How to create your ABHA health ID and link it to your PHR in 2026

Creating your ABHA health ID takes less than 5 minutes, costs nothing, and is the single step that connects your health records to India's national digital health infrastructure. Once created and linked to your PHR app, every visit to a registered hospital, lab, or clinic automatically feeds records into your digital health account. This guide walks you through the creation process, the linking steps in Seht, and critically what to do about the records that ABHA will never capture.

For the complete guide to building a PHR for your family, read: personal health records India (https://www.seht.in/post/personal-health-records-india-family-guide)

This article answers:

  ▸  What is ABHA and who should create one?

  ▸  How do you create an ABHA ID step-by-step?

  ▸  How do you link an ABHA ID to Seht?

  ▸  What does ABHA handle and what does your PHR handle beyond it?

What ABHA actually is and the misconception most people have

ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) is often described as a 'health record'. It isn't, exactly. It's a health identity a 14-digit unique number that serves as the key to India's national digital health infrastructure under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

When you present your ABHA number at any ABDM-registered provider and consent to record sharing, that provider can push your records to your ABHA account. Over time, your ABHA accumulates records automatically from every ABDM-linked interaction no manual uploads, no follow-up calls, no chasing PDFs.

That automatic collection is enormously valuable. The limitation: it only works for ABDM-registered providers, which currently covers a growing but still incomplete share of India's healthcare ecosystem. For everything else and there is a lot of 'everything else' you need a PHR app with a scanner.

What ABHA captures automatically	What ABHA does NOT capture (PHR handles this)
Records from ABDM-registered government hospitals	Handwritten prescriptions from GPs
Records from ABDM-registered private hospitals (Apollo, Fortis, Max, Manipal, etc.)	Records from clinics and labs not yet ABDM-registered
Records from ABDM-registered diagnostic labs (Dr. Lal PathLabs, SRL, Metropolis)	Paper lab printouts from local NABL labs
Vaccination records from CoWIN-linked records	Historical records from before ABDM integration
CGHS and government health scheme records	Records from abroad
Records from ABDM-registered pharmacies	Ayurvedic, homeopathic, and alternative medicine records

Creating your ABHA health ID: the step-by-step

Method 1: Using Aadhaar (recommended fastest)

1. Go to https://abha.abdm.gov.in on your phone or computer

2. Click 'Create ABHA Number'

3. Select 'Using Aadhaar'

4. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and tick the consent checkbox

5. Enter the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number

6. Your name, DOB, and gender are auto-filled from Aadhaar confirm them

7. Create your ABHA address (format: yourname@abdm) this is your shareable username

8. Set a 4-digit consent PIN you'll use this when approving record access

9. Download and save your ABHA card

Total time: under 5 minutes. Your ABHA number is now live and permanent.

Method 2: Using driving licence (if you prefer not to use Aadhaar)

1. Go to https://abha.abdm.gov.in and click 'Create ABHA Number'

2. Select 'Using Driving Licence'

3. Enter your driving licence number, date of birth, and state

4. Enter the OTP sent to your mobile

5. Complete personal details manually

6. Create ABHA address and consent PIN

7. Download your ABHA card

Note: Driving licence-created ABHA accounts may have slightly limited initial integration with some government systems until in-person verification at an ABDM facility.

The short version:

Creating your ABHA ID is like getting a UPI ID for your health data. It's a unique identifier that lets your health information flow between ABDM-registered providers automatically, with your consent. It takes 5 minutes and is free. Once you have it, link it to Seht and the automation begins.

Linking your ABHA ID to Seht: the steps

1. Download Seht from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)

2. Create your Seht account and set up your family profiles

3. In each family member's profile, go to Settings → Link ABHA ID

4. Enter the 14-digit ABHA number or @abdm address

5. Complete OTP verification on the Aadhaar-linked mobile number

6. Records from ABDM-integrated providers will begin syncing automatically

For family members in other cities including elderly parents you can link their ABHA IDs to their profiles in your family account from your phone. Their records from ABDM-integrated providers in their city will then appear in your family dashboard.

