TB Test for UK Visa - Who needs, Validity, Clearance Certificate & Other details

The purpose of TB (tuberculosis) screening or test is to detect the suspected presence of active pulmonary TB in those who are applying for a visa to travel to the UK. Usually, a person seeking entry clearance to the UK for permission valid for 6 months or more, where they have been in a specified country or countries in the previous 6 months. 

Who needs a TB test for a UK visa?

An adult person will need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test if:

• They are coming to stay in the UK for 6 months or more, except if they are applying under the Appendix Ukraine Scheme

• They have continuously lived in a specified country or countries for 6 months or more

• They were living there (or another specified country) within the last 6 months

Those coming to the UK for less than 6 months will still need a TB test if they are applying for a family visa as fiancé (e) or proposed civil partner or a Returning Resident visa. 

On occasion, the UK immigration authorities may require TB screening of others seeking permission to travel to the UK.

Those already in the UK and applying for or extending a BN (O) visa will need a TB test if they did not provide a TB certificate when they came to the UK.

The applicant may also be required to submit a new, valid TB test certificate before their application for entry clearance is granted, if:

(a) The TB certificate they are providing with their application expired more than 6 months prior to the date on which the application is considered; and

(b) They otherwise meet the entry clearance requirements.

Children who need a TB test

All children must see a UK Home Office–approved TB screening clinician who’ll decide if they need a CXR (Chest X-ray). Children aged under 11 will not usually undergo a chest X-ray, and instead, the clinician performs a clinical assessment.

The main applicant must take their child to an approved TB test clinic and complete a health questionnaire (a short medical form). The clinician will issue a certificate (often referred to as the TB Clearance Certificate) if they determine that the lead applicant’s child does not have TB. The lead applicant should include this certificate with their child’s UK visa application.

Pregnant women who need a TB test

For the purpose of TB screening, a pregnant woman can choose:

• an X-ray with an extra shield or protection to protect them and their unborn baby in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters (later stages of pregnancy)

• a sputum test (phlegm (a type of mucus) coughed up from inside their lungs)) - There may be an extra fee, and they could wait up to 8 weeks for results

• to wait until after the baby's delivery

Who does not need to be tested for TB?

Those who are one of the following will not need a TB test:

• A diplomat accredited to the UK

• A returning UK resident and have not been away from the UK for more than 2 years

• Coming to the UK on a scheme to support people from Ukraine

When is the TB test requirement waived?

The UKVI may waive the requirement for an applicant to provide a valid TB test certificate if it is satisfied that the applicant is unable to obtain one and it is reasonable to waive the TB test requirement on the specific facts of the case.

Validity of a TB test certificate 

A TB certificate is valid only if it:

(a) was issued by a medical practitioner (qualified and licensed medical doctor) approved by the Secretary of State (UK); and

(b) confirms that the applicant applying for a UK visa has undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis to see if they have active TB in the lungs and that this tuberculosis is not present in the applicant; and

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

(d) has not expired.

Clearance certificate 

The TB Clearance Certificate (also called a Tuberculosis Screening Certificate) will be valid for 6 months from the date of the applicant's Chest X-ray (or their initial medical assessment). If the applicant has required their sputum samples to be taken, which turn out to be negative, their TB clearance certificate remains valid for 6 months from the date of their Chest X-ray (or date of their initial medical assessment).  

When a family member has active pulmonary TB, it affects the validity period of the TB clearance certificate of other family members. The certificates issued to all other members of that family, or others who have shared the same household, enclosed air space, or other enclosed environment for a prolonged period, who do not have active pulmonary TB and who still intend to travel to the UK, shall have a reduced validity period of 3 months instead of 6 months.

Specified countries where a person needs a TB test for their 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 with approved TB test clinics

The applicant must be tested at a Home Office-approved clinic. One can find approved TB test clinics in most of the countries mentioned above, where they need a TB test for their UK visa application.

Approved clinics can also be found in:

• Canada

• Egypt

• Fiji

• France

• Germany

• Iran

• Ireland

• Israel

• Japan

• Spain

• Turkey

• UAE

• USA

Clinics in the UK

A person can get a TB test at a clinic in the UK if they want to check that they do not have TB, or they are applying for or extending the BN (O) visa, and they need to provide a TB certificate with their visa application.

How can Visa and Migration help?

We have a proven track record of providing successful UK visa outcomes to our clients. This includes making sure they met, if required, the TB test requirement successfully. The TB test is a key requirement, particularly for entry clearance applications. In this process, based on your personal circumstances, we check whether you need to undertake a TB screening and, if so, how to provide a TB test certificate before applying for a UK visa. 

We ensure that you take a test only from an approved test clinic, and if you have taken a test, we ensure you have the correct and valid TB test certificate proving you are free from active pulmonary tuberculosis. 

We assist you with the Pre-TB test and Post-TB test to make your UK visa application compliant with the Immigration Rules - Appendix Tuberculosis.

For expert advice and queries, you can call us at +44 (0)20 3411 1261 or write at info@visaandmigration.com