Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID and SIM After a Death: What Families Should Do

Published by Karan Bindal, Founder

There is no single national process for closing a person's identity documents, and a lot of confident advice online has no official basis. Here is what we could confirm, and what we could not.

The general rule: finish the claims first. Keep the documents and the mobile number until the banks, insurers and investments are settled.

Mobile number and SIM: keep it active

Banks, EPFO and investment platforms often send one-time codes to the registered number. EPFO's online death claim, for one, is reported to send a code to the mobile linked to the member's account. Keep the plan paid until claims are done.

To move the number to a family member, ask the operator. Vi, for example, allows this for blood relatives and legal heirs in store, with a death certificate, relationship proof and identity documents.

Do not use a deceased person's login or codes to move money. Use the claim process, even if you are the rightful heir.

Aadhaar

UIDAI has a "Reporting of Death of a Family Member" service on the myAadhaar portal, launched in June 2025. A family member authenticates and gives the person's Aadhaar number, the Death Registration Number and some details, and UIDAI checks before deciding. As of November 2025 it was live in 25 states and union territories that use the Civil Registration System, with others being added. UIDAI says no Aadhaar number is ever reassigned, and it also gets death records from government sources.

UIDAI encourages reporting after you have the death certificate.

PAN

We found no official instruction on cancelling a deceased person's PAN, and sources disagree. Our advice is simple: do not surrender the PAN until all tax, bank and investment matters are finished. You will need it for the steps below.

Filing the final income tax return

A return may still be needed for the income earned up to the date of death. To do this, register as the legal heir on the e-Filing portal:

Log in with your own account
Go to Authorised Partners, then Register as Representative Assessee
Create a new request and fill in the details
Upload the documents and submit

Documents: the PAN of the person who died, the death certificate, and proof that you are the legal heir. Accepted proof includes a court or revenue authority certificate, a surviving family members certificate, a registered will, or a family pension certificate.

The portal's admin reviews it, and you are told by email and SMS. Your liability as legal representative is limited to the estate. Income after the death, from assets you have inherited, goes in your own return.

A CA can help, particularly if there are refunds, capital gains or a business.

Voter ID

Form 7 is used to remove a dead elector from the roll. Any voter in the constituency can file it, at any time of year, and the Booth Level Officer verifies it. It is on the voters' portal.

Passport

We found no official surrender procedure. A passport lapses at expiry. Keep it safely, since it may be needed as identity proof.

Driving licence

We found no clear national procedure, and practice varies by RTO. Please do not rely on claims that you must surrender it by a deadline.

Vehicle

This one does have a rule. If the vehicle's owner has died, the person succeeding to it applies on Form 31 to transfer it, within three months, with the death certificate and fee. Update the insurance too.

Close quietly as you go

Once claims are complete, stop subscriptions, memberships and any auto-debits. Ask the bank what it needs to return money credited after the death. Keep your folder for a few years.

Help your family with this now

Your family will need to know which number your banks use, which apps hold money, and where your identity papers are. Our free family checklist covers it all. Aakhri Pal keeps it in one private place, and the most sensitive details can be encrypted in your browser with a passphrase that only you hold.

See also: what to do after a death.

Last checked: 30 October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal or tax advice. Where we found no official rule, we have said so. Please confirm with the office concerned.

Sources: UIDAI press note, November 2025 · PIB on Aadhaar death reporting · Income Tax: register as legal heir · Election Commission Form 7 · Vi on SIM ownership