Tuberculosis screening

Students may need to provide evidence of a tuberculosis (TB) test as part of their UK visa application.

On

Who needs to be tested?

Where you have lived for at least six months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK (including the UK itself) and you have been away from that country for no more than six months, you do not need to be tested for TB.

Where you are coming to the UK for more than six months and are resident in any of the below countries, you are required to submit a medical certificate confirming you are free of TB. 

You must be tested at an approved clinic outlined on the list below: 

You will still require a medical certificate from an approved clinic where:

  • You are submitting your visa application in a country that doesn’t require TB testing, but you have been living in a country that does require TB testing for at least six months.
  • You submitted your visa application less than six months after you left a country not requiring TB testing, but you state your intended date of travel to the UK will be more than six months after you left.

How to provide evidence

In your application you must provide evidence of the date you left the UK. Where you are not given an entry stamp in your passport (or it is unclear), you can use your boarding pass as evidence.

Where you are using your boarding pass as evidence you must outline in your supporting letter or the “additional information” section of your application that you do not require a TB certificate as you left the UK for less than six months.

You should carry your medical certificate in your hand luggage in case you need to present it to an immigration officer on your arrival in the UK.


See also:

UKVI Info on Tuberculosis Tests