Blog / Navigating Healthcare
How to Create Your ABHA Card Online, Step by Step
By Punith V T · 2026-08-31 · 7 min read
Nearly 80 crore ABHA numbers have already been created in India, and if your mobile is linked to Aadhaar, yours takes about five minutes — free, fully online, no agent needed. This guide follows the current official flow at abha.abdm.gov.in, step by step. It also covers what most guides skip: the driving-licence catch, the exact ABHA address rules, and why OTPs fail.
What is an ABHA number and why should I make one?
ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) is a free, voluntary 14-digit health ID issued under the central government's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. It links your health records digitally and shares them only with your consent. It is not an insurance card and does not entitle you to free treatment anywhere.
Adoption has moved fast: 52.5 crore ABHAs in February 2024 became 79.91 crore by August 2025, with 67.19 crore health records already linked and over 4.18 lakh health facilities registered, per the Health Ministry's own releases.
The everyday payoff is Scan & Share. At participating hospital OPDs, you scan a QR code at the registration counter with your phone, your ABHA profile is shared instantly, and a registration token is generated — no form, no spelling out your name at a crowded window. As of mid-2024, over 3 crore OPD tokens had been issued this way across 5,435+ facilities in 546 districts, with about 1.3 lakh patients using it daily.
How do I create my ABHA ID online using Aadhaar?
Open abha.abdm.gov.in, click Create ABHA Number, choose Aadhaar, and accept the consent declaration. Enter your Aadhaar number plus the captcha, verify the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile, confirm your communication mobile, choose an ABHA address, and your 14-digit ABHA number is created — card ready to download.
The portal walks you through four stages — Consent Collection, Aadhaar/Mobile Authentication, Profile Completion, and ABHA Number Creation. Here is the full sequence:
- Go to abha.abdm.gov.in and select Create ABHA Number.
- Choose "Using Aadhaar". Read the consent declaration (it authorises using your Aadhaar for authentication and pulling your demographic details) and tick it.
- Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and the captcha. The portal asks you to enter details exactly as they appear on Aadhaar.
- Verify the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile. Type it carefully — repeated wrong attempts or too many resends trigger a 30-minute lockout.
- Enter your communication mobile number. This can be different from your Aadhaar-linked number; if it is, the portal sends a second OTP to verify it. If it's the same number, the portal says no additional information is required and moves on.
- Profile Completion. Your name, photo, date of birth and address auto-fill from Aadhaar. You can add an email if you want.
- Pick your ABHA address (the username rules are in the section below).
- Done. The success screen confirms your ABHA number has been created, with a Download ABHA Card button. Save the PDF.
Stuck at any stage? The portal's toll-free helpline is 1800-11-4477.
Can I make an ABHA card without Aadhaar?
Yes, through the driving licence route — but only half the job happens online. The portal gives you an Enrolment Number, not an ABHA. You must then carry your driving licence to the nearest ABDM participating facility, where staff verify your identity in person before your ABHA number is issued.
The portal itself states this plainly: with a driving licence you only obtain an Enrolment Number online, and the ABHA is issued after facility staff physically verify your licence. The flow adds a fifth stage — Driving Licence Verification — between authentication and profile completion. So if a form asks for your ABHA tomorrow and you only have a DL, start today.
Aadhaar or driving licence — which route should I pick?
Pick Aadhaar if your mobile number is linked to it: the whole process is online and finishes in minutes. Pick the driving licence route only if you cannot use Aadhaar, because it needs a physical visit for verification. Either way, the ABHA itself costs ₹0.
| Aadhaar route | Driving licence route | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get online | 14-digit ABHA number, instantly | Enrolment Number only |
| Physical visit needed | No | Yes — carry your DL to an ABDM participating facility |
| Where the OTP goes | Aadhaar-linked mobile | Mobile number you enter |
| Key requirement | Mobile linked to Aadhaar | Valid driving licence |
| Time to a working ABHA | About 5 minutes | Depends on your facility visit |
What are the rules for choosing an ABHA address?
