The fact that you are able to verify the status of your PAN card application makes the entire process really transparent. The best thing about this is the fact that you can make necessary enquiries online and don’t have to go to the offices which handle this work. All you need to do is go online and visit the website where you filed your PAN application.
There are provisions in the same website for checking PAN card application status. You need to furnish the application number as well as the number you received when the application was successfully submitted. If you do this, you get to know whether your application is still being processed or whether the card has been shipped to your address and is in transit, at the time of enquiry.
A PAN card is generally sent to you within a fortnight of applying, if there are no anomalies in your application and all your documents submitted, are in order. But sometimes it may so happen that you do not receive the card after months have passed, or you receive one which has erroneous information on it. You should also check whether your PAN card has a ten digit alpha-numeric code, which is actually your permanent account number.
If the number has anything more or less than ten digits, your card will not be valid. In all the above cases you can file a grievance application in the same site where you had submitted your first application. This grievance complaint will then be processed by the right authorities and you can expect quick action from them.
You can easily verify the grievance application and whether it has been processed, in the same way that you verify the PAN application.
Your PAN card can also be verified by eligible entities which are authorized by the Income Tax Department and the Government of India to do so. This verification may be done to find out your details when needed by these entities. Central and state government agencies, nationalized banks, depositories, mutual funds and credit card companies are some of the authorized entities you can verify your PAN card.
However, this is only possible when you have a valid PAN card against your name. And for this you must keep enquiring about the status of your application. The good thing is that you receive an SMS on the mobile number you provided while applying as soon as the PAN card is dispatched to your address. When you receive this SMS, you should also receive the card within the next 7-10 days because it is sent by courier and not by ordinary mail.
In case you do not receive the card within this period of time, you should sense a problem with the delivery of the same. It may also be that there was no one at home to receive the PAN card when it arrived. In that case it may have been returned from your doorstep. The courier service generally tries to deliver the card again at the same address a few days later.