ABHA Card 2026 — Ayushman Bharat Health Account, Apply Online in 5 Minutes

Quick summary. ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) is a free 14-digit unique health ID issued by the National Health Authority under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). It lets you store, access and share your medical records — prescriptions, lab reports, discharge summaries, immunisation records — securely across any ABDM-linked hospital, lab or clinic in India. Apply mode: Online in under 5 minutes via abha.abdm.gov.in using Aadhaar OTP or driving licence. Free download as PDF or in the ABHA mobile app. Not the same as the Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) ₹5 lakh insurance card.

ABHA is the digital backbone of India’s modern health stack — a portable, lifelong health identity that is to medical records what UPI is to bank payments. Launched on 27 September 2021 under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, ABHA replaces the chaotic mess of paper prescriptions, scattered lab PDFs and lost discharge summaries with a single secure ID that doctors and patients can pull up instantly.

The ID is free, voluntary, consent-based, and revocable — you control who sees what, for how long. Crucially, ABHA is not insurance. It does not pay your hospital bills. It is purely a health-record identifier. The ₹5-lakh-cover card you may have heard of is the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY card, which is a separate scheme for low-income families (covered in our dedicated Ayushman Bharat Card guide).

ABHA at a glance

Detail	Information
Full name	Ayushman Bharat Health Account
Issued under	Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)
Issuing authority	National Health Authority (NHA)
Launched	27 September 2021
Cost	₹0 — free, lifelong
ID format	14-digit ABHA Number + alphanumeric ABHA Address (e.g., yourname@abdm)
Apply mode	Online via Aadhaar OTP, driving licence, or ABHA app
Time to issue	2–5 minutes (instant)
Validity	Lifelong
Eligibility	All Indian residents (any age)
Official portal	abha.abdm.gov.in

Who is eligible?

Educational Qualification

Not applicable

Age Limit (As on Date of registration)

0 to 120 Years

Other Requirements

Nationality: Resident of India
Open to every resident of India — there is no income, employment or BPL filter
Children below 18: parent/guardian creates the ABHA in the child's name and links it to their own ABHA
Senior citizens, disabled persons, persons without Aadhaar can use driving licence as the alternate ID
NRIs holding an Aadhaar can also create an ABHA
It is voluntary — no service or scheme can be denied for not having ABHA

In simple terms. Anyone with an Aadhaar (or driving licence) can create an ABHA in five minutes from their phone. There is no waiting list, no verification queue, no fee.

What benefits do you get?

Benefit	What it means in practice
Single 14-digit health ID	Carry one number instead of a folder of files; usable at every ABDM-linked facility
Digital health locker	All prescriptions, lab reports, scans, discharge summaries stored in your ABHA — accessible on the app
Consent-based sharing	Doctor can see your records only after you approve a one-time consent (via OTP / app pop-up)
Faster hospital check-in	Scan ABHA QR at OPD — patient registration auto-fills, no re-typing demographics
Easier insurance claims	Insurer can verify reports directly from ABHA (with consent), reducing claim turnaround
Tele-consultation	Use the e-Sanjeevani / private apps with ABHA pre-fill
Smoother referrals	Specialist receives your full history with one consent-share — no carrying X-rays
Privacy & revocability	Revoke consent any time; delete or de-link your ABHA whenever you want

Privacy note. Your records are not stored on a single government server — they remain at the originating hospital/lab and are pulled on demand against your consent. ABHA is the index, not the database.

Documents required

While filling online form

Aadhaar card linked to active mobile number (preferred — fastest path)
OR Driving Licence + active mobile number (if you don't want to use Aadhaar)
Active mobile number for OTP
Email ID (optional but recommended for record sharing)

No PAN card, no income proof, no caste certificate, no photograph required.

How to apply for ABHA online (Aadhaar method)

Step 1 — Open the official portal

Go to abha.abdm.gov.in → click Create ABHA Number. (Or download the ABHA app by NHA from Play Store / App Store.)

Step 2 — Choose verification method

Select Aadhaar (recommended, instant) or Driving Licence (alternate). For Aadhaar:

Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
Tick the consent checkbox confirming you authorise UIDAI verification.
Click Next.

Step 3 — Aadhaar OTP

An OTP is sent to the mobile number registered with your Aadhaar. Enter it.

If your mobile is not linked to Aadhaar, switch to Driving Licence flow or visit any ABDM-empanelled hospital / CSC for assisted enrolment.

Step 4 — Mobile verification

Enter your current active mobile number. A second OTP confirms it. (This can be different from your Aadhaar mobile.)

Step 5 — Choose your ABHA Address

This is your readable health-ID handle, like a UPI VPA — for example, priya.singh@abdm. Pick something easy to remember. You can change it later, but only once.

Step 6 — Download

ABHA is generated instantly. You see a 14-digit number + your chosen address + a QR code. Download the PDF or save it inside the ABHA app — that’s your card.

⏰ Last Date: Open (no last date — voluntary, lifelong)

Create ABHA at abha.abdm.gov.in

Clicking this button will take you to the official government portal.

