Adulting Made Easy: Essential Tips for Indian Youths

Adulting seems fun and enjoyable until you know the responsibilities that accompany it. Adult life encompasses a lot more than just being free and able to do things all by yourself. Imagine it’s your 18th birthday today, and you are celebrating it with a lot of enthusiasm and joy. But the next day, you are loaded up with all the paperwork that you have to get done after you turn 18. Therefore, let’s take a look at the list of things you need to get done as soon as you turn 18.

1. Pan Card

The Income Tax Department of India issues a unique identity card known as the PAN Card (Permanent Account Number Card). It is a 10-character alphanumeric identification that acts as a significant confirmation of identity for persons and companies in India, particularly for financial and taxes purposes. A PAN card is necessary for any individual or non-individual (including foreign citizens/entities) earning taxable income in India. It is also a required document for many financial activities. As a result, each individual must apply for a PAN Card.

In the Indian government, up until the age of 18, you have a minor’s PAN card. Now you will ask: What is the difference between a minor’s PAN card and an adult’s PAN card? A PAN card issued in a minor’s name lacks the minor’s photograph and signature and thus cannot be used as a valid form of identification. So when a person turns 18, the relevant changes in the PAN records are made. After that, a new card with a photograph and signature is issued.

2. Passport

A passport is a travel document issued by a country’s government to its inhabitants that confirms the holder’s identity and nationality for the purpose of international travel. Passports are required if you wish to go abroad because they prove your identity and nationality. They offer the bearer safe passage and protection in a foreign nation.Passports generally have a validity of over five years for minors. But if you are under the age of 18, you are given the option to make a passport until the age of 18 or make a full-validity passport, i.e., a passport with a validity of ten years.If you are a minor applying for a passport, your parents need to be present with you at the time of passport renewal. As soon as you turn 18, that is no longer needed, and you can apply for a 10-year-valid passport all by yourself.

3. Voting ID

The Indian Voter ID Card is an identifying card issued by the Election Commission of India to Indian adults over the age of 18. It is largely used by Indian people to prove their identification when voting in municipal, state, and national elections.It also functions as generic identity, address, and age verification for other purposes, such as purchasing a mobile phone SIM card or applying for a passport.It also functions as a Travel Document for traveling to Nepal and Bhutan by land or air.

In 1989, the age of voting was lowered from 21 to 18. So now, as soon as you turn 17, you can apply for your voter’s ID on the official page of the Election Commission of India through an advance application. This way, you can take part in universal adulthood by the time you turn 18.

4. Driver’s License

A driving license serves as both an official and legal document, granting you permission to operate a specific kind of vehicle. Driving licenses are required for two-wheelers, four-wheelers, and commercial vehicles like buses, trucks, and other vehicles. The area in which you are permitted to operate a four-wheeler is also marked by your driver’s license. The government issues driving licenses, which are formal documents that prove you are qualified to drive a car on public roads. Therefore, you cannot obtain a driver’s license until you have passed legally recognized driving exams. But first, you need a learner’s license to learn how to drive a vehicle, and when you pass the test, you can officially apply for a driver’s license on the government’s Parivahan website.

5. Bank Account

After you turn 18, you can hold a bank account in your name. Generally when you open a bank it’s a savings account, through which you get a debit card.You can access the bank account through online banking which is the most convenient way. Saving money in a bank account gives you interest from 2.70% up to 7.00% depending on the bank balance. You can invest this money in stocks or in Mutual Funds and it will help for the future. You just need documents like a PAN card and an Aadhar card to open a bank account or renew your old one, and voila, you can save money and gain interest on it as well.

Use Of Apps Like DigiLocker 

With all these responsibilities and the hustle to adjust as an adult ,you might forget certain things sometimes. So the government has taken the initiative of Digital locker. DigiLocker is a digitalization service given by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as part of its Digital India project. DigiLocker provides access to digital versions of a variety of papers, such as driver’s licenses, vehicle registration certificates, and academic mark sheets. It also gives each account with 1 GB of storage space for scanned copies of legacy documents. 

So now you can have access of  these documents wherever you go without the need to carry a physical copy of them.

Remember, adulthood is a journey of growth and learning, so stay curious and open-minded as you navigate through life’s challenges and opportunities. And don’t worry about all the responsibilities because, in the end, you are surely going to sort everything out. And enjoy life to the fullest because “Life is supposed to be fun”.