The income tax department has issued revised guidelines for allotment of Permanent Account Number (PAN) to Indians living abroad, foreign citizen or a company, trust or firm not having an office in India.

The requirement of having a representative assessee in India by a non-resident for allotment of PAN has been dispensed with. Further, the procedure for allotment of PAN to non-residents has been streamlined, minister of state for finance S S Palanimanicham told the Lok Sabha.

It is not possible to estimate the increase in allotment of PAN to non-residents that can be attributed to the issue of revised guidelines. Separate details of tax collections from non-residents are not being maintained, he said.