After ABHA is linked what happens next, and what you still need to do manually

Once linked, ABHA handles one layer of your PHR automatically. Here's what you still need to maintain manually, and why it matters as much as the auto-sync:

• Upload handwritten prescriptions immediately: Most Indian primary care is still handwritten. When your GP or neighbourhood doctor writes a prescription, photograph it with Seht's in-app scanner the same day. Enter the medications into the medication record section manually don't rely only on the photograph in an emergency.

• Upload paper lab reports from non-ABDM labs: Many local NABL labs are not yet ABDM-registered. When you receive a printed report or a WhatsApp PDF, upload it to the relevant Seht profile within 24 hours.

• Upload old historical records: ABHA only links future records. Your health history from before ABHA existed all those reports, discharge summaries, and prescriptions going back years needs to be manually scanned and uploaded. Start with the most clinically significant: discharge summaries, specialist letters, and chronic condition documentation.

For the complete checklist of what to include, read: What to include in your personal health record: the complete Indian checklist (https://www.seht.in/post/what-to-include-personal-health-record-india)

Privacy when using ABHA the consent model explained

ABHA's consent model is genuinely strong. No provider can access your ABHA-linked records without your explicit, time-limited, purpose-specific consent. You grant consent in the ABHA app, and you can revoke it at any time. The architecture is federated records stay with the provider that created them; ABHA is the highway that moves them with your permission.

What this means practically: if you link ABHA to Seht, Seht receives the records that providers push to your ABHA account. No provider receives your Seht data through the ABHA link. You control what flows in and what flows out (via Seht's share function).

When ABHA access needs attention

• If records appear in your ABHA account from a provider you don't recognise contact the NHA grievance portal at grievance.abdm.gov.in

• If you've changed your Aadhaar-linked mobile number update your contact details on abha.abdm.gov.in before linking ABHA to any new app

• If a family member's records are not syncing despite ABHA being linked confirm the provider is ABDM-registered and that consent was given at registration

Emergency: ABHA is a records infrastructure. In any medical emergency, call 108 first. The emergency health card in Seht is available without ABHA access, internet, or any special login.

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FAQs

How do I create ABHA health ID and link it to my PHR in India?

To create ABHA health ID and link it to your PHR: visit abha.abdm.gov.in, click 'Create ABHA Number', choose Aadhaar or driving licence verification, complete OTP, set a consent PIN, and download your ABHA card. To link to Seht: open the family member's profile, go to Settings → Link ABHA ID, enter the ABHA number, and complete OTP verification. Records from ABDM-integrated providers will then sync automatically.

Is ABHA creation free in India?

Yes. Creating an ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) ID is completely free for all Indian residents. The process takes under 5 minutes using Aadhaar or a driving licence. There are no fees for ABHA creation, maintenance, or use. The National Health Authority issues ABHA IDs as part of the government's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission public health infrastructure.

Can I create ABHA IDs for my children and elderly parents?

Yes. You can create ABHA IDs for family members who cannot create their own children, elderly parents, family members without smartphones. Each person gets their own unique 14-digit ABHA number. Link their ABHA IDs to their individual profiles in Seht to centralise their complete digital health records in one family account that you manage.

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Download Seht — free on iOS and Android

Once your ABHA IDs are created and linked in Seht, the automatic layer of your family's PHR is running. Every visit to a registered hospital or lab feeds records in without any action from you. The manual layer uploading everything else is where the 24-hour rule matters. Start with the most recent 12 months, then work backwards.

Download free:

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Sources and references

1. National Health Authority — Official ABHA registration portal. https://abha.abdm.gov.in

2. PIB — 50 crore ABHA numbers and 33 crore linked health records milestone. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1989763

3. Acko — Personal health records and ABHA PHR. https://www.acko.com/health-insurance/phr-personal-health-records/

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Seht helps families stay informed, but is not a substitute for professional healthcare guidance.