Ayushman Bharat Card: How to Apply, Download, and Correct It
Who's actually eligible for PM-JAY, how to check your status and download the e-card for free, and what to do if your name or details on the card are wrong.
EDTechToolsCenter EditorialAyushman Bharat PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) gives eligible families cashless health cover of up to ₹5 lakh per year at government and empanelled private hospitals. A lot of confusion around it comes from one thing: it isn't open enrolment. You can't simply "apply" and get a card — eligibility is checked against an official database, and the process for getting your card depends on whether you're already in it.
Who is actually eligible?
- Rural and urban families identified as eligible under the SECC 2011 socio-economic survey.
- Households already covered under RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) in states where that scheme merged into PM-JAY.
- Since 2024: every senior citizen aged 70 and above qualifies regardless of income, under a separate Ayushman Vay Vandana Card.
- Some states have expanded their own version of the scheme with wider eligibility — check your state's health department page if you're unsure.
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How to check eligibility and download your card
- Go to the official beneficiary portal, mera.pmjay.gov.in, or the PM-JAY mobile app.
- Use "Am I Eligible" and enter your mobile number, state, and either your ration card, RSBY URN, or Aadhaar.
- If you're found eligible, complete e-KYC — Aadhaar OTP works from home; fingerprint verification needs a visit to a CSC (Common Service Centre).
- Download your e-card straight from the portal once verified, or collect a printed card at a CSC or an empanelled hospital's Ayushman Mitra desk.
Using the card at a hospital
At any empanelled hospital, show your Ayushman card along with Aadhaar. The hospital's Ayushman Mitra desk verifies your eligibility and processes cashless admission directly — there's no separate premium, claim form, or reimbursement process for the patient to handle.
My card has wrong details — what now?
If your name, date of birth, gender, or a family member's details on the card don't match your Aadhaar, you don't need to reapply from scratch. Log in to mera.pmjay.gov.in with your registered mobile and OTP (or visit a CSC), open your beneficiary profile, and use the correction option — the corrected value should match your Aadhaar exactly, since Aadhaar is used as the reference document for verification.
- Lost your card? Just log back in and download the e-card again — it's free, no fresh documents needed.
- Adding a new family member is handled through the same portal or CSC, cross-checked against your ration card or family ID.
- Keep the acknowledgement/reference number from any correction request in case you need to check its status later.
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Frequently asked questions
No — eligibility is based on the SECC 2011 database, prior RSBY coverage, or (since 2024) being 70+ years old. It's not open enrolment; check eligibility first via mera.pmjay.gov.in.
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