Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants
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1. Check if you need a TB test for your visa application
You’ll need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test if all of the following are true:
- you’re coming to the UK for 6 months or more
- you’ve lived in any of these listed countries for 6 months or more
- you were living there (or another listed country) within the last 6 months
If you’re coming to the UK for less than 6 months, you’ll still need a TB test if you’re applying for a Returning Resident visa, or a family visa as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner.
If you’re already in the UK and are applying for or extending a British National (Overseas) visa, you’ll need a TB test if you did not provide a TB certificate when you came to the UK.
You’ll be given a chest x-ray to test for TB. If the result of the x-ray is not clear you may also be asked to give a sputum sample (phlegm coughed up from your lungs).
If your test shows that you do not have TB, you’ll be given a certificate which is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray. Include this certificate with your UK visa application.
Who does not need to be tested
You will not need a TB test if any of the following apply:
- you’re a diplomat accredited to the UK
- you’re a returning UK resident and have not been away for more than 2 years
- you’re coming on a scheme to support people from Ukraine
Children who need a TB test
All children must see a clinician who’ll decide if they need a chest x-ray. Children under 11 will not normally have a chest x-ray.
You must take your child to an approved clinic and complete a health questionnaire. If the clinician decides your child does not have TB they’ll give you a certificate. Include this certificate with your child’s UK visa application.
Pregnant women who need a TB test
You can choose:
- an x-ray with an extra shield to protect you and your unborn child in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters
- a sputum test (phlegm coughed up from your lungs) - there may be an extra fee and you could wait up to 8 weeks for results
- to wait until after delivery
2. Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application
You must be tested at a clinic that has been approved by the Home Office.
Some countries do not have approved testing centres so you’ll need to get tested in a different country. Some other countries have approved clinics where you can get tested.
Countries and where to find approved clinics
A
B
Benin (get tested in another country)
Burkina Faso (get tested in another country)
C
Cape Verde (get tested in another country)
Central African Republic (get tested in another country)
Congo (get tested in another country)
D
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti (get tested in another country)
E
East Timor (get tested in another country)
Equatorial Guinea (get tested in another country)
Eritrea (get tested in another country)
G
Gabon (get tested in another country)
Guinea (get tested in another country)
Guinea Bissau (get tested in another country)
H
I
K
Kiribati (get tested in another country)
Kyrgyzstan (get tested in another country)
L
Lesotho (get tested in another country)
Liberia (get tested in another country)
M
Macau (get tested in another country)
Mali (get tested in another country)
Marshall Islands (get tested in another country)
Mauritania (get tested in another country)
Micronesia, Federated States of (get tested in another country)
N
Niger (get tested in another country)
P
Palau (get tested in another country)
R
S
São Tomé and Principe (get tested in another country)
Somalia (get tested in another country)
South Sudan (get tested in another country)
Suriname (get tested in another country)
Swaziland (get tested in another country)
T
Togo (get tested in another country)
Tuvalu (get tested in another country)
U
V
Z
3. Other countries with approved TB test clinics
You must be tested at a clinic that has been approved by the Home Office.
You can find approved clinics to get a tuberculosis (TB) test in most of the listed countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application.
You can also find approved clinics in:
Clinics in the UK
You can get a TB test at a clinic in the UK if either:
- you want to check that you do not have TB - find a clinic in the UK
- you’re applying for or extending the British National (Overseas) visa and you need to provide a TB certificate with your application - find a clinic in the UK for BNO visa applicants