ABHA Card: How to Create, Download and Use India’s Health ID
An ABHA card is a free digital health identity issued under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). It gives you a random 14-digit ABHA number and an easy-to-remember ABHA address, such as yourname@abdm, so you can link and share health records with participating doctors, labs and hospitals, and only after you consent. You can create one on the official portal, abha.abdm.gov.in, in the official ABHA app, or at a healthcare facility that offers the service.
A Press Information Bureau note of September 2026 said that, as of 17 September 2026, more than 97.61 crore ABHA IDs were operational, with more than 119.95 crore health records linked to them, and more than 5.78 lakh healthcare facilities and 11 lakh healthcare professionals registered on the platform. ABDM was launched in September 2021 and is run by the National Health Authority, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
What is an ABHA card?
An ABHA card holds your medical history together. It is not a hospital enrolment or an insurance policy. A PIB explainer dated 4 April 2024 sets out the three pieces you receive:
- ABHA number: a unique 14-digit identifier that stays with you across healthcare providers.
- ABHA address: a username in the form name@abdm, used to access and share records and to sign in to the ABHA app.
- ABHA app: a mobile application in which you can receive digital lab reports, prescriptions and diagnoses from participating providers and share them with consent.
Registration is free. Anyone can enrol. Creating one does not, by itself, make you eligible for any health insurance scheme.
ABHA card vs Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) card
The similar names cause confusion, but they are different documents. The same PIB explainer is explicit: getting an ABHA number is not enrolment in Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), and it does not make you eligible for that scheme.
| ABHA card | Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) card | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A digital health ID for linking and sharing medical records | A health insurance entitlement for eligible families |
| What you get | A 14-digit number and an ABHA address | Health insurance cover for hospitalisation at empanelled hospitals, for eligible families |
| Who can have it | Any individual who completes KYC | Only eligible beneficiary families under PM-JAY, or related cards such as the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card for seniors |
| Cost | Free | The scheme cover, for those eligible, is not a privately purchased policy |
You can hold both. One does not replace the other.
What you need to create an ABHA card
The official ABHA registration page offers two self-registration routes, and the ABDM FAQ lists the documents for each:
- With Aadhaar: your 12-digit Aadhaar number and the mobile number linked to that Aadhaar, because the OTP is sent there.
- With a driving licence: the driving licence itself, plus your name, date of birth and gender.
The FAQ says that options to use other KYC documents, such as a PAN or passport, are still being added. You can also have the number created at a participating hospital or clinic. It is unique: the same person is not given more than one. If you need a physical Aadhaar first, our guide to the Aadhaar PVC card explains how to order one. Use only the official portal or app. Fake lookalike sites are a known risk with any government service that asks for Aadhaar.
How to create an ABHA card online
- Open abha.abdm.gov.in and choose Create your ABHA Number. Pick Aadhaar or driving licence.
- If you use Aadhaar, enter the 12-digit number, accept the e-KYC consent, and enter the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile.
- Add any contact details the form asks for, such as a preferred mobile number, and verify them if an OTP is sent.
- Choose an ABHA address in the form yourname@abdm.
- Once the 14-digit ABHA number is generated, download the ABHA card from the same screen and keep a copy in the official app.
The same flow is available in the official ABHA app. At a healthcare facility, staff can create the number for you after identity verification.
How to download an ABHA card you already have
If you created an ABHA number earlier and need the card again, sign in at the official portal or in the official app with your number or address, and verify with a mobile or Aadhaar OTP. You can then download the file and save it on your phone. Do not use unofficial "ABHA download" websites that ask for your Aadhaar and a fee. The government service is free.
What it is useful for
The practical benefit is portability. If a participating lab or hospital issues a digital report or prescription against your ABHA number, you can later share that record with another participating doctor instead of carrying a file of paper. Records created in one hospital can, with your consent, be made available to a later provider so the new doctor is not starting from a blank page. This also works outside government hospitals, but only where the private clinic has chosen to use ABHA. If it has not, or if you prefer not to, the explainer says the facility may use its own existing identifier.
For a wider view of current central schemes, see our round-up of government schemes in 2026. Other digital IDs, such as the e-Shram card for unorganised workers, serve a different purpose and are not a substitute.
Privacy, consent and what ABHA does not do
Health records are not stored in a single government vault. The 2024 explainer describes a federated design: records stay with the hospital or lab that created them, and ABDM only helps move a copy when you agree. Consent can be given for selected records, not only for your entire history. The same document says medical records are not stored by ABDM itself and that the system does not give the government a new way to watch an individual's health. Only registry data needed to identify users, professionals and facilities is held centrally.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ABHA card?
It is a free 14-digit digital health ID, with an ABHA address, used to link and share your medical records with participating healthcare providers after you consent.
How do I create an ABHA card?
Go to abha.abdm.gov.in, choose Create your ABHA Number, and complete KYC with Aadhaar or a driving licence. You can also use the official ABHA app or ask at a participating facility.
Is an ABHA card the same as an Ayushman Bharat card?
No. An ABHA card is a health-records ID. An Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY card is health insurance for eligible families. One does not enrol you in the other.
Is there a fee?
No. Creation and download through the official portal and app are free of cost.
Where do I get help?
The official ABHA contact page lists the toll-free number 1800-11-4477. File grievances at grievance.abdm.gov.in, not through that contact form.
Sources: National Health Authority / ABDM, official registration portal and contact page; ABDM FAQ on the ABHA number; PIB explainer on ABHA, 4 April 2024 (Release ID 2017129); PIB, "Progressing Towards Universal Health Coverage", September 2026, figures as of 17 September 2026.
Featured image: Ganesh Dhamodkar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). An Ayushman Bharat urban primary health centre in Nagpur; illustrative.
