ABHA Card Download: Create Your ABHA Number and Get the Card

You can download your ABHA card free of cost from the official portal abha.abdm.gov.in. Log in with your ABHA number or Aadhaar-linked mobile, verify the OTP, and click Download ABHA Card on your dashboard — the card saves as a PDF or image you can print or store on your phone. If you do not have an ABHA number yet, you can create one on the same portal in about five minutes using your Aadhaar. This guide covers both: creating the ABHA number and downloading the card.

What is an ABHA number?

ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account. It is a unique 14-digit health ID issued under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) run by the National Health Authority. Think of it as an account number for your health records: prescriptions, lab reports, discharge summaries, and vaccination records can all be linked to it digitally.

Along with the number, you get an ABHA address — a readable username that ends in `@abdm`, similar to an email ID (for example, `rahulkumar@abdm`). Hospitals and apps use this address to send records to your account, and nothing is shared without your OTP-based consent.

Anyone with an Aadhaar or a driving licence can create an ABHA. It is voluntary, free, and independent of any insurance scheme. If you want the policy background of the mission itself, read our explainer on the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

Who should get an ABHA card?

• Patients who visit multiple hospitals or cities. Your reports travel with you digitally instead of in a plastic bag of files.
• Parents managing family health records. Each family member gets their own ABHA; records stay separated and organised.
• People using government health facilities. Many hospitals now generate OPD registration tokens by scanning your ABHA QR code, which cuts queue time.
• Anyone booking teleconsultations. Doctors can view your linked history with your consent.

How to create an ABHA number using Aadhaar

The Aadhaar route is fully online and takes minutes, provided your mobile number is linked to Aadhaar (the OTP goes to that number).

1. Go to abha.abdm.gov.in and click Create ABHA Number.
2. Select Using Aadhaar and enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
3. Tick the consent declaration and click Next.
4. Enter the OTP received on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
5. Confirm or add your communication mobile number and email.
6. Choose your ABHA address (the `@abdm` username). Pick something you will remember — it is how facilities find your account.
7. Your 14-digit ABHA number is generated instantly. The card appears on your dashboard.

Your name, date of birth, gender, and photo are pulled from Aadhaar automatically, so there are no forms to fill or documents to upload.

How to create an ABHA using a driving licence

If your Aadhaar mobile linking is broken or you prefer not to use Aadhaar, the portal accepts a driving licence — but this route is not fully online.

1. On the portal, choose Using Driving Licence and enter your licence number.
2. The system generates an enrolment request.
3. Visit the nearest ABDM-participating health facility with your original driving licence.
4. Facility staff verify your identity in person, after which your ABHA number is activated.

Because of the physical-verification step, use the Aadhaar route if you can. If your mobile is not linked to Aadhaar, fixing that at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra first is usually faster than the driving-licence route.

How to download the ABHA card

Once your ABHA exists, downloading the card is a two-minute job:

1. Open abha.abdm.gov.in and click Login.
2. Log in using your ABHA number, ABHA address, or mobile number.
3. Enter the OTP (sent to your registered or Aadhaar-linked mobile).
4. On your dashboard, click Download ABHA Card.
5. The card downloads with your photo, 14-digit ABHA number, ABHA address, and a QR code.

You can also download it from the official ABHA mobile app (by the National Health Authority): log in, open your profile, and tap the download icon on the card. There is no fee at any step — no government portal charges for ABHA creation or card download, so avoid lookalike websites that ask for payment.

Linking your health records

The card is just the front door; the value is in the records behind it. Using the ABHA app or any ABDM-integrated app:

1. Log in with your ABHA address.
2. Go to Link Records and select the hospital or lab where you were treated.
3. Approve the linking request with an OTP.
4. Your reports from that facility appear in your account, viewable any time.

When a new hospital asks for your history, you grant consent from the app, choose which records to share and for how long, and the doctor sees exactly that — nothing more. You can revoke access whenever you like.

ABHA card vs Ayushman card: not the same thing

This is the single most common confusion, and it matters because the two cards do completely different jobs.

Having an ABHA does not entitle you to free treatment, and holding an Ayushman card does not automatically organise your health records. Many people sensibly hold both — check your PM-JAY eligibility on beneficiary.nha.gov.in separately. Both sit within the wider family of central welfare programmes; our sarkari yojana list maps the major ones in one place.

Troubleshooting common problems

• OTP not arriving. For Aadhaar-based creation, the OTP goes only to the Aadhaar-linked mobile. If that number is old, update it at an Aadhaar centre first.
• “ABHA already exists” error. An ABHA may have been created for you during a hospital visit or vaccination. Use the login page with your mobile number to recover it instead of creating a new one.
• Wrong name or photo on the card. ABHA mirrors your Aadhaar data. Correct the Aadhaar record first; the ABHA profile can then be re-verified.
• Forgotten ABHA address. Log in with your mobile number; the dashboard lists all ABHA profiles linked to that number.
• Deactivating ABHA. You can deactivate or permanently delete your ABHA and linked records from the profile settings — participation is voluntary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ABHA card download free?

Yes. Creating an ABHA number and downloading the card are completely free on abha.abdm.gov.in and the official ABHA app. No government portal charges for it, so treat any site demanding a fee as unofficial.

Can I download my ABHA card using only my mobile number?

Yes, if that mobile number is registered with your ABHA. Choose the mobile-number login on the portal, verify the OTP, select your profile, and download the card.

What documents do I need to create an ABHA number?

Just your Aadhaar number with a linked mobile for the online route, or a driving licence if you are willing to complete in-person verification at an ABDM-participating facility.

Is ABHA mandatory for hospital treatment?

No. ABHA is voluntary. Hospitals cannot deny you treatment for not having one, though having it speeds up OPD registration at many government facilities.

Does the ABHA card give ₹5 lakh insurance cover?

No. The ₹5 lakh per family per year cashless cover belongs to the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme, which has its own eligibility rules and its own card. ABHA is only a health-record account.

Can children have an ABHA card?

Yes. A parent can create an ABHA for a child using the child’s Aadhaar, and manage the account until the child takes it over.

What happens if I lose my ABHA card?

Nothing is lost. The card is just a printable view of your account — log in to the portal or app again and re-download it any time.