How to link existing health records to ABHA

Open the ABHA app → log in with ABHA Address + OTP.
Tap Health Records → Link facility.
Search for the hospital / lab / clinic by name or PIN code (must be ABDM-registered).
Enter the patient ID / OPD number issued by that facility. Approve the consent.
Records sync to your ABHA in 1–48 hours.

At the OPD reception, show your ABHA QR (from the app).
The hospital’s HMIS pulls your demographics + sends a consent request to your ABHA.
You approve on the app — the doctor’s screen now shows your past records for the time window you chose (e.g., 1 day, 1 week).
Consent expires automatically; you can revoke it earlier from the app.

Common issues and fixes

Issue	Fix
OTP not received on Aadhaar mobile	Check if mobile is still linked at uidai.gov.in → Verify Mobile/Email; if changed, update Aadhaar first
ABHA Address already taken	Try a variation — add a number or middle initial; address must be globally unique
Hospital not visible in linking list	The facility hasn’t joined ABDM yet; ask them to register at abdm.gov.in/register
Duplicate ABHA created accidentally	Use De-link / Delete ABHA in the app to remove the unused one
Records not syncing after linking	Refresh the link; some hospitals push records only at discharge, not at OPD

Frequently asked questions

1. Is ABHA card the same as Ayushman Bharat ₹5 lakh insurance card?

No. They are two different things under the same Ayushman Bharat umbrella. ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) is a free 14-digit digital health ID for storing your medical records — open to every resident. Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is a separate ₹5 lakh free hospitalisation cover for low-income families (SECC-2011 listed). You can have both; ABHA does not give you insurance.

2. Is creating an ABHA card free?

Yes. ABHA is fully free, lifelong, and government-issued. Anyone charging you a fee for ABHA registration is fraudulent — report at the ABDM helpline 1800-11-4477.

3. How long does it take to get an ABHA number?

Two to five minutes if you use Aadhaar OTP. The number, ABHA Address and QR-coded card are generated instantly. PDF and app download are immediate.

4. Can I create an ABHA without Aadhaar?

Yes. You can use a Driving Licence as the alternate ID. The flow is the same — enter DL number, verify with OTP, set your ABHA Address. Hospital walk-in enrolment with the operator's assistance also works for those without any digital ID.

5. What is the difference between ABHA Number and ABHA Address?

ABHA Number is the 14-digit unique identifier (like an Aadhaar number for health). ABHA Address is the readable handle you choose, in the form yourname@abdm — used for consent-based sharing. Both are linked to the same account; the Address is just a friendlier alias for the Number.

6. Are my health records visible to the government?

No. Records remain at the hospital or lab that originally created them. ABHA only stores pointers (a digital index). Even those pointers are accessible only after your explicit consent for a specific time window. The government does not maintain a central database of citizens' medical histories.

7. Can I delete or deactivate my ABHA?

Yes. Inside the ABHA app or web portal, you can deactivate (temporary, reversible) or delete (permanent) your ABHA at any time. Deletion removes all linkages but does not erase records held by hospitals — those are governed by their own retention policies.

8. Is ABHA mandatory for hospital admission or insurance?

No. ABHA is voluntary. No hospital, insurer or government scheme can refuse service for the absence of ABHA. It only makes the experience faster and paperless.

9. Can I create ABHA for my child?

Yes. Children of any age can have an ABHA. The parent or legal guardian creates the child's ABHA from their own ABHA app, with the child's name and date of birth, and links it to the parent's ABHA. Once the child turns 18, they can de-link and manage their own account.

10. Will ABHA work in private hospitals or only government ones?

Both. Any facility — government, private, charitable, diagnostic lab, pharmacy, tele-consult app — that has registered under ABDM can read and write to ABHA. The ABDM facility list at abha.abdm.gov.in shows participating providers in your area.

Latest updates (2026)

ABHA-linked insurance claims: As of 2026, leading insurers (Star Health, HDFC Ergo, Niva Bupa, ICICI Lombard) accept ABHA-shared records for cashless pre-authorisation, cutting average TAT from 4 hours to 45 minutes.
Pharmacy integration: Over 8,000 pharmacies are ABDM-linked; e-prescriptions can be sent directly from doctor’s HMIS to your ABHA, and the pharmacy fulfils against the QR.
Vaccination & immunisation: All CoWIN vaccination certificates and routine childhood immunisation records issued at government facilities are auto-linked to ABHA from January 2026 onwards.
ABHA app v3: New release adds offline QR display, regional-language UI in 12 languages, and accessibility modes for visually impaired users.

Official links

Disclaimer. SarkariBaba is an independent information publisher. We are not affiliated with the National Health Authority. ABHA is fully free — never pay anyone for the registration. Always verify the most current ABDM features and privacy policies at abha.abdm.gov.in.

Article Information

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Published 7 May 2026

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Written by Rohit Sharma

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Reviewed by SarkariBaba Editorial Team

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Source National Health Authority, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission official documentation, NHA press releases

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Fact-Checked 14-digit ABHA format, Aadhaar/DL enrolment flow, free-of-cost confirmation, distinction from PM-JAY verified against abha.abdm.gov.in and abdm.gov.in on 7 May 2026