Medical certificate for visa applications: requirements finder for 42 countries

1. Choose the country you are moving to and the visa or permit you want.
2. Choose the country where you live now. This decides which consulate handles your file, and some rules depend on it.
3. If more than one consulate covers your area, pick yours.
4. Read the result: whether a certificate is needed before the visa, whether there is a check after arrival, who can issue it, and how recent it must be.
5. If the result says a panel doctor, local clinic or test is needed, book that. If it says an online doctor may help, check the consulate page first.
6. Confirm the details with your consulate before you book anything.

• A certificate before the visa. Belgium, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Andorra list one for the visas or permits we checked. Croatia now asks for one from many applicants for a first stay.
• A check or test after you arrive. France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Iceland, Norway, Malta, Cyprus, Latvia, Slovakia and Romania test or examine you in the country, or ask for a local certificate once you are there.
• Only for some visas or some people. The United Kingdom asks for a TB test from some applicants. Austria, Finland, Bulgaria, Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino and Ukraine ask for medical documents only in certain cases.
• No certificate listed. Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Portugal, Italy, Serbia, Liechtenstein and Monaco list health insurance on the pages we checked, not a certificate.

Czechia sits in between: its national portal lists a medical report only on request. For North Macedonia we could not confirm anything on an official page, so the tool shows Unknown and points you to the consulate.

Health insurance is a separate document. Where a country lists insurance and no certificate, a doctor's letter will not replace the insurance policy.

A "not listed" result only describes the pages we opened. A consulate can still ask you for more documents, and several pages say so.

• France: long stay visa holders are summoned by OFII to a compulsory medical visit or welcome visit within three months of entry. A fee is paid at the visit.
• Netherlands: you sign a declaration that you will take a TB test, then take it at the Municipal Health Service within three months of receiving your permit. Some nationalities, children aged 11 or younger and some others are exempt.
• Luxembourg: a medical check is mandatory for the residence permit. It includes a clinical exam, a vaccination check and TB screening. The permit is refused if you refuse the check.
• Iceland: many nationals must have an exam for infectious diseases within two weeks of arrival. It includes a TB test and tests for hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis. Nationals of the EEA, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Israel are exempt.
• Norway: people from countries with high TB incidence who stay more than three months are tested as soon as possible after arrival. Adults and children over 10 get a lung X ray.
• Malta: first time work permit applicants need a health screening approval. The tests, including a chest X ray for some people, are done in Malta.
• Cyprus: students and researchers register with the police after arrival, have a medical check and submit medical certificates. Researchers present X rays and blood tests.
• Latvia: on receiving a first temporary residence permit, you present a statement from a Latvian medical institution and an X ray or fluorography result.
• Slovakia: temporary residence holders give the police a medical report within 30 days of receiving the residence document. Only listed infectology facilities can issue it.
• Croatia: visa regime nationals in Croatia under three years need a health exam before extending their stay. It screens for TB, typhoid carriage, HIV and hepatitis B and C.
• Romania: for some residence permits, the medical certificate is filed in Romania with the permit application after you arrive on a D visa.

If your destination is on this list, budget time for the check in your first weeks. Missing it can affect your permit.

• United Kingdom: a TB test at a clinic approved by the Home Office. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the X ray. It applies if you are coming for 6 months or more and lived 6 months or more in a listed country in the last 6 months. It depends on where you live, not your nationality.
• Belgium: a certificate on the official Belgian model, from a doctor accredited by the Belgian embassy or consulate. A certificate from another registered doctor needs extra authentication. Washington checklists ask for it to be notarised and apostilled. It must be issued no more than 6 months before you apply.
• Hungary: the doctor must attach test results for TB, HIV, syphilis and other listed conditions. The certificate must be issued no more than three months before you apply. A certificate not in Hungarian needs a verified Hungarian translation.
• Andorra: the Andorran Immigration Medical Service examines you and declares you fit. The exam includes a blood sample, a TB skin test and a chest X ray. Reports on current conditions must be updated within the last 3 months.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: a medical attestation from the competent institution, issued no more than 3 months before you apply. Foreign documents must be translated into an official language.
• Greece and Spain: see the sections below.

The certificate shows you are not infected with diseases that may endanger public health. These are listed in the annex to the Belgian Law of 15 December 1980.

An accredited doctor on the embassy or consulate list needs no extra step. If you use another registered doctor, their signature must be authenticated locally and then by the Belgian post. The certificate must be issued no more than 6 months before your application.

Translation rules and exempt visa types were not stated on the pages we checked. Ask the consulate.

