Complete Guide 2026 🇮🇳

ABHA Card: How to Create, Download, and Use Your ABHA

How Does the ABHA Card Give You a Digital Health Identity? ABHA is a health ID card issued by India’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to access, store, and share medical records digitally. It is a 14-digit health identifier ID that gives an individual identity that can be used within India’s digital healthcare ecosystem.

ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account. The Ayushman Bharat Health Account card manages health information and saves lab reports, prescriptions, and diagnoses digitally to eliminate physical files. Allows users to give or take away doctor access to their health history.

The Abha card gives treatment benefits.

✓ Free & Voluntary

✓ 14-Digit Health ID

✓ Records On Consent

The Number

What Is an ABHA Number?

What Is an ABHA Number?

The ABHA Number is a free 14-digit unique identifier assigned to an individual voluntary link with your digital health account. Official ABDM information describes it as used to link, digitally store, access, and share health records across hospitals and doctors in India.

It was launched by the Government of India under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to build a unified digital healthcare system. It helps support healthcare services to identify your account and connect relevant health information when you choose to use those services.

The Address

What Is an ABHA Address?

What Is an ABHA Address?

An ABHA address is a unique, user-friendly, self-declared identifier associated with an ABHA number. It can make it easier to identify and access an ABHA account than relying only on the 14-digit number, though both work together.

The official ABHA application also supports creating an easy-to-remember ABHA address. During ABHA creation, the available process may provide suggested ABHA addresses, while eligible users may also be able to create an address of their choice.

Difference

ABHA Number vs. ABHA Address

ABHA Number ABHA Address
14-digit unique health identifier Easier-to-remember digital address
Used to identify the ABHA account Can be used to access or identify the account
Generated as part of ABHA creation Can be created and linked with the ABHA number
Important for digital health services A 14-digit sequence like 70-7463-2446-5247 Useful for easier account interaction It looks like an email address (for example, yourname@abdm).

Step by Step

How to Create an ABHA Card Online

You can create your ABHA card in minutes using your Aadhaar number and mobile phone. Just follow these six simple steps on the official portal.

1

Visit the Portal:

Go to the official platform  page, ABHA ABDM Website.

Open the official website

2

Select Creation Method:

Choose the Aadhaar-based creation option if available. Click on “Create ABHA Number” and choose to register using your Aadhaar card or driving license.

Selects the required option

3

Enter your Identification Number:

Type your 12-digit Aadhaar number or selected ID number.

Enter teh aadhar number

4

Select the terms:

Provide the required consent and accept the applicable terms.

Now you can select the terms and conditions and click next

5

Verify OTP:

Keep access to your Aadhaar-linked mobile phone available if you are using Aadhaar-based authentication. Complete verification by entering the one-time OTP sent to your registered mobile number. The OTP is an important part of the verification process.

Verify the OTP by entering OTP

6

Provide Communication Details:

Enter and verify the communication details and alternate mobile number or email address for updates.

Enter your email address

7

Create ABHA Address:

Create or select an available ABHA address, where applicable, or create a personalized one.

Now you can create the abha address

8

Download Card:

After submitting your details, check the status to generate your 14-digit ABHA number and then download the ABHA card in PDF format.

ABHA card appears in the dashboard and ready to download

Access the Details

Once the process is completed, access your ABHA details and digital card. Official ABDM material confirms an Aadhaar-based ABHA creation flow that includes Aadhaar authentication, mobile verification, and ABHA address creation.

DOWNLOADING STEPS

How to Download Your ABHA Card If You Already Have One

If you already have an ABHA number, then you do not need to register again to get a copy of your card. To use the official ABHA services, download your ABHA card using your existing account.

Follow these simple steps:

1

Open the official ABHA portal:

Visit the official website and choose the available login, recovery, or ABHA access option.

2

Access your existing account:

You can log in using the identifications such as your registered mobile number or ABHA address, depending on the option shown on the official portal.

1

Solve the Captcha:

The  beneficiary solves the captcha and clicks on NEXT.

4

Complete verification:

Type the OTP to confirm or other verification details requested by the portal.

