The Ayushman Card Login Portal is the official online gateway that lets families covered under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY check their eligibility, complete verification, and download their health card without visiting a government office.
Since the scheme now covers more than 12 crore families and offers cashless treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh per family every year, knowing how to use the login portal correctly has become a practical life skill. Many people still depend on agents or cyber cafes for a task that takes ten minutes on a phone. This guide walks through the login process step by step, explains what to do when OTPs fail or names do not match, and also looks at how the Ayushman card fits alongside private health insurance, employer cover, and tax planning so that a household is fully protected rather than partly covered.
Ayushman Card Login Portal at a Glance
Before going into the steps, it helps to understand what the portal actually does. The table below summarises the essentials that most beneficiaries need to know before their first login.
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Scheme name | Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) |
| Managing body | National Health Authority (NHA), Government of India |
| Official login portal | NHA Beneficiary Portal (beneficiary.nha.gov.in) |
| Mobile option | Ayushman App (Android and iOS) |
| Login method | Mobile number with OTP, followed by Aadhaar-based e-KYC |
| Annual cover | Rs 5 lakh per family, floater basis |
| Cost to beneficiary | Nil, card generation and download are free |
| Helpline | 14555 (toll free) |
| Empanelled hospitals | Over 30,000 public and private hospitals across India |
The portal replaced the older Common Service Centre-only model in which a beneficiary had to physically visit a CSC operator. Today the same operator functions still exist, but the self-service route through the Beneficiary Portal is the fastest way for most households.
Who Can Use the Ayushman Card Login Portal
Logging in is open to anyone with an Indian mobile number, but the portal will only let you generate a card if your family appears in one of the approved beneficiary databases. Eligibility is not based on an application form. It is based on pre-existing government data.
- Rural families identified through deprivation criteria in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC 2011), such as households with no adult member between 16 and 59, landless households doing manual casual labour, or families living in a single room with kutcha walls and roof.
- Urban families in listed occupational categories including ragpickers, domestic workers, street vendors, construction workers, plumbers, masons, painters, security guards, sanitation workers, delivery assistants, drivers, conductors, rickshaw pullers, and shop workers.
- Families already covered under the earlier Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).
- All senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income, under the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card expansion announced in 2024.
- Additional families added by individual states under their own expansion schemes, such as ration card holders in several states, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, and registered construction workers.
There is no restriction on family size or on the age of members. A newborn can be added and a 90-year-old grandparent is equally covered. Women are given specific attention in enrolment drives because early data showed lower card generation among female members even in eligible households.
Details You Should Keep Ready Before Logging In
The login itself takes less than a minute. What slows people down is not having the right information nearby when the portal asks for it. Keep the following ready.
- An active mobile number that can receive SMS. This number does not need to be linked to Aadhaar for the first login, but the Aadhaar-linked number will be needed for e-KYC.
- Aadhaar number of the person whose card is being generated. The physical card is not necessary, only the 12-digit number.
- Ration card number or family ID, which helps in searching the family record when the Aadhaar search does not return a match.
- Name of the state and district where the family is registered in government records, which may differ from where you currently live.
- A working front camera if you plan to use face authentication instead of OTP-based Aadhaar verification.
One common mistake is searching under the state where the family has migrated for work rather than the home state where the SECC or ration data was recorded. A construction worker from Bihar living in Gurugram will usually find his record under Bihar.
How to Log In to the Ayushman Card Portal
The steps below apply to the Beneficiary Portal on a desktop or mobile browser. The Ayushman App follows an almost identical sequence with the same screens.
Step 1: Open the Beneficiary Portal
Visit the official NHA Beneficiary Portal through your browser. Look for the login box on the right side of the page. Do not use search engine advertisements that claim to offer Ayushman card downloads, as several of these are unofficial.
Step 2: Select Beneficiary as the login type
The portal offers two options, Beneficiary and Operator. Choose Beneficiary. The Operator login is meant for CSC agents, ASHA workers, and hospital staff who have separate credentials issued by the NHA.
Step 3: Enter your mobile number
Type the ten-digit mobile number and click Verify. An OTP will be sent by SMS. Enter the OTP along with the captcha shown on screen. If the OTP does not arrive within a minute, wait for the timer to end before requesting again, since repeated requests can temporarily block the number.
Step 4: Choose the search method
Once logged in, select your state and the scheme name, usually PM-JAY. Then choose how you want to search: by Aadhaar number, by family ID, by ration card, by PM-JAY ID, or by location and name. Aadhaar search is the most accurate when the record has already been seeded.
Step 5: Locate your family record
The portal will display the family members listed in the database. Each member will show a status such as Not Generated, Generated, Approved, or Pending. Members with a green tick already have an active card.
Step 6: Complete e-KYC for the member
Click the e-KYC option next to the name that needs a card. You will be asked to authenticate with Aadhaar through OTP, fingerprint, iris, or face authentication. For most home users, Aadhaar OTP or face authentication through the app is the simplest.
Step 7: Capture a photo and confirm details
After successful authentication, the portal asks for a live photograph and confirms basic details such as year of birth, gender, and relationship to the head of the family. Review these carefully, since the card will carry this information.