The certificate must state you do not suffer from any disease that could have serious public health repercussions under the International Health Regulations 2005. The London consulate also asks for one for student visas over 180 days. The Manchester consulate asks for one for residence and work visas exempt from work authorisation.

Every Spanish page we opened asks for the original and a copy. London and Manchester say certificates from other countries will not be accepted. Edinburgh, Montreal and Los Angeles name no country limit, but they do not confirm other countries either.

The London consulate's English version opens with "This health certificate states that Mr./Mrs. (…) does not suffer from any of the diseases". It then refers to diseases with serious public health repercussions under the 2005 regulations.

The Montreal consulate gives similar English wording and accepts terms that follow it "or similarly". The Los Angeles consulate says no extra translation is needed if you use its bilingual model.

Small differences matter. One consulate wants a signature and stamp, another a letterhead, another a bilingual form. Bring your own consulate's wording or form to the appointment.

• Pakistan: the Greek embassy in Islamabad asks for a certificate from a recognised medical institution and names two local providers.
• Serbia: the Greek embassy in Belgrade asks for the national D visa medical certificate on its own form only. That page was last edited in 2015, so confirm it is still current.
• Australia: the Greek missions ask Work and Holiday applicants for proof of no disease that could pose a risk to public health. Doctors registered with the Australian national regulator, and public or private hospitals in Australia, may issue it.
• Peru: a model form from the Greek embassy cites a Greek law of 2005 and an older European directive. It covers quarantinable diseases, active TB, syphilis, drug addiction and severe mental disturbance, with laboratory results.

None of the Greek pages we opened states a time limit, a translation rule or an apostille rule. Because missions name local issuers or need lab results, an online doctor cannot meet these rules.

The World Health Organization describes the IHR as international law binding 197 countries. Their aim is to stop the international spread of disease while limiting needless disruption to travel and trade.

Spanish consulates use this standard. Other countries use their own lists. Belgium refers to the annex of a national law, Hungary lists named infections, and Croatia sets out its own screening tests.

If your appointment moves, your certificate may become too old. The tool has a date helper for fixed limits: enter your appointment date to see the earliest date your certificate should carry.

• Spain: most consulates ask for a Spanish translation and an apostille or legalisation of certificates issued abroad. See the Spain table above.
• Belgium: no extra step for an accredited doctor. A non accredited doctor's signature must be authenticated locally and then by the Belgian post.
• Hungary: a true Hungarian translation, verified by a Hungarian mission or a translation agency in Hungary.
• Czechia: an official Czech translation, and an apostille or superlegalisation for foreign public documents.
• Bulgaria: all documents translated into Bulgarian and legalised.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: translation into an official language; originals or certified copies.
• San Marino: Italian, a certified Italian translation, or a multilingual certificate. Documents from outside Italy must be legalised or apostilled.
• Austria: a German translation if the authority asks, certified on request.
• Finland: documents not in Finnish, Swedish or English must be translated by an authorised translator.

An apostille is issued in the country where the document was signed. Build in time for it, because it can take longer than the doctor visit itself.

We found no official page saying normal visa or residence processing is suspended. Under martial law, Cabinet Resolution No. 1202 of 21 October 2022, amended on 5 February 2026, sets a special procedure for exchanging temporary residence permits. Where the deadline fell after 24 February 2022, the exchange window is 90 days from 7 May 2026. It does not apply to Russian citizens. State Migration Service offices do not provide services during air raid alerts.

Say you live in Scotland and have a non lucrative visa appointment on 20 January 2027. The Edinburgh page says the certificate should be issued within three months before you submit.

1. Counting back three months from 20 January 2027 gives 20 October 2026. Your certificate should be dated on or after that day.
2. The certificate must be signed and stamped by a registered doctor.
3. If it is not issued in Spain, it must be legalised or apostilled.
4. It also needs an official translation into Spanish.
5. You bring the original and a copy.

If your doctor sees you on 1 December 2026, the certificate is well within the limit. That leaves about seven weeks for the apostille and the translation. If the appointment moved to late March 2027, that certificate would be close to the limit, so check the rule again whenever your date changes.

See a doctor soon, before any visa exam or arrival test, if you have a cough lasting several weeks, unexplained weight loss, night sweats or a fever after recent travel. Tell the doctor about your travel plans.

When a destination does accept one, the tool will offer our general medical certificate. A doctor reviews your case and decides. You pay EUR 34.99 only after that review, and you get a full refund if no certificate is issued. The signed PDF usually arrives within about 30 minutes of approval, with a reference code anyone can check. We cover 42 countries in Europe, and certificates are issued in English.

Check your consulate's rules first, then ask one of our doctors if they fit.