5

Check your ABHA details:

Once you open the account, review your ABHA number and other account information. If several profiles are linked to the same mobile number, you will see them listed and can pick the right one.

6

Download your card:

Use the available download option to save your ABHA card in a PDF format for future use.

ABHA App

How to Access Your ABHA Through the App

The official ABHA app can be used to access your existing ABHA account and manage the supported services from your phone.

After accessing your existing account, the app can help you:

For an Aadhaar-based process

  • Install the official ABHA app: After logging in with your mobile number, ABHA number, or ABHA address, then verify with OTP.
  • View your ABHA details: Access your ABHA number and other available account information from your phone.
  • Access supported health records: View reports and prescriptions that have been linked to your ABHA through participating healthcare providers and compatible services. You can also upload your own documents.
  • Manage consent: Review and respond to applicable requests for accessing or sharing your health information through supported ABDM services. You can revoke access later, and some apps also offer a consent PIN.
  • Use supported digital services: Depending on the healthcare facility and service, the app may support features such as QR-based registration or other digital interactions. Just scan the QR code at the desk and share your profile. The OPD token is then issued without a paper registration form.

For an Aadhaar-based process

The features available can depend on the current app version, participating healthcare provider, and the digital services supported by that facility. Therefore, not every hospital or healthcare service will necessarily offer the same ABHA features.

Requirements

What Do You Need to Create an ABHA Card?

The exact information requested can depend on the method you use for ABHA card registration.

For an Aadhaar-based creation process, you may need these things:

For an Aadhaar-based process

  • Your Aadhaar number
  • Access to the mobile number linked with the Aadhaar card 
  • OTP verification
  • Basic personal details requested during registration
  • A mobile number for communication, where required
  • An ABHA Address, where applicable
  • A driving license can sometimes be used if you do not want to use Aadhaar. It acts like an alternative.

Some ABHA registration options can also use mobile or email-based authentication. The official ABHA privacy policy describes self-registration using mobile OTP and email OTP authentication.

No Aadhaar?

Can You Create an ABHA Card Without Aadhaar?

Aadhaar is one of the supported ways to create/apply and verify an ABHA, but it is not the Health ID without an Aadhaar number by using an alternative government-issued identification document like a driving license.

Aadhaar is one of the supported ways to create/apply and verify an ABHA, but it is not the Health ID without an Aadhaar number by using an alternative government-issued identification document like a driving license. But the available options can depend on the registration channel and verification method.

Some other documents

Driving License

Use your driving license number with your name, date of birth, and gender to complete self-registration on the ABHA official portal.

Other Methods

Person registration is possible by participating in a hospital or visiting an authorized healthcare facility if you cannot use online options.

What If Your Mobile Number Is Not Linked to Aadhaar?

Aadhaar-based ABHA creation generally requires access to the mobile number used for OTP verification. If your mobile number is no longer available, the portal advises visiting the nearest ABDM participating facility for help.

In this situation, check the other alternative registration option, such as the driving license route, if you have one.

Common Uses

What Is the ABHA Card Used For?

The main purpose of an Ayushman Bharat Health Account card is connected to digital health identity and health information management. Depending on the services and healthcare providers involved, ABHA can help support:

ABHA can help support

  • Identification within the digital health ecosystem
  • Linking health records with an individual’s Health ID
  • Accessing and sharing health record information with appropriate healthcare providers
  • It takes all your prescriptions, lab reports, consultations, and diagnoses together in one organized digital view of health information.
  • Reduced dependence on carrying physical medical files or repeating old medical tests,

Important note on insurance

The Digital Health ID is an information manager, not a health insurance policy or a free financial coverage card. if you are eligible You can link it to insurance policies or government programs like AB-PMJAY.

The official ABHA app describes functionality for viewing health records and linking and sharing them through the ABDM network after user consent.

Working

How Does ABHA Work?

ABHA works as an identifier or as an account that participates in healthcare facilities across India to streamline registration and follow-up care. It’s not within a federated digital system, and it’s not a single database that keeps your medical files. 

The ABHA number identifies a person and threads their health records only with their informed agreement across multiple systems and contributers.

