Health screening

Applicants applying for UK visas valid for longer than six months require a certificate to show that they are free from infectious pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) should they hail from the following countries:

Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand (which also takes applications from Cambodia and Laos), and Zimbabwe.

The government may continue to add a small number of countries to this list in the near future. The programme aims to benefit the UK’s public health by preventing those infected with TB from entering the UK until they are accordingly and successfully treated.

Those in possession of this certificate will not need to refer to the Port Medical Inspector on arrival in the UK before being allowed entry. It is therefore a good idea to have the certificate ready at hand to present to an immigration officer on arrival in the UK. Those without the certificate will have to queue for an onsite inspection at the Port Medical Inspector on arrival in the UK before entry into the country is cleared.