UK Medical Visitor Visa Application Process, Eligibility & Documents Required

A foreign national planning to travel to the UK to receive medical treatment may need a UK medical visitor visa. This is a sub-category of the UK Standard Visitor visa and is designed for people travelling to the UK to receive medical treatment at a private hospital, treatment at an NHS hospital under a reciprocal arrangement in the UK, or to come here as organ donors. 

There is no specific UK medical visitor visa. Instead, a person would need to apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa, which allows them to come to the UK for medical treatment. 

A medical visitor visa is valid for up to 6 months. But a person can also apply for a standard visitor visa from outside the UK if the treatment process is going to take more than 6 months but less than 11 months.  

Medical visitors can also visit the UK for 6 months initially and then apply to extend their visa for another 6 months from within the UK. There is no limit on how many times they can extend their stay.   

Entry requirements for medical visitors 

From April 2025, specified non-visa nationals need to obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to travel to the UK as a visitor (including for medical treatment) for up to 6 months. An ETA allows an individual to travel to the UK, but it does not allow the ETA holder to enter the UK. The holder of an ETA will still need to obtain permission to enter as a medical visitor on their arrival in the UK. 

Visa nationals, on the other hand, in order to come to the UK as a medical visitor, must apply for and obtain entry clearance (a visit visa) to the UK before arriving here. 

Please note that all visits to the UK for medical treatment lasting more than 6 months but less than 11 months require a Standard Visitor visa, regardless of whether the applicant is a visa national or a non-visa national. This means that in such a case, a medical visitor, whether a visa national or non-visa national, needs to apply for and obtain entry clearance before arriving in the UK.  

Validity requirements for entry clearance or permission to stay in the UK as a medical visitor 

A visitor seeking entry clearance to the UK or permission to stay for medical treatment must apply online on the website gov.uk using the specified application form. For entry clearance, one needs to use the form “Apply for a UK visit visa” and those applying for permission to stay need to use the specified form “Application to extend stay in the UK: FLR(IR)”.  

An application seeking entry clearance or permission to stay in the UK as a visitor must satisfy all the following criteria: 

(a) The applicant must have paid any required fee; and 

(b) The applicant must have enrolled in biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) when required; and 

(c) The applicant must have submitted a passport or other valid document to establish their identity and nationality. 

An application seeking entry clearance to the UK as a visitor must be made from outside the country. On the other hand, an application for permission to stay as a visitor must be made from within the UK.  

Any application that does not satisfy all the validity criteria as a visitor for the purpose of medical treatment may be rejected as invalid and not considered. 

Suitability Requirements 

The medical visitor visa applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability, which has replaced the previous Part 9: grounds for refusal and became effective on November 11, 2025. 

If a person is applying for permission to stay, they must not be: 

(a) In breach of UK immigration laws, except that where the “Exceptions for overstayers” in Paragraph SUI 13.1. of Part Suitability applies; or 

(b) On immigration bail. 

Any application that does not satisfy all the validity criteria as a visitor to the UK for medical reasons may be rejected as invalid and not considered. 

Eligibility requirements for entry clearance for medical visitors 

A person can visit the UK to receive private medical treatment or treatment at an NHS hospital under a reciprocal arrangement in the UK, or as an organ donor. The applicants will need to meet the general eligibility criteria for a standard visitor visa and specific criteria applying to a medical visitor visa.  

Under the Immigration Rules – Appendix V – Visitor, a person applying to travel to the UK for up to 6 months for medical treatment:  

• Be a genuine visitor, which means they must  

• Leave the UK when their visit ends  

• Not reside in the UK for extended periods through successive or frequent visits, or make the UK their main home 

• Not engage in any of the prohibited activities set out in V 4.4. to 4.6 

• Maintain and accommodate themselves for the whole stay in the UK without using public funds (or be funded by someone else, such as an inviting organisation, to support them) 

• Be able to pay the cost of the return or onward journey (or be funded by someone else, including their inviting organisation, to pay for the journey) 

Additional eligibility requirements for medical visitors  

A person applying to visit the UK to receive medical treatment must meet the basic eligibility criteria mentioned above and the extra relevant requirements listed below. 

