Q607. When were PAN Cards first

issued in India . . .

Question: Dear Mr Chand I have been going through your website with great interest for the past few months and have found it very useful indeed. Very clear and concise. You have tried to cover as much as you possibly can and that has been very helpful. I am constantly recommending it to all and sundry. Recently I purchased the e-copy of your book via amazon as well. As I am about to leave for India in the next month or so, I thought the time was right to purchase it. I am though wondering (and this is because I know how things can fluctuate in India almost on a yearly basis) how one can get updates to any changes that may occur from time to time? I will be a fairly regular visitor and as a result it would be good to be in the know. Until I got on to your website the information I received on issues such as inheriting immovable property, capital gains tax etc was always very vague as no one I knew, really had any reliable information to give me. So thank you for your very useful website. There is a question I have that I cannot find an answer to and I have tried to find it on the web but to no avail. I was issued a PAN number in 2005 as my father had passed away in March and his shares were assigned to myself and other members of my family. I am not very good at the technical jargon related to the process of claiming the shares but they were Demated? and a PAN number was allocated to me and I also withdrew my portion of the shares. Can you tell me if they were issuing PAN cards in that year? or was it later that the system of issuing cards began. I cannot seem to find a card and have no memory of receiving one so I am not sure if I did get one. I cannot seem to find a date anywhere on the web as to when PAN cards began to be issued. I have found out when the PAN system started (2003) but not the card itself. Would you be able to help me with this piece of information I need? While I am on the subject of inheritance I was also wondering if you could clear another doubt I have - On inheriting a property is there a time limit for registration of the property as now belonging to an heir? My mother passed away (2011) and my sister and I are the legal heirs to the family home. We have now put it on the market for sale and have come to know about the need for "mutation" and "registration" as being an essential part of the whole process. This has only now come to light since we are to sell the property and before this we just assumed it was an automatic process when there was a will that one was an heir to whatever was allocated to us in the will. This is how it is in the west and hence never took any legal advice over it. I would very grateful if you could provide me with answers to the above questions as I feel given your most reliable information, you are the best person to ask. Best wishes Yasmin Finlay Answer: PAN Cards have been around since 1990s. PAN system was not started in 2003, but the year 2003 has a significance to PAN Cards because from July 1, 2003, I-T PAN Service Centres were set up in cities/towns of India and issue of a new style of PAN Card started. The new PAN Cards had colored photos and came with security features such as a hologram to prevent tampering of the Pan Card. Even though the new type of PAN Cards came into effect from July 2003, all previously issued PAN Cards were still considered to be Valid and are still Valid. Those carrying older types of PAN Cards could get the New tamper proof PAN Cards but their number remained the same.

Inheriting Property in India

When someone inherits property in India, the first step is to get the title transfered in their name and get the municipal tax records adjusted to reflect the name of the new owner. This is basically what mutation of property is. It is in the interest of the person inheriting the property to get the mutation done as soon as possible. Normally, In case of death of an owner, the person on whom the title transfers to, is required to give notice of such transfer within six months from date of death of the deceased [sec 128(2] You would be well advised to get lawyer to handle your mutation process and perhaps a chartered accountant to guide you with the taxation and repatriation of the funds from the sale of your inherited property.