ABHA serves as an essential that lets these systems link a record to your digital identity and exchange that record using ABDM registries and consent managers when you approve it.

Beneficiary health records are stored in taking part Health Information Providers (HIPs), diagnostic labs, hospitals, and digital health apps, not under cover of the ABHA number itself. 

ABHA enables consent-based linking, access, and sharing of health. It records across ABDM-enabled systems, rather than storing those records on its own.

How It Works

How Does ABHA Help With Digital Health Records?

Assume that you have visited different healthcare providers over a number of years. Your reports’ strength as paper documents, PDFs, or records held by different facilities.

Connecting your records

Endorsed by ABHA, it can help connect relevant digital health records to your health identity. This can make it easier to access your information when you need it.

However, an ABHA number does not automatically mean that every medical record you have ever created will appear in one place. Records need to be generated, linked, or shared through participating systems and according to the applicable consent process.

Consent & Privacy

ABHA and Consent: Who Can Access Your Health Records?

Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), health information is sensitive, so consent is an important part of the ABDM framework. Only you and the healthcare providers can access your health records through an ABHA account.

The ABHA application officially states that every individual can link and share health records through the ABDM network after user consent. This means an ABHA should not be viewed simply as a card that gives anyone automatic access to your medical history.

When using a digital health service, pay attention to:

  • What information is being requested?
  • Which healthcare provider or service is requesting it?
  • Why the information is being shared
  • What consent are you providing?
  • Whether you recognize the website or application

Always use official or trusted healthcare platforms when entering personal information.

Consent & Privacy

What Information Do You Share When Creating an ABHA?

Creating an ABHA does not mean that every healthcare provider automatically receives access to your medical history. Health-record access and sharing are handled through the applicable ABDM services and consent process.

Before creating an ABHA through Aadhaar-based authentication, review the consent information shown on the official portal. The registration process may ask you to provide identification and basic demographic details needed to create and verify your ABHA.

The information requested can include:

  • Aadhaar number for the applicable authentication process
  • Name and other basic demographic information
  • Date of birth and gender, where required
  • Mobile number for OTP verification
  • Photographs of the person
  • Other communication details requested during registration

The information and consent requirements shown on the official portal can change as the service is updated, so read the consent notice carefully before selecting I Agree. 

Benefits

ABHA Card Benefits

The benefits of an Ayushman Bharat Health Account card are mainly related to digital health identity and record management.

A Digital Health Identity

Your 14-digit ABHA number provides a unique identity for accessing the healthcare ecosystem.

Easier Health Record Management

Link all healthcare lab reports and prescriptions to one place, which removes the need to carry physical copies of reports while visiting a doctor. Supported health records can be linked to your ABHA and accessed through compatible digital health services. It also precludes the loss of health reports, as the reports can be saved digitally and accessed and tracked anytime, anywhere.

Safe sharing

Share your health history with verified doctors only when you give your digital approval.

Digital Access to Health Information

The ABHA application provides individuals with a longitudinal view of their health records, with options to link and share their health history after consent.

Less Dependence on Paper Records

Digital access can reduce the need to carry every report and X-ray films physically, particularly when records are available through connected healthcare systems.

Centralized records

Save all your doctor prescriptions, lab reports, and treatment histories in only one digital space across India.

Convenient Identification

An ABHA number and ABHA address can make interaction with participating digital health services much easier. Through the ABHA apps, patients can avoid the long queues by getting medical facilities. Using a scan of a QR code, the patients can generate OPD tokens and avoid standing in long queues for doctor consultation.

Remember, these benefits depend on the healthcare service, facility, and digital systems involved. ABHA is intended to support digital health services, not replace every existing healthcare process.

Uses

Where Can You Actually Use Your ABHA Card?

An ABHA number is useful when you are visiting if it is actually part of the ABDM network at participating public and private hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic labs across India that are registered under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) portal.

