How to Create an ABHA Health ID (Ayushman Bharat)

To create your ABHA number, open the official portal at abha.abdm.gov.in, click Create ABHA Number, choose Using Aadhaar, enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number, tick the consent declaration, and verify with the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile. Confirm your details, choose an ABHA address (a username ending in @abdm), and your free 14-digit ABHA number is generated instantly. You can then download your ABHA card. The whole Aadhaar route is online and takes only a few minutes.

ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account. It is a free digital health ID under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) that lets you store and share your health records — prescriptions, lab reports, hospital records — digitally and securely, with your consent. This guide shows how to create one on the official portal, with app and offline options, what ABHA is and is not, and how to avoid scams.

What ABHA is (and is not)

An ABHA is an identifier that ties your health records together across hospitals, clinics and labs that are part of the digital health network. It is not health insurance and is not the same as the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY insurance scheme, although both sit under the Ayushman Bharat umbrella. Creating an ABHA does not by itself entitle you to any treatment benefit; its purpose is to make your medical history portable and easy to share, so a doctor can see your past reports with your permission instead of you carrying a bundle of papers.

Before you begin

Keep these ready:

1. Your Aadhaar number (for the fastest route).
2. The mobile phone linked to your Aadhaar, because the OTP is sent there.
3. Optionally, an email address and a preferred ABHA address (username).

Use only the official site, abha.abdm.gov.in. Older addresses such as healthid.ndhm.gov.in are outdated.

How to create ABHA using Aadhaar (website)

1. Open abha.abdm.gov.in and click Create ABHA Number.
2. Select Using Aadhaar.
3. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
4. Tick the consent declaration and continue.
5. Enter the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
6. Review the details pulled automatically from Aadhaar. You can add an email now or later.
7. Choose your ABHA address — a username ending in @abdm. Pick something easy to remember.
8. Your 14-digit ABHA number is generated instantly. Download the ABHA card from your dashboard.

Because your information comes from Aadhaar, there are no forms to fill or documents to upload on this route.

How to create ABHA on the mobile app

1. Download the official ABHA app from your phone’s app store.
2. Choose to create an ABHA number.
3. Select the Aadhaar option and enter your Aadhaar number.
4. Accept consent and enter the OTP.
5. Set your ABHA address and finish. Your number and card are available in the app.

If your mobile is not linked to Aadhaar

The OTP goes to the mobile registered with Aadhaar. If that number is wrong or not linked, the quickest fix is usually to update it at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, then use the Aadhaar route. Other options:

1. Driving licence route: This is not fully online — facility staff verify your identity in person before your ABHA is activated.
2. Offline at a health facility: Visit a participating health facility with your Aadhaar. The list of facilities is available on the official ABHA website.

Ways to create ABHA at a glance

Linking and viewing your health records

Once you have an ABHA, you can begin linking your health records. When you visit a participating hospital, clinic or lab, you can share your ABHA so the visit’s records attach to your account. You view and manage these through an ABHA or personal health record (PHR) app, where you can see linked reports in one place. Over time this builds a single, portable history that you can show any new doctor, rather than searching through old files before each appointment.

Privacy and consent — you stay in control

Record sharing under ABDM is consent-based. A hospital or doctor can view your records only when you approve a specific request, usually confirmed with an OTP, and you can set how long that access lasts and revoke it afterwards. Nothing is shared automatically in the background. Because your ABHA can link sensitive health information, treat it with the same care as a bank login: approve a request only when you recognise who is asking and why.

What you can do with your ABHA

1. Link health records from participating hospitals, labs and clinics so they are in one place.
2. Share records with consent — a doctor can see your history only when you approve it, and you can revoke access.
3. Carry fewer papers — your reports and prescriptions travel with your ABHA instead of a folder of printouts.

Practical tips

1. Check that your Aadhaar-linked mobile number is current before you start, or the OTP will not reach you.
2. Choose an ABHA address you will remember — it is how facilities find your account.
3. Keep your 14-digit ABHA number and ABHA address noted somewhere safe.
4. Creating ABHA is free; you do not need an agent.
5. If you ever want to stop using it, the portal provides options to deactivate or delete your ABHA.

Stay safe from scams

Health IDs are a target for fraud. Protect yourself:

1. Never share your Aadhaar OTP with anyone, on any call, or on a website you did not open yourself.
2. Ignore messages offering to “create your ABHA” or “activate your health card” via a link or for a fee. Start only from abha.abdm.gov.in or the official app.
3. Do not upload Aadhaar copies to unknown sites — the Aadhaar route needs no uploads at all.
4. Download only the official ABHA app from a recognised app store, not files sent to you.
5. Approve a record-sharing request only when you recognise the facility making it.

ABHA number vs ABHA address — the difference

People often mix these up. The ABHA number is the 14-digit identifier generated for you, a bit like a unique account number for your health records. The ABHA address is a self-chosen, easy-to-read username ending in @abdm (for example, yourname@abdm), similar to an email or UPI handle, that you can share at a facility so they can locate your account quickly. You will use the address day to day, while the number is the underlying ID. Both are created in the same flow, and it is worth noting both down and keeping them somewhere safe.

Creating ABHA for a family member

You can help an elderly parent or a child set up an ABHA, provided you use their own Aadhaar and the mobile number linked to it for the OTP. Each person gets their own ABHA tied to their identity — do not create multiple accounts for the same person, as duplicates make records harder to manage. For a child, parents can create and manage the account on their behalf. If the family member’s Aadhaar is not linked to any mobile number, the face-authentication option in the app or an in-person route at a participating facility is the way to go. As always, the process is free, and you should never pay an agent or share an OTP to get it done.

Keeping your ABHA safe and useful

Once created, a little care keeps your ABHA working for you. Save your 14-digit number and your @abdm address where you can find them, and remember the login method you used so you can sign in again on a new phone. Treat any OTP or consent request as you would a banking approval — pause and read who is asking before you approve, and decline anything you did not initiate. If you lose access to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number, update it through the Aadhaar system so you can keep receiving the OTPs needed to log in and share records. Used this way, your ABHA quietly builds into a single, portable medical history that saves you repeating tests and re-explaining your background every time you see a new doctor.

Quick recap

Go to abha.abdm.gov.in (or the ABHA app), choose Create ABHA Number, use the Aadhaar + OTP route, pick an ABHA address, and your free 14-digit ABHA number is ready in minutes. If your mobile is not Aadhaar-linked, update it or use the facility/driving-licence route. Remember ABHA is a health ID, not insurance; it is always free; and your records are shared only with your consent — so never pay an agent or share your OTP.