name changes, address updates, date of birth corrections, photograph or signature updates, and father’s name changes. The process runs through the same portal as new applications but under a different service option.

1. Go to the Protean PAN portal and select “Changes or Correction in PAN Data” (or, for applications filed on or after April 1, 2026, the dedicated correction forms introduced alongside the new PAN application forms).
2. Enter the existing PAN and tick only the fields that need correction. Leaving unrelated fields untouched avoids delays, since the system treats every ticked field as a change requiring its own supporting document.
3. Upload the relevant proof. A name change due to marriage typically needs a marriage certificate or gazette notification; a date of birth correction needs a birth certificate or similar document acceptable under Rule 114 of the Income Tax Rules, 1962.
4. Pay the correction fee, which mirrors the new-application fee structure: Rs. 91 (excluding GST) for an Indian address, working out to roughly Rs. 107 with GST, and a higher fee for foreign addresses.
5. Submit and record the 15-digit acknowledgment number.
6. Send physical documents to Protean’s processing address if the application was not fully Aadhaar-OTP verified, generally within 15 days of submission.

Processing for corrections typically takes 10 to 15 working days once documents are verified, with the updated e-PAN emailed automatically and a physical card, if requested, dispatched by post afterward. Applicants can track status using the same acknowledgment number through the portal’s status-check page or by sending an SMS in the format “NSDLPAN” followed by the acknowledgment number to 57575.

TIN NSDL PAN and TAN Registration

TIN NSDL PAN services extend beyond individual PAN cards into TAN (Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number) registration, which is mandatory for anyone responsible for deducting or collecting tax at source under Section 203A of the Income Tax Act, 1961. TAN applications go through Form 49B on the Protean TIN portal, separate from the PAN application flow.

1. Visit the Protean TIN website and select “Online Application for TAN (Form 49B).”
2. Fill in deductor details: category, name, address, and the relevant Assessing Officer information.
3. Review the summary screen and correct any errors before final submission.
4. Pay the processing fee, roughly Rs. 65 plus 18% GST, bringing the total to about Rs. 77.
5. Note the 14-digit acknowledgment number and forward it, along with any required documents, to Protean’s TAN application division if the submission was not paperless.

A company or LLP registering through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ SPICe+ form gets PAN and TAN allotted automatically as part of incorporation, bypassing the separate Protean application entirely. Failure to obtain a TAN, or failure to quote it on TDS/TCS returns and challans, draws a penalty of Rs. 10,000, and banks will not accept TDS payment challans without a valid TAN on file.

Common Errors That Delay Processing

A handful of mistakes account for most of the rejected or stalled PAN applications on the Protean portal, and nearly all of them are avoidable with a slower first pass through the form.

Name formatting mismatches. The name entered on the PAN application must match Aadhaar exactly, including spacing, initials, and expansion of abbreviations. An applicant whose Aadhaar reads “Amit K. Sharma” but who enters “Amit Kumar Sharma” on the PAN form risks rejection under the name-matching rule introduced in April 2026.

Ticking the wrong fields on a correction request. The correction form only processes fields that are explicitly checked. Applicants updating an address sometimes leave the address checkbox unticked while filling in the new address text field, which the system then ignores entirely, leaving the old address on record.

Missing date of birth proof. As covered above, this is the most frequent rejection reason since the rule change. A scanned Aadhaar card alone, however clear, does not satisfy the DOB requirement anymore.

Blurry or oversized document scans. The portal specifies file size and format limits for uploaded documents, typically PDF or JPEG within a defined size cap. Scans that exceed the limit or render illegibly at small size get flagged during manual verification, adding days to processing.

Losing the acknowledgment number. Every subsequent action, checking status, downloading the e-PAN, or following up on a delay, depends on this number. Applicants who close the confirmation page without saving or screenshotting it have no straightforward way to retrieve it later without contacting the helpline.

Physical documents not sent within the window. For applications not fully verified through Aadhaar OTP, the signed acknowledgment and supporting documents must reach Protean’s processing address within the specified period, generally 15 days. Applications where this step is skipped or delayed can lapse and require refiling.

