e-PAN Card PDF Password Format

What Is the e-PAN PDF Password?

The password for an e-PAN card PDF is set by the Income Tax Department and NSDL (National Securities Depository Limited) / UTI Infrastructure Technology: your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format (8 digits, no separators).

For a person born on 15 August 1990, the e-PAN PDF password is 15081990.

PAN PDF Password Format — Rules and Examples

• Day: 2 digits with leading zero (e.g. 05 for the 5th)
• Month: 2 digits with leading zero (e.g. 01 for January)
• Year: 4 digits (e.g. 1990, 2005)
• No separators: No dashes, slashes, or spaces

Examples:

• Born 5 January 1985 → 05011985
• Born 20 March 2000 → 20032000
• Born 9 November 1998 → 09111998

Why Does the e-PAN PDF Need a Password?

e-PAN is an electronic form of your Permanent Account Number card, issued digitally by the Income Tax Department. It is sent to your registered email address and is password-protected so that if the email is accessed by an unauthorised person, the PAN card details (name, PAN number, DOB, photo, and signature) cannot be viewed without knowing your date of birth.

This is in line with the Income Tax Department’s data protection policy for digitally delivered documents.

How to Download e-PAN

1. Visit incometax.gov.in or nsdl.co.in → click “Instant PAN through Aadhaar” or “Download e-PAN”
2. Enter your Aadhaar number and verify with OTP
3. The e-PAN PDF is emailed to your registered address or available for download
4. Open the PDF with your DOB in DDMMYYYY format as the password

e-PAN vs Physical PAN Card — Same Password?

Both e-PAN (downloaded from the Income Tax portal) and the PDF sent by NSDL when a new PAN is allotted use the same DOB-based password. The physical PAN card is a plastic card and has no password — only the PDF version is password-protected.

Common Mistakes That Cause a Wrong Password Error

• Forgetting leading zeros: 5 January must be 05011990, not 5011990.
• Using slashes or dashes: The format has no separators. 15/08/1990 will fail; 15081990 is correct.
• Wrong DOB: Use the DOB as recorded in the Income Tax / Aadhaar database, not necessarily the one on older documents that may have a discrepancy.
• Using a 2-digit year: The year must be 4 digits — 1990, not 90.

Ready to Remove the Password?

Once you know your password (use the calculator above), visit the PAN Card PDF Unlock Tool to download a permanently password-free copy of your e-PAN.

How to use this tool

1. Enter your date of birth in DDMMYYYY format in the calculator above (e.g. 15081990 for 15 August 1990).
2. Your e-PAN PDF password is displayed in the preview.
3. Open your e-PAN PDF in any PDF viewer and enter this password when prompted.
4. To remove the password permanently, use the PAN Card PDF Unlock Tool linked above.

Frequently asked questions