How to Get ABHA ID for Your Clinic: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Complete guide to registering your clinic and patients on ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) and connecting to the ABDM ecosystem. Includes screenshots, common errors, and compliance checklist.

What is ABHA and why does your clinic need it?

ABHA — Ayushman Bharat Health Account — is a 14-digit unique health identifier issued to every individual in India by the National Health Authority (NHA). It is the cornerstone of India's Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which aims to create a nationwide digital health ecosystem where patient records can be shared securely across hospitals, clinics, labs, and pharmacies.

For clinics and hospitals, ABHA integration is no longer optional. As ABDM becomes mandatory for CGHS and PM-JAY empanelled facilities, and as patients increasingly expect their health records to be shareable, clinics that implement ABHA early gain a significant advantage.

What can your clinic do with ABHA?

Create and link patient ABHA IDs at registration — takes under 30 seconds
Access a patient's previous health records from other ABDM-linked providers (with consent)
Share prescriptions, lab reports, and discharge summaries digitally with the patient
Comply with CGHS and PM-JAY requirements for ABHA-linked patient management
Position your clinic as a "digital health" clinic — a growing trust signal for patients

Step 1: Register your facility on the Health Facility Registry (HFR)

Before your clinic can issue ABHA IDs, it must be registered on the Health Facility Registry (HFR) — the official directory of all healthcare facilities in India.

Visit hfr.abdm.gov.in
Click "Register Facility"
Enter your clinic's details: name, address, type (Clinic / Hospital / Polyclinic), and specialty
Upload documents: GST certificate, Medical Council registration, PAN card, and proof of address
Verify using the clinic owner's Aadhaar-linked mobile number (OTP)
Submit and wait for verification (typically 3–5 business days)

Once approved, your clinic receives a unique Health Facility ID (HFID) — you will need this to configure your clinic management software (like OpdNest) for ABDM.

Step 2: Register as a Healthcare Professional on HPR

Doctors and other healthcare professionals must also be registered on the Health Professional Registry (HPR) to issue ABHA-linked prescriptions.

Visit hpr.abdm.gov.in
Click "Register as Healthcare Professional"
Select your professional type: Doctor (MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, etc.), Nurse, Pharmacist, etc.
Enter your medical council registration number
Verify with Aadhaar OTP
Submit — most registrations are auto-approved within 24 hours for registered practitioners

You receive a Healthcare Professional ID (HPID) — a unique identifier linked to your medical registration. This is used to digitally sign prescriptions and health records.

Step 3: Enrol patients on ABHA at your clinic

Once your facility is registered, you can enrol patients. There are two ways to create an ABHA ID for a patient:

Option A: Aadhaar-based ABHA creation

Ask the patient for their Aadhaar number
Enter it in OpdNest's patient registration screen (or the ABHA creation portal)
Send an OTP to the patient's Aadhaar-linked mobile
Patient confirms OTP — ABHA ID is created instantly
OpdNest automatically links the ABHA ID to the patient's record

Option B: Mobile-based ABHA creation (for patients without Aadhaar)

Enter the patient's mobile number
Send OTP to the patient's mobile
Patient confirms — a mobile-linked ABHA ID is created (limited features, can be upgraded later with Aadhaar)

Step 4: Configure ABDM consent management

Under ABDM, patients must explicitly consent to share their health records with any provider. OpdNest manages the full consent lifecycle:

Consent request: When you want to access a patient's records from another provider, OpdNest sends a consent request to their ABHA-linked mobile
Consent grant: Patient approves via OTP or the ABDM PHR app
Consent revoke: Patient can revoke consent at any time — records become inaccessible

All consent actions are logged and auditable — critical for CGHS and PM-JAY compliance.

Common ABHA registration errors and how to fix them

Error	Likely cause	Fix
OTP not received	Aadhaar-linked mobile is different from patient's current number	Use mobile-based ABHA creation instead
ABHA already exists	Patient already has an ABHA ID from another provider	Ask patient for existing ABHA ID and link it in OpdNest
Facility not found in HFR	Your HFR registration is pending or incomplete	Check HFR status at hfr.abdm.gov.in
Consent request not received by patient	Patient's mobile number changed or PHR app not installed	Re-send consent; ask patient to update ABHA profile at healthid.ndhm.gov.in

ABHA implementation checklist for clinics

Register facility on HFR (hfr.abdm.gov.in)
Register all doctors on HPR (hpr.abdm.gov.in)
Configure OpdNest with your HFID and HPID
Train reception staff on ABHA patient enrolment (15-minute training)
Add ABHA field to patient registration form
Enable consent management in OpdNest settings
Test with a sample patient before going live

How OpdNest simplifies ABHA implementation

OpdNest is one of the few affordable clinic management platforms in India with native ABHA and ABDM integration. Once your clinic is registered on HFR and HPR, OpdNest handles everything else:

One-click ABHA creation at patient registration
Automatic ABHA ID linking to patient records
ABDM consent management built into the patient workflow
Compliant health record sharing with other ABDM providers
Government scheme (CGHS, PM-JAY) integration with ABHA verification

Learn more about OpdNest's ABHA-integrated EMR or book a free demo to see it in action.

NHA Resource: The official ABHA creation portal is healthid.ndhm.gov.in. For ABDM sandbox testing (for software developers), visit sandbox.abdm.gov.in.