GOV.UK says you need a tuberculosis (TB) test for a UK visa if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more and you have lived in a listed country for 6 months or more. You must also have been living there, or in another listed country, within the last 6 months. The test is a chest x-ray at a clinic approved by the Home Office. A clear result gives you a certificate to include with your visa application (GOV.UK: TB tests for visa applicants).
Checked against GOV.UK on 21 October 2026
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Who needs a test
- People who meet all 3 conditions above: a stay of 6 months or more, 6 months or more lived in a listed country, and living in a listed country within the last 6 months.
- People coming for less than 6 months on a Returning Resident visa, or on a family visa as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner.
- People already in the UK who apply for or extend a British National (Overseas) visa, if they did not give a TB certificate when they came to the UK.
GOV.UK says you do not need a TB test if you are a diplomat accredited to the UK, a returning UK resident who has not been away for more than 2 years, or coming on a scheme to support people from Ukraine.
Get tested
Find your country on the GOV.UK list
The list of countries where you need a TB test links each country to its own page of approved clinics.
Check if there is a clinic in that country
Some countries are marked 'get tested in another country' because they have no approved testing centre. GOV.UK also lists other countries with approved clinics.
Book at an approved clinic
GOV.UK says you must be tested at a clinic approved by the Home Office. The country page gives each clinic's contact details and fees.
Have the chest x-ray
If the x-ray result is not clear, you may also be asked for a sputum sample (phlegm coughed up from your lungs). You do not need any other TB tests for the visa application.
Include the certificate with your application
If the test shows you do not have TB, you get a certificate. It is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray.
Children
All children must see a clinician, who decides if they need a chest x-ray. Children under 11 will not normally have one. You 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, they give you a certificate for your child's visa application.
If you are pregnant
GOV.UK says you can choose one of these:
- an x-ray with an extra shield to protect you and your unborn child in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters
- a sputum test, which may cost extra and can take up to 8 weeks for results
- to wait until after delivery
Tests at clinics in the UK
GOV.UK lists UK clinics for people who want to check that they do not have TB, and separate UK clinics for British National (Overseas) visa applicants who need a TB certificate. For two country lists in more detail, see our guides to the TB test in Nigeria and the TB test in Morocco.
Sources
- GOV.UK: check if you need a TB test for your visa application
- GOV.UK: countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application
- GOV.UK: other countries with approved TB test clinics
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