What is a tuberculosis test for a UK visa?

A tuberculosis (TB) test is a chest x-ray, and sometimes a sputum sample, taken at a Home Office approved clinic. Some people applying to come to the UK for 6 months or more must have one if they have lived in a listed country. A clear result gives a certificate that you include with your visa application.

How a tuberculosis test works

A tuberculosis test, usually called a TB test, is a health check some people must have before they apply for a UK visa. You are tested with a chest x-ray. If the x-ray result is not clear, you may also be asked for a sputum sample, which is phlegm coughed up from your lungs. GOV.UK says you do not need any other tests to check for TB for your visa application.^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

The test must be done at a clinic approved by the Home Office.^{[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants: Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application} If the test shows that you do not have TB, you are given a certificate. It is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray, and you include it with your UK visa application.^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

Who needs a TB test

You need a test if all three of these are true:^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

• you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more
• you have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more
• you were living there, or in another listed country, within the last 6 months

The list of countries is on GOV.UK and it is long. It includes Bangladesh, China, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, among many others.^{[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants: Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application} Check the live list on the day you apply, because it decides which countries are included.

If you are coming for less than 6 months you do not normally need a test. There are two exceptions: a Returning Resident visa, and a family visa as a fiance, fiancee or proposed civil partner. Someone already in the UK who applies for or extends a British National (Overseas) visa needs a test if they did not provide a TB certificate when they came.^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

Who does not need one

You do not need a TB test if any of these apply:^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

• you are a diplomat accredited to the UK
• you are a returning UK resident and have not been away for more than 2 years
• you are coming on a scheme to support people from Ukraine

Children and pregnancy

All children must see a clinician, who decides whether a chest x-ray is needed. Children under 11 will not normally have one. You must take your child to an approved clinic in a listed country and complete a health questionnaire. If the clinician decides your child does not have TB, you are given a certificate to include with your child’s application.^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

A pregnant woman can choose between three options. One is an x-ray with an extra shield to protect her and her unborn child, in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Another is a sputum test, for which there may be an extra fee and a wait of up to 8 weeks for results. The third is to wait until after the baby is delivered.^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants}

Where you can be tested

Not every listed country has an approved clinic. GOV.UK marks some countries on the list with “get tested in another country”, for example Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic and Congo.^{[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants: Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application} Approved clinics are also available in other countries, such as Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany and Japan.^{[3]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants: Other countries with approved TB test clinics}

Example

Neha is applying for a family visa to join her husband in the UK for 2 years. She has lived in a listed country for more than 6 months and is still living there. Her stay is longer than 6 months, so she needs a TB test.

She books a chest x-ray at a Home Office approved clinic. The result shows she does not have TB, and she is given a certificate valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray. She includes the certificate with her visa application, so she needs to make sure she applies within that 6 months.

What people get wrong

The most common mistake is the certificate date. The certificate lasts 6 months from the x-ray, not from the date you apply, so an early test can run out before the application is made.

A second mistake is assuming a short stay always means no test. A fiance, fiancee or proposed civil partner visa, and a Returning Resident visa, need a test even when the stay is under 6 months.^{[1]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants} A third is using any local clinic. Only a Home Office approved clinic counts.^{[2]UK Visas and Immigration, Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants: Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application}

The bottom line

A TB test is a chest x-ray at an approved clinic, needed if you are coming for 6 months or more and have lived in a listed country. A clear result gives a certificate that lasts 6 months and goes in with the application. Some groups are exempt, children are assessed by a clinician, and some countries have no approved clinic. Check the live GOV.UK list for your country before you book.