Fee Summary

Fee figures reflect Protean and Income Tax Department published rates as of mid-2026. Applicants should confirm the current fee on the portal at the time of payment, since government service charges are revised periodically.

PAN 2.0: What Is Changing

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the PAN 2.0 Project on November 25, 2024, with an outlay of Rs. 1,435 crore, aimed at consolidating PAN and TAN services currently spread across the e-Filing portal, UTIITSL, and Protean into a single unified Income Tax Department platform. LTIMindtree was confirmed as the managed service provider in August 2025, with an 18-month build-out target.

As of mid-2026, the unified portal remains in advanced testing rather than public rollout, and Protean and UTIITSL continue processing applications as usual. Newly issued and reprinted PAN cards are carrying a dynamic QR code that reflects live database information, an upgrade from the static QR code included on cards since 2017-18. Existing PAN numbers do not change under PAN 2.0, and current cards remain valid without any need to reapply. The practical effect for someone searching “NSDL login” today is that the portal experience described in this guide still applies, and will keep applying until the unified platform formally replaces it.

What Tax Practitioners Flag Most Often

Chartered accountants who handle PAN correction filings regularly point to two recurring failure points rather than any single dramatic mistake. The first is name mismatch: since the Aadhaar-matching rule took effect in April 2026, applications get rejected when the name entered on the PAN form does not character-match the name on Aadhaar, including spacing and initials. The second is incomplete date of birth proof, since Aadhaar alone no longer satisfies that requirement and applicants who assume it still does end up resubmitting.

Beyond these two points, verified commentary specific to individual practitioners on this topic is limited in public sources, and this guide will not attribute quotes or statistics to named professionals without a citable source. Readers working with a chartered accountant or tax consultant on a PAN correction should ask specifically about current Aadhaar-name-matching requirements, since this is the rule most likely to cause an otherwise straightforward application to bounce back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a single NSDL login account for all PAN and TAN services? No. Protean, which operates the former NSDL PAN and TAN infrastructure, does not use a persistent login account. Each transaction, whether a new PAN application, a correction, or a TAN request, is tracked through its own acknowledgment number and verified by OTP rather than a saved profile.

What is the difference between NSDL PAN and UTIITSL PAN? Both are authorized by the Income Tax Department to issue and process PAN applications. The difference lies in which provider originally issued a given PAN. Corrections and reprints generally need to go through the same provider, Protean (formerly NSDL) or UTIITSL, that handled the original application.

Can Aadhaar alone still be used to apply for a PAN? Not since April 1, 2026. Applicants must now submit a separate proof of date of birth, such as a passport, voter ID, birth certificate, or matriculation certificate, in addition to Aadhaar-based identity and address verification.

How long does NSDL PAN card update take? Corrections typically process within 10 to 15 working days after documents and OTP verification are complete. The e-PAN is emailed automatically, and a physical card, if requested, follows by post.

Is PAN correction online through NSDL free? No. Correction requests carry the same fee as new PAN applications: Rs. 91 excluding GST for an Indian communication address, working out to approximately Rs. 107 with GST.

What happens if I don’t have a TAN and I’m required to deduct TDS? Failure to obtain or quote a TAN on TDS/TCS returns and payment challans draws a penalty of Rs. 10,000 under the Income Tax Act, and banks will reject TDS challans that lack a valid TAN.

Will my PAN number change under PAN 2.0? No. PAN 2.0 upgrades the card format, adds a dynamic QR code, and is expected to eventually consolidate services onto a single portal. Existing PAN numbers and cards remain valid throughout.

Where This Leaves Applicants

NSDL login, in practical terms, means navigating Protean’s PAN and TAN portals correctly for whatever specific task is at hand: new application, correction, e-PAN download, or TAN registration. The April 2026 documentation changes make preparation matter more than before, since an application missing separate date of birth proof or carrying a name that doesn’t match Aadhaar exactly will bounce back regardless of how carefully everything else was filled in. Keeping the acknowledgment number safe after every submission remains the single most useful habit, since it is the only thread connecting an applicant to their application status, their e-PAN download, and any follow-up correction that becomes necessary later.