How to meet “TB Test” requirement Mean in UK Visa Applications?

Table Of Contents

1. What is a TB test
2. How to meet the TB test requirement
3. How will you be tested for TB
4. When you are not required to be tested for TB
5. List of specified countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application
6. TB test clinics in the UK
7. Summary

You generally need to meet the TB test requirement by providing a TB certificate if:

• You are applying for entry clearance to come to the UK for more than 6 months; and 

• You have lived in a country where TB testing is required for your UK visa application for at least 6 months; and

• You were living in that country or another listed country (“another listed country” means another country that appears on the UK government’s list of countries where TB testing is required) within the 6 months before your application. 

If you are applying for entry clearance for a family visa as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, or for a Returning Resident visa to come to the UK for less than 6 months, you will still need to meet the TB test requirement. 

If you are applying for or extending a British National (Overseas) visa from within the UK, TB testing will be required if you did not submit a TB certificate when you came to the UK.

TB (tuberculosis) screening or test is required to detect the suspected presence of active pulmonary TB in you who is applying for a visa (entry clearance) to travel to the UK. 

What is a TB test?

TB, or tuberculosis, mainly affects the lungs and is an infectious disease. You are required to have a TB test to check for the presence of TB (tuberculosis) in you. 

A TB test usually involves:

• Your chest X-ray to test for TB in your lungs. 

• If the X-ray shows anything that needs further investigation, you may be asked to provide a sputum sample for additional testing. 

If the TB test result is clear, you receive a TB certificate. You normally provide this certificate with your UK visa application.

The test must generally be taken at a UK Home Office-approved clinic.

How to meet the TB test requirement?

If required, you need a valid TB certificate to meet the TB test requirement. 

A TB (tuberculosis) certificate is valid only if it:

(a) a medical practitioner approved by the Secretary of State issued it; and

(b) confirms that you have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis (it is required because active pulmonary tuberculosis can be infectious) and that this tuberculosis is not present in you; and

(c) was issued within the 6 months immediately prior to the date of your application; and

(d) has not expired.

You may need to provide a new valid TB certificate before your entry clearance application is granted, if:

(a) the TB certificate that you provided with your application expired more than 6 months before the date on which your application is considered; and

(b) you otherwise meet the requirements to be granted entry clearance.

The decision maker may waive the requirement for you to provide a valid TB certificate if they are satisfied that you are unable to obtain one and it is reasonable for them to waive the requirement on the specific facts of the case.

How will you be tested for TB?

You will be given an x-ray of your chest to test for TB. If the x-ray result is not clear, you may also be required to give a sputum sample (phlegm coughed up from your lungs).

You are not required to have any other tests to check for TB for your visa application.

If your test result shows that you do not have TB, you will receive a certificate which is valid for 6 months from your x-ray date. You should include this TB test certificate with your UK visa application.

When you are not required to be tested for TB

You will not be required to go through a TB test if any of the following apply:

• You are a diplomat (for example, an ambassador representing your country or a high commissioner representing a Commonwealth country) accredited to the UK

• You are a returning UK resident after being abroad for 2 years or less.

• You are coming on a specific scheme to support

List of specified countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application

• Afghanistan

• Algeria

• Angola

• Armenia

• Azerbaijan

• Bangladesh

• Belarus

• Benin

• Bhutan

• Bolivia

• Botswana

• Brunei Darussalam

• Burkina Faso

• Burma

• Burundi

• Cambodia

• Cape Verde

• Central African Republic

• Chad

• Cameroon

• China

• Congo

• Congo Democratic Republic

• Côte d’Ivoire

• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

• Djibouti

• Dominican Republic

• Ecuador

• Equatorial Guinea

• Eritrea

• Ethiopia

• Gabon

• Gambia

• Georgia

• Ghana

• Guatemala

• Guinea

• Guinea Bissau

• Guyana

• Haiti

• Hong Kong or Macau

• India

• Indonesia

• Iraq

• Kazakhstan

• Kenya

• Kiribati

• Korea

• Kyrgyzstan

• Laos

• Lesotho

• Liberia

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Mali

• Marshall Islands

• Mauritania

• Micronesia

• Moldova

• Mongolia

• Morocco

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Nepal

• Niger

• Nigeria

• Pakistan

• Palau

• Papua New Guinea

• Panama

• Paraguay

• Peru

• Philippines

• Russian Federation

• Rwanda

• Sao Tome and Principe

• Senegal

• Sierra Leone

• Solomon Islands

• Somalia

• South Africa

• South Sudan

• Sri Lanka

• Sudan

• Suriname

• Swaziland

• Tajikistan

• Tanzania

• Thailand

• Timor Leste

• Togo

• Turkmenistan

• Tuvalu

• Uganda

• Ukraine

• Uzbekistan

• Vanuatu

• Vietnam

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

Other countries that have Home Office-approved TB test clinics

You must be tested at a Home Office-approved clinic. You can find approved TB test clinics in most of the countries listed above, where you need a TB test for your UK visa application.

However, Home Office-approved clinics can also be found in the following countries:

• Canada
• Egypt
• Fiji
• France
• Germany
• Iran
• Ireland
• Israel
• Japan
• Spain
• Turkey
• UAE
• USA

TB test clinics in the UK

You can get a TB test done at a clinic in the UK if you want to check and ensure that you do not have TB, or you are applying for your BN (O) visa or extending it from within the UK, and you are required to submit a TB certificate with your visa application.

Summary

TB test is a medical screening to check, where required, that you do not have active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) before travelling to the UK.

Normally, you need a TB test before applying for a UK visa to come to the UK for more than 6 months, if you have lived in a specified country or countries for at least 6 months. 

To meet the TB test requirement, you will be required to submit a valid TB test certificate. A TB test certificate is usually valid for 6 months from the date of your Chest X-ray (or your initial medical assessment).

You can only take a TB test at an approved test clinic.

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