What happens to documents such as PAN, Aadhaar upon holder's death?

Aadhaar serves as proof of identity and address. The document is also needed in association with a plethora of money related tasks. It is mandatory to quote Aadhaar number or provide copy of the same in various places such as when availing LPG subsidy, scholarship benefits from government, with EPF accounts etc. Currently, it does not automatically become inactive or update to reflect the date of death. It is also not yet needed to obtain death certificates.

What can be done by family members is locking details of the deceased individual's biometrics linked with Aadhaar. This can help avoid any misuse. Locking of biometric credentials of deceased person can be done on UIDAI's website.

Also Read: How to lock biometrics of Aadhaar number

PAN is essential for various purposes such as bank accounts, demat accounts, ITR filing of the deceased. Thus it must be retained till all such accounts where quoting it is mandatory are closed. In case of filing ITRs, the PAN must be held till the tax return has been filed and processed by the I-T department. Further, if any income tax refund is due to the deceased, then ensure that such amount has been credited into his/her bank account. After such matters are closed, the PAN can be surrendered to the to the income tax department.

To do so, the representative or legal heir needs to write an application to the assessing officer (AO) under whose jurisdiction the PAN is registered. Reasons for surrendering (i.e. death of the holder), name, PAN and date of birth of the deceased should be stated in the letter, which should be given along with a copy of the death certificate. You can find the corresponding AO's details on the e-filing website of the income tax department. It is not mandatory to surrender the PAN of the deceased and you may retain it if you feel that you might need it later.

In case of voter ID, there is a provision under Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, for cancellation upon demise. The legal heir of the deceased should visit the local election office. Under the Electoral Rules, Form no. 7 should be filled and submitted along with death certificate for cancellation of a person's name from voters list on account of death.

Once the passport has expired, which it eventually will, it by default becomes invalid. However, it may be wise to retain this document because you may wish to use it as proof in unforeseen situations that may come later. Beyond that, there is currently no mechanism in place to intimate the respective authorities or render it inactive/expired on your own.

By and large, there is no provision for surrender or cancellation of a driver's license of the deceased. However, each state governs the issue, suspension and cancellation of driver's license separately, so do check the state-specific regulations in this regard. One can visit the concerned RTO office for cancellation of the DL. Further, heirs may also confirm the state-specific process of transferring a vehicle registered in the deceased's name to his/her name.

Experts point out that there is no penalty under law if an official document is not surrendered to the concerned authorities. However, informing the concerned authorities is recommended so that the official documents cannot be exploited by miscreants, especially with more activity taking place online now. It is also advised that documents such as Aadhaar and passports which can't be surrendered be maintained and kept along with the death certificate instead of being destroyed.