1. If a person is visiting the UK to receive private medical treatment 

They must prove to the decision maker that they: 

• Have a medical or healthcare condition that requires private treatment or consultation in the UK 

• Have made arrangements for their private medical treatment or consultation before travelling to the UK  

• Have enough money or funding to pay for the cost of their treatment 

• Will leave the UK once their treatment is completed, or when their visit visa expires 

• Do not pose any danger to public health if they are suffering from a communicable disease, such as leprosy   

2. If a person is visiting the UK for treatment at an NHS hospital 

A person can visit the UK for treatment at an NHS hospital if their treatment is paid for by the government of their country under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement. 

3. If a person is visiting the UK as an organ donor  

A person can only visit the UK to donate organs to a family member with whom they are genetically related (for example, their parent or sibling) or have a close personal relationship with (for example, their partner or friend). 

The applicant must show the decision maker that they have a genuine intention to donate an organ to, or be assessed as a potential organ donor for, the person they are going to donate an organ to. 

Additional eligibility requirements for obtaining permission to stay for medical reasons  

Where a person is applying for an extension to stay as a medical visitor for the purpose of receiving private medical treatment in the UK, they must also: 

(a) Satisfy the decision maker that they have paid for any medical treatment already received and they can and will pay the further costs of their treatment; and 

(b) Satisfy with evidence that their medical condition requires further treatment 

The documents they will need 

A medical visitor visa applicant must provide a passport or a valid travel document. Their passport should be valid for the complete duration of their stay in the UK and have a blank page for their medical visitor visa. 

The other documents they will need to submit include, but are not limited to: 

• Copies of their older passports showing evidence of travel to other countries 

• Confirmation of their legal residence, if they are not a citizen of the country they are applying in, or their right to reside there is not included in their passport 

• Proof of funds required, such as a bank statement or payslip, to demonstrate that they can pay for all reasonable costs related to their visit to the UK,  

• In case someone else (the applicant’s sponsor, such as a friend or a family member) is covering the cost maintenance, travel, or accommodation, they should provide evidence showing:  

• What support is being provided, and whether the support extends to any dependent family members 

• How this support is being provided 

• The sponsor has sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents adequately 

• The relationship between them and the sponsor 

• The sponsor is legally in the UK (if applicable), for example, if they hold a British passport  

• Other socio-economic evidence to show that they have strong ties to their home country, and hence they will return at the end of their visit. For example,  

• A letter from their employer on company-headed paper, detailing their job role, salary, and length of employment, and stating that they have been granted annual leave to visit the UK  

• Evidence of owning property in their home country  

• Evidence of having a family member who depends on them in their home country. 

Additional documents they must provide 

1. If a person is visiting the UK for private medical treatment 

A person must have arranged their private medical treatment before travelling to the UK, and will need a letter written by a consultant or doctor confirming that: 

• They have a condition that needs consultation or treatment 

• The likely duration (which must be of a finite duration) and estimated cost of any treatment 

• Where the treatment or consultation will take place 

2. If a person is visiting the UK for treatment at an NHS hospital 

If a person intends to travel to the UK to receive treatment at an NHS hospital under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement between the UK and the applicant’s home country, they must provide an authorisation form issued by the government of their country. 

3. If a person is visiting the UK as an organ donor  

A person applying to visit the UK as an organ donor will need to submit a letter from the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) registered lead nurse of the transplant team, a GMC (General Medical Council) registered specialist, or a registered NHS consultant confirming that: 

• They are a donor match to the recipient, or they are being assessed as a potential organ  

• The recipient in the UK is genetically related to them, or in a close personal relationship with them  

• When and where the test or transplant will take place 

The letter should be dated up to 3 months before their intended date of arrival in the UK. 

They must be able to show (if required) that the identified recipient of the organ is lawfully present in the UK, or will be when the organ transplant has been planned. 