Step 8: Submit and download
Submit the request. If the Aadhaar data matches the database record closely, the card is auto-approved within minutes. If the match score is lower, the request goes to state-level approval, which usually takes a few days. Once approved, a Download Card button appears next to the name.
Downloading and Storing Your Ayushman Card
The downloaded card is a PDF containing the beneficiary name, PM-JAY ID, a QR code, and the family ID. It does not need to be laminated or printed on plastic. Hospitals verify the QR code and Aadhaar rather than the physical print quality.
Save a copy on your phone, in an email draft, and in a cloud drive. Families that lost their only printed copy during floods or house shifts have faced delays at admission, so redundancy matters. The card can be downloaded again any number of times through the same login, so there is no need to worry about losing the PDF.
It is also worth downloading the cards of every family member in one sitting. Many households generate a card only for the earning member and discover during an emergency that the spouse or parent was never verified. The Rs 5 lakh cover is shared across the family, but each individual must have a generated card to use it.
Checking Eligibility and Adding Family Members
If your name appears in the family list but a spouse, child, or parent does not, the portal allows an Add Member request in many states. This option appears after the head of the family has completed e-KYC.
- Newborn children can be added using the birth certificate and the mother’s card.
- A newly married spouse can be added using the marriage certificate or a ration card showing the new family composition.
- Parents living with a beneficiary can be added if their names appear on the same ration card.
Add Member requests are reviewed by the State Health Agency and are not automatic. States such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have their own portals where such requests are processed faster than through the central site.
If no record appears at all, the family is not currently in the approved list. In that case there is no direct application route, but you can check whether your state has expanded the scheme to ration card holders or other categories. Contacting the district Ayushman coordinator or the 14555 helpline is the practical next step.
Ayushman Vay Vandana Card for Senior Citizens
Since late 2024, every Indian citizen aged 70 or above is eligible for a separate Rs 5 lakh top-up cover regardless of family income. This is issued as the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card and can be generated through the same login portal or the Ayushman App.
The process for seniors differs in one respect. Because there is no requirement to appear in SECC or ration data, the search is done directly by Aadhaar, and the age is verified from Aadhaar records. Families where the elderly member is already covered under a regular PM-JAY family card get an additional Rs 5 lakh exclusively for the senior, on top of the family limit.
Seniors who already have private cover from insurers such as Star Health, Niva Bupa, or HDFC ERGO, or who are covered under CGHS or ECHS, can still hold the Vay Vandana Card. For CGHS and ECHS members, they must choose one scheme at the time of treatment, but for private insurance holders both can be used together, which is discussed later in this article.
Common Login Problems and How to Fix Them
The portal handles very high traffic, especially during state enrolment drives, and certain errors appear repeatedly. Most have simple solutions.
OTP not received
Check that the number is not on a DND list that blocks transactional messages, that the phone has network, and that the SMS inbox is not full. Try again after the resend timer expires. If the problem persists for several hours, the SMS gateway may be under load and it is better to try early morning.
Aadhaar authentication failed
This usually means the mobile number linked to Aadhaar is different from the one you are using, or the Aadhaar biometrics are locked. Visit the nearest Aadhaar centre to update the mobile number, or use face authentication in the Ayushman App, which does not depend on the linked mobile.
Name mismatch between Aadhaar and database
Spelling differences such as Mohd and Mohammad, or a missing surname, reduce the match score. The request is then sent for manual approval. Do not submit multiple requests, since duplicate requests slow down approval. Wait for the status to change to Approved or Rejected before acting.
Card shows Pending for weeks
Pending status beyond 15 days usually indicates a backlog at the State Health Agency. Contact the district coordinator through the helpline with your reference number. In many states a visit to the nearest empanelled hospital’s Ayushman Mitra desk can also push the approval.
Wrong family shown
If the search returns a family that is not yours, it usually means a ration card number or family ID was entered incorrectly. Re-check the digits. Never complete e-KYC against a record that does not belong to your family, since this creates a fraud flag against your Aadhaar.
Ayushman Card and Private Health Insurance: Do You Still Need a Policy?
A question that comes up often is whether a family with an Ayushman card needs private health insurance at all. The honest answer is that it depends on where you live and what kind of hospital care you expect.
The Rs 5 lakh cover is substantial for secondary care in district and tier-2 city hospitals. However, several large corporate hospital chains in metro cities are not empanelled, or are empanelled only for certain procedures. Package rates under PM-JAY are fixed, so a hospital cannot bill the patient extra, but it also means some hospitals prefer not to admit scheme patients for complex procedures.
This is where a retail health policy from insurers such as Star Health, HDFC ERGO, Niva Bupa, Care Health, or ICICI Lombard becomes relevant. A basic Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh family floater for a young family typically costs between Rs 8,000 and Rs 20,000 a year, and gives access to a wider hospital network with cashless treatment.
Families with a salaried member should also check whether the employer provides group health insurance, or whether the member is covered under ESIC. ESIC applies to employees earning up to Rs 21,000 per month in covered establishments and offers full medical care through ESIC hospitals. A household can legitimately hold an Ayushman card, ESIC cover, and a private policy at the same time, and use whichever gives the best hospital access in a given situation.
