Prior to September 24, 2019, NRIs were not eligible for Aadhaar Card until they fulfill the condition of staying in India for 182 days before applying for Aadhaar Card. Therefore, going by the provisions, it was not possible for NRIs to link their PAN with Aadhaar unless they have stayed for 182 days. For information to the readers, PAN linking with Aadhaar is mandatory to file Income Tax Returns in India.
This scenario has changed since September 24, 2019. Now, NRIs can obtain Aadhaar Card upon their arrival in India without meeting the condition of 182 days stay. UIDAI (Aadhaar issuing authority) has a list of approved address proof documents in case passport doesn’t carry Indian address. So, technically, NRIs can obtain Aadhaar Card with relative ease. However, this still doesn’t impose for NRIs that their PAN should be linked with Aadhaar, since a lot of them wouldn’t have traveled to India for some time, and therefore may not have applied for Aadhaar Card. Accordingly, while filing ITR, NRIs who don’t have an Aadhaar Number can still file their returns. In a situation where they have one, it is advisable that they mention the same while filing ITR.