If the organ recipient is not legally resident in the UK, the applicant must provide their name, nationality, and DOB (date of birth) in their application. 

4. If a person is applying for an 11-month entry clearance for the purposes of medical treatment in the UK 

(a) They must also provide either: 

1. Evidence from their consultant or doctor that the proposed treatment is likely to take more than 6 months, but not more than 11 months; or 

2. If they intend to receive NHS treatment under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement, an authorisation form issued by the government of their country clearly stating that the proposed treatment is likely to take more than 6 months, but not more than 11 months; and 

(b) They must provide a valid TB test medical certificate (if Appendix Tuberculosis applies). 

Documents they need for permission to stay as a medical visitor 

Where a person is applying for permission to stay for the purpose of receiving private medical treatment, they must satisfy the decision maker that the costs of any medical treatment they have already received have been met; and provide either: 

1. A medical letter from a registered UK practitioner, or NHS consultant at an NHS hospital detailing their medical condition requiring further treatment; or 

2. If they intend to continue to receive NHS treatment under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement, another authorisation form issued by the government of their home country authorising it will pay for the applicant’s further treatment. 

Applying for entry clearance for a medical visitor visa 

A person who needs a medical visitor visa must apply online on the website gov.uk using the specified application form. They must apply from outside the UK before they travel to the UK. 

Those applying for permission to stay must apply online from within the UK.  

The earliest someone can apply for a UK medical visitor visa is 3 months before they travel to the UK.  

They need to pay the medical visitor visa application (valid for up to 6 months) fee of £127 and £220 (valid for up to 11 months) to apply. 

The fee for an application for each extension is £1,100. 

As part of their online visa application, they will need to book an appointment at a VAC (Visa Application Centre) in their country. On the date of appointment, they will have their biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at the VAC. The applicant should allow time to attend their VAC appointment, as the visa application centre could be in another country. 

The VAC may keep their passport and documents while processing their application. 

If a person has permission as a medical visitor to the UK for less than 6 months 

They may be able to get their stay extended as long as the total time they remain in the UK does not exceed 6 months. For example, if a person with a medical visitor visa has been in the UK for 3 months, they can apply to extend their stay for another 3 months. They must satisfy the eligibility criteria and pay the £1,100 fee.   

Applying to obtain permission to stay in the UK as a medical visitor 

Those applying for permission to stay must apply online using the form  

The fee for an application for each extension is £1,100. 

As part of their online medical visitor visa extension application, they will need to book an appointment at a UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services) service point in the UK. On the date of appointment, they will have their biometrics (their fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at the UKVCAS.  

They will also be required to submit the supporting documents proving their eligibility. They can: 

• Upload their documents online  

• Have them scanned at their UKVCAS appointment 

Getting a decision for entry clearance or permission to stay 

Once a person has applied online, proved their identity, and submitted the supporting documents, they will usually get a decision on their application for a medical visitor visa or its extension within 3 weeks. 

Granting leave to enter as a medical visitor 

Before granting leave to enter, the Home Office must be satisfied:  

• The applicant has valid entry clearance  

• There are no reasons to believe:  

• That the applicant submitted false information to get the entry clearance  

• that circumstances have changed since the applicant was issued entry clearance, or  

• the purpose of entering the UK is different from that for which the entry clearance was issued  

• None of the Part Suitability grounds for refusal apply.  

If the Home Office is satisfied that the person fulfils all the requirements, they will grant the applicant leave to enter the UK as a medical visitor to receive private treatment in the UK.   

A person seeking leave to enter the UK as a medical visitor may be admitted here for a period of 6 months or less, subject to a condition prohibiting study, employment, and recourse to public funds. 

Granting permission to stay as a medical visitor 

If the Home Office is satisfied that the person fulfills all the requirements for extension of the existing medical visitor visa, they will grant the applicant leave to remain for a further 6 months in the UK. 

Refusal of a medical visitor visa 

If the decision maker is satisfied that an applicant meets all suitability and the relevant eligibility requirements for a medical visitor visa or its extension, they will grant the visa to the applicant; otherwise, their application will be refused.