How to prepare your documents for KYC: clear copies, masking and file size

For most KYC you need three things: your PAN, one identity and address document (Aadhaar, passport, driving licence or voter ID), and sometimes a recent photo. Each copy should be clear and complete, show only what the institution needs, and fit its upload limit. Get those right the first time and you avoid the usual "document unclear, please re-submit" message.

This guide covers what to keep ready, how to make a good copy on paper or as a file, when to mask your Aadhaar number, and how to bring a file under the size limit. Always follow the list your own bank, broker or insurer gives you. They decide what they accept.

What you are usually asked for

RBI's KYC Directions for banks list the "officially valid documents" (OVDs) an individual can use for identity and address:

• passport
• driving licence
• proof of possession of Aadhaar number
• Voter's Identity Card issued by the Election Commission of India
• NREGA job card signed by a State Government officer
• the letter issued by the National Population Register with your name and address

On top of one of these, banks must obtain your PAN (or Form 60 if you don't have one).

A few points from the same Directions are useful to know:

• Aadhaar is not mandatory for KYC, except where you want a government benefit or subsidy paid into the account. Otherwise giving it is your choice, and another OVD will do.
• If your OVD has an old address, a utility bill that is not more than two months old, a property or municipal tax receipt and a few similar papers can be taken as address proof for the time being. You then have to give an OVD with the current address within three months.
• Digital copies count. The Directions recognise "equivalent e-documents", including documents issued to your DigiLocker account. UIDAI also says an e-Aadhaar is as valid as the physical copy.
• KYC is repeated. Banks update it at least every two years for high-risk customers, every eight years for medium risk and every ten years for low risk, so you will do this again.

Brokers, mutual funds and insurers come under their own regulators and their lists can differ a little. Read the checklist you were sent.

Making a clear paper copy

A branch or agent usually wants a photocopy of both sides of the card on one sheet, which you sign (self-attest). A card laid on a photocopier often comes out dark, tilted or enlarged.

A cleaner way is to photograph each side and place them on one A4 page at real card size. Our Aadhaar front and back on A4 tool does this: add the two images, crop away the table, check the preview and download a one-page PDF. There is a matching PAN card on A4 tool, which also takes the e-PAN PDF directly.

Tips that prevent rejections:

• Photograph the card in daylight, flat on a plain surface, with no flash glare over the photo or the number.
• Include all four corners. A cropped-off edge is a common reason for a copy being refused.
• Print at Actual size or 100%, not "Fit to page", so the card stays at 85.6 × 54 mm.
• Leave the space below the cards blank for your signature and the date.
• Self-attest only if asked, and sign across the blank area, not over the photo or number.

Should you mask your Aadhaar number?

Often, yes. UIDAI offers a masked Aadhaar: an e-Aadhaar where the first 8 digits are replaced with "xxxx-xxxx" and only the last 4 are visible. It is available only as an e-Aadhaar download, where you choose the masked option.

RBI's Directions point the same way. Where a bank takes your Aadhaar as a document and is not authenticating the number, it has to make sure you redact or black out the Aadhaar number on the copy.

Full number or masked depends on what is being done:

Ask before you submit. Some organisations still insist on an unmasked copy, and the decision is theirs.

If you only have an unmasked PDF, you can black out the digits yourself. Our Redact PDF tool has an "Aadhaar, keep last 4 digits" option that marks the first 8 digits of every Aadhaar number it finds. The marked pages are rebuilt as images, so the hidden digits are not left underneath. On a scanned copy the search can't see the number, so draw the boxes by hand, and check every place the number is printed on the page.

Add a purpose watermark to copies you share

A line such as "For KYC with XYZ Bank, 12 Nov 2026" across an ID copy makes it harder for that copy to be reused somewhere else. On paper, write it by hand next to your signature. On a PDF, the Add Watermark tool has "For KYC only" as a quick pick, or you can type your own text with the purpose and date.

Keep it light. An opacity of 20–40% leaves the details readable, and you should position it so it doesn't cover your photo, name or document number. A copy the officer can't read will come straight back.

Be realistic about what this does. A watermark is a deterrent. Someone with PDF editing software can remove it, so it does not replace sharing less in the first place.

Getting the file under the upload limit

Every portal sets its own limit and format, and it is normally printed next to the upload button. Go by that, not by a number you saw elsewhere.

• A phone photo is too big. A 3 MB photo of a card is far more than a KYC form needs. Crop to the document first, then reduce it.
• A PDF is too big. Our Compress PDF tool has two modes. Keep text re-compresses the photos and scans inside the file. Smallest size turns each page into an image and can aim for a target such as 100 KB, 200 KB or 500 KB. If the target can't be reached, it says so.
• Zoom in afterwards. Open the compressed file and check that every digit of the number and the date of birth is readable. A file that fits the limit but can't be read gets rejected anyway.
• The portal says "invalid file". Check the format it wants (PDF or JPG), and whether it refuses password-protected files.

That last point catches many people. The e-Aadhaar PDF is locked with a password: the first four letters of your name in capitals followed by your year of birth, so SURE1990 for Suresh Kumar born in 1990. Most upload forms can't open a locked file, and our watermark and compress tools refuse one too. Remove the password first with Unlock PDF, which needs the password you already know.

If you are doing all of this to one file, the order that works is: unlock, redact, watermark, then compress.

Sharing the copies safely

• Use the institution's own app, website or branch. Be wary of anyone who asks for KYC documents over a phone call, a link in an SMS or a personal WhatsApp number.
• Send only the documents on the list. If PAN and one OVD are enough, don't add a third.
• After the KYC is done, delete the copies from WhatsApp chats, email drafts and the print shop's computer if you used one.

PdfDady's tools run in your browser and your files are not uploaded. We are independent and not connected with RBI, UIDAI or any bank, and whether a copy is accepted is always the institution's call.

Questions people ask

Is a masked Aadhaar accepted for KYC?

It often is when the Aadhaar is only being taken as a document, and RBI's Directions tell banks to have the number redacted in that case. It won't work where the number itself is needed, such as a subsidy-linked account. Confirm with the institution first.

Do I have to give Aadhaar at all?

Not for bank KYC in general. RBI's Directions say the Aadhaar number is not mandatory for KYC unless you want a benefit or subsidy under a notified scheme. A passport, driving licence or voter ID is also an OVD.

Is a printout of e-Aadhaar or e-PAN valid?

UIDAI says the e-Aadhaar is equally valid as the physical copy. The Income Tax Department treats the e-PAN as a valid form of PAN. A photocopy or reprint is still a copy, so whether it is enough on its own is up to whoever is asking.

Does typing my name or pasting a signature image count as self-attestation?

That depends on the institution. An image of your signature is not a digital signature (DSC) or Aadhaar eSign under the IT Act. For paper submissions, sign by hand. For online ones, follow what the portal asks for.

My address has changed. What do I submit?

Your OVD plus one of the temporary address proofs your bank accepts, such as a utility bill not more than two months old. You then need to give an OVD showing the new address within three months.

Sources

• Reserve Bank of India: Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Know Your Customer) Directions, 2025
• UIDAI: What is Masked Aadhaar?
• UIDAI: Aadhaar online services