There is also a tax angle. Premiums paid for private health insurance qualify for deduction under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, up to Rs 25,000 for self and family, and an additional Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 for parents depending on their age. Ayushman coverage has no premium, so there is no deduction, but combining it with a small private policy allows a family to claim the deduction while keeping government cover as a backstop.
Banks have also entered this space. SBI, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank sell health policies through their insurance partners and often bundle them with savings accounts or credit cards. These are worth comparing, though the premium should always be judged against the room rent limits, co-payment clauses, and waiting periods rather than the bank brand.
Using the Card at a Hospital
Once the card is generated, the hospital process is designed to be cashless from admission to discharge. The table below outlines what to expect at each stage.
| Stage | What happens | What you need to carry |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Visit the Ayushman Mitra or PM-JAY help desk at the empanelled hospital | Ayushman card PDF or print, Aadhaar |
| Verification | Staff scan the QR code and verify identity through Aadhaar biometric or OTP | Aadhaar-linked mobile or fingerprint |
| Pre-authorisation | Hospital raises a request to the State Health Agency for the treatment package | Doctor’s admission note, test reports |
| Treatment | Cashless admission, procedures, medicines, and diagnostics as per package | Nothing, no deposit is permitted |
| Discharge | Hospital submits claim; patient signs discharge summary | Signature or thumb impression |
| Post-discharge | Follow-up visits and medicines for a set number of days are included in most packages | Discharge summary |
Packages cover pre-hospitalisation diagnostics for up to three days and post-hospitalisation medicines and follow-up for up to fifteen days in most cases. Hospitals cannot demand a deposit, and cannot ask the patient to purchase medicines or implants from outside for a covered procedure.
If a hospital refuses admission despite being empanelled, or asks for money, the beneficiary should note the hospital name and call 14555 immediately. Complaints against empanelled hospitals are recorded and repeated violations lead to de-empanelment and recovery of penalties.
Fraud Alert: Fake Portals and Agent Scams
Because the card is free, any request for money in connection with generating or downloading it is a warning sign. Several patterns have been reported to the NHA and to state police cyber cells.
- Fake websites with names similar to the official portal that ask for a Rs 50 to Rs 500 fee and collect Aadhaar and bank details.
- WhatsApp messages claiming that the card will expire unless renewed through a link. Ayushman cards do not expire and there is no renewal process.
- Agents who complete e-KYC on the beneficiary’s phone and then use the same session to generate cards against other Aadhaar numbers.
- Calls offering a cash benefit of Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat. The scheme provides treatment, not cash, and no amount is ever transferred to a bank account.
- Requests for OTP over phone. Neither the NHA nor any hospital will ask for an OTP verbally.
The safest practice is to type the portal address yourself, use the official Ayushman App from the Play Store or App Store, and never share Aadhaar OTPs. CSC operators may charge a nominal government-notified fee for printing on a PVC card, but generation and PDF download are always free.
Important Points to Remember
- The Ayushman card has no expiry date and does not require annual renewal.
- The Rs 5 lakh limit resets every financial year on 1 April.
- Pre-existing diseases are covered from day one with no waiting period.
- There is no cap on the number of family members, and no age limit.
- The card is portable across India; a beneficiary from Odisha can be treated in Maharashtra.
- Each family member needs an individually generated card, even though the cover is shared.
- Outpatient consultations are generally not covered; the scheme is for hospitalisation and day-care procedures.
- Keep the PM-JAY ID noted somewhere safe, since it is needed for complaints and follow-up.
- Migrant workers should search under their home state, where the family record was created.
- Senior citizens aged 70 and above should generate the Vay Vandana Card separately even if they already hold a family card.
State Portals and the Ayushman App
Several states run their own beneficiary portals alongside the central one. Rajasthan operates under Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana, Karnataka under Arogya Karnataka, Tamil Nadu under CMCHIS, and Gujarat under PMJAY-MA. These portals use the same NHA backend for card generation but sometimes offer wider eligibility and higher cover limits for state-added families.
If the central portal shows no record but your state has an expanded scheme, log in to the state portal with the same mobile number and check there. The generated card from a state portal is valid at empanelled hospitals across the country under the portability arrangement.
The Ayushman App is worth installing even for those who prefer the browser, because it offers face authentication for e-KYC, which resolves the most common failure caused by unlinked mobile numbers. The app also shows the nearest empanelled hospitals with a distance filter, which is useful during an emergency in an unfamiliar city.
Conclusion
The Ayushman Card Login Portal has turned what was once a paperwork exercise into a task that most families can complete from a phone in one sitting. The login itself is simple; the effort lies in having the correct details ready, completing e-KYC for every family member, and storing the downloaded cards where they can be found in an emergency.
Treating the card as one layer of protection rather than the only one is the sensible approach. Combined with employer cover, ESIC where applicable, and a modest private policy that also earns a Section 80D deduction, a household can face a hospital admission without financial panic. Log in, generate the cards for everyone in the family, and keep the helpline number handy.