Your ABHA address is a self-declared username, like yourname@abdm, used to log in and share records. It must be 8 to 18 characters long, may contain at most one dot and one underscore as special characters, and cannot be exclusively a 14-digit number.
A worked example, since no one publishes these rules clearly:
- ramesh.k1985@abdm — valid. Twelve characters, one dot, mixes letters and digits.
- 91234567890123@abdm — rejected. An address can't be exclusively a 14-digit number.
- ram_k@abdm — rejected. Only five characters; the minimum is eight.
- ramesh..kumar@abdm — rejected. Two dots; only one is allowed.
Choose something you can say aloud at a reception desk without spelling it three times. You'll be quoting it for years.
Why is my ABHA OTP not coming or failing?
Three causes cover almost every failure: your mobile is not linked to Aadhaar (so no OTP ever arrives), you requested too many OTPs and got locked out for 30 minutes, or the mobile you entered is already linked to six ABHA numbers — the maximum one number allows.
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| OTP never arrives | Your current mobile isn't linked to Aadhaar | Visit the nearest ABDM participating facility for assisted creation, or first update your mobile at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra (UIDAI charges a small update fee, paid at the Kendra) |
| "Try again in 30 minutes" message | Too many OTP requests or failed attempts in one session | Wait out the lockout; don't keep tapping resend |
| "Already linked to 6 ABHA Numbers" | One SIM shared across the family — a mobile can be linked to a maximum of 6 ABHAs | Use a different mobile number for the next family member |
| Wrong name/DOB shown after OTP | Details auto-fill from Aadhaar records | Correct your Aadhaar first, then create the ABHA |
The six-per-mobile limit matters in households where one phone serves everyone. Plan which family members go on which number before you start. The portal also supports linking a child's ABHA to a parent's through a proof-of-relationship step, so a parent can manage a child's records.
Is the ABHA card free? Is it mandatory?
Yes, ABHA is completely free, and no, it is not mandatory — creation is voluntary under the mission. Nobody should charge you to make one; walk away from any agent who asks for money. You can also request permanent deletion or temporary deactivation of your ABHA number at any time.
The only money that might legitimately change hands anywhere near this process is UIDAI's fee for updating your mobile number on Aadhaar — and that is paid at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra, never to anyone "making your ABHA card".
Is ABHA the same as the Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) card?
No. The Ayushman card belongs to PM-JAY, an insurance scheme that funds hospital treatment for eligible families. ABHA is only an identity and record-keeping number, open to everyone. Creating an ABHA does not enrol you in PM-JAY and does not entitle you to cashless or free treatment.
Be wary of websites that blur this line — many top-ranking "ABHA guides" are published by insurers whose real goal is selling you a policy. ABHA is an identity and a consent-controlled record locker, nothing more.
What should I do after my ABHA is created?
Download your ABHA card PDF from the success screen, note your ABHA address, and save both on your phone. The next time you visit a large hospital OPD, look for the Scan & Share QR code at the registration counter — scanning it fetches your details and issues a token without the form-filling queue.
Keep the card with the documents you routinely carry to appointments — it belongs right alongside the items in our first visit checklist for a new clinic. And remember that ABHA fixes the registration queue, not the waiting queue: for the consultation itself, clinics on GetDr let you book a slot and track your token live from your phone, so you walk in near your turn instead of sitting in the hall. Between the two, a hospital visit in 2026 involves far less standing around than it did even three years ago.
Sources
- ABHA registration portal — abha.abdm.gov.in (official creation flow; steps, address rules and error messages verified 30 August 2026)
- PIB / Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 12 August 2025 — ABDM progress figures
- PIB / National Health Authority, 6 June 2024 — Scan & Share adoption
- PIB / Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 6 February 2024 — ABHA definition and voluntary status
This article is general information about navigating healthcare — not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor. In an emergency, call 108.