  • Primary health centers, government hospitals, and community health centers: The majority of public healthcare centers use ABHA for fast digital registration and patient flow management.
  • Private hospitals and clinics: Mostly private hospitals give access for digital identity verification and sharing medical history.
  • Diagnostic labs, pharmacies, and imaging centers: Participating ABDM-enabled facilities can upload test reports and prescriptions directly to your profile. 
  • Telemedicine Platforms: Practitioners across Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH). Use your ABHA address for online doctor consultations.

Common Confusion

Is the ABHA Card the Same as the Ayushman Bharat Card?

The Ayushman Bharat card and ABHA and the health assurance scheme are not the same; they both serve completely different purposes in the healthcare system.

Feature ABHA Card Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY



Purpose It serves as a digital health identity Government health assurance scheme, enabling free treatment at hospital
Eligibility Available for all Indian citizens Designed for economically weaker persons under PM-JAY with an annual income up to 5 lakhs.
Benefits Helps with digital medical records Provides eligible healthcare expenses under scheme rules
Cost Free to create Free only for eligible applicants
Administering framework Part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Administered under the PM-JAY framework

Optout, deactivate,or delete

How to Opt Out, Deactivate, or Delete Your ABHA

ABHA is a voluntary digital health identity, so creating one does not mean you must use it for every healthcare service.

If you no longer want to use your ABHA, check the account-management options available through the official ABHA portal or app. In the portal you may find settings related to managing, deactivating, or deleting your ABHA.

Open the official ABHA service, review the account-management options available for your account, and complete any verification the service requires.

Using these steps to deactivate or delete ABHA

  • Open the official ABHA login page.
  • Log in to your account using your Aadhaar or mobile OTP.
  • Selects the My Account section.
  • Choose the Deactivate / Delete Health ID.
  • Choose the option for whether it is temporary deactivation or permanent deletion.
  • Confirm with the final security OTP.

What Happens When You Opt Out

  • Data Loss: Permanent removal erases all saved health details.
  • Unlinking: Your identification unlinks from your Aadhaar or phone number
  • Inactivity: Your ABHA number becomes inactive immediately.

Final Takeaway

Final Takeaway

An ABHA Card is more than a digital health identity that supports the management and sharing of your health details.

Key points to remember

An ABHA Card is more than a digital health identity that supports the management and sharing of your health details. 

The beneficiary can create an ABHA through official ABDM services, use your 14-digit ABHA number to identify your account, create an ABHA address, and access supported health records with the appropriate consent.

Most importantly, keep ABHA separate from Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in your mind. ABHA is a digital health identity, while PM-JAY is a separate health assurance scheme with its own eligibility and benefits.

If you are creating an ABHA for the first time, use the official ABDM platform and carefully check every verification and consent step before submitting your personal information.

Frequently Asked Questions

ABHA Card FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about the ABHA card.

Yes, the Ayushman Bharat Health Account platform provides free services for creating an ABHA number. Always check the official portal and avoid paying an unknown third party simply to create an ABHA.

No, not by itself. It supports digital identification, not a health insurance card, and does not independently provide free hospitalization.

Yes, the official ABHA services provide access to your ABHA details and resources to download your Ayushman Bharat Health Account card using the Official Portal.

You can recover your 14-digit ABHA number using your ABHA address online by visiting the official Recover ABHA Portal. Account recovery can also be performed using your Aadhaar number.

No, a physical Digital Health ID is not required for medical treatment or registration in India. ABHA identity is important to remember is that the core is digital.

Any Indian citizen can create an Ayushman Bharat Health Account card. ABHA is designed as an individual digital health identity within India’s health ecosystem.

No, an Ayushman Bharat Health Account card is not mandatory.

Aadhaar is the most important method, but an Ayushman Bharat Health Account can also be created using a driving license as an alternative for creating an Health ID.

Yes. Every family member obtains their own ABHA, and so do your parents, spouse, and children.

Yes, your records are shared only with your consent. ABHA links records that stay with your healthcare providers rather than storing them in one central place.

No. Creating an ABHA does not automatically show every medical record you have ever received in your ABHA-linked records.

Not necessarily. ABHA is a voluntary digital health identity and is not the same as a health insurance or treatment-entitlement card. 

No. You do not need the mobile app to create or access an ABHA or health card. The app can be more convenient and support health records accessible from your phone.