Guides
TB test for a UK spouse visa
Reviewed by Kashif Iqbal, Solicitor. Last updated 1 November 2026
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If you are applying for a UK spouse or fiancé visa from a country where tuberculosis is common, you need a TB test before you apply. It is a chest x-ray at a clinic approved by the Home Office, and the certificate goes in with the application. Without it the application is refused, however strong the rest of the file.
Who needs a TB test for a UK visa
You need one if you are coming to the UK for more than six months and you have lived in a listed country for six months or more, recently. A spouse visa is 33 months, so it always meets the length test. Fiancé visa applicants also need one, even though that visa is for six months.
The list of countries includes Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria, and many others in Asia and Africa. Check the current list of countries where you need a TB test before booking. Applicants who have been living in countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia or most of Western Europe do not need one.
If you are applying from inside the UK, for example switching from a fiancé visa or extending, you do not need a new TB test.
Approved clinics only
The test must be done at a clinic approved by the Home Office in the country where you live. A certificate from any other clinic or hospital is not accepted, however reputable. GOV.UK lists the approved clinics country by country; in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria there are clinics in the main cities.
What happens at the clinic
- Book an appointment and take your passport and passport photographs.
- You have a chest x-ray and a short medical questionnaire.
- If the x-ray is clear you receive a certificate, usually the same day or within a few days.
- If the x-ray shows something, the clinic takes further tests, which can take several weeks. Apply only once you have the certificate.
The clinic sets the fee. Expect somewhere between £50 and £150 depending on the country.
How long the certificate lasts
The certificate is valid for six months from the date of the x-ray. It must still be valid on the day you apply. If the application is delayed, for example while savings build up to the six-month mark, plan the TB test so it does not expire first.
Children and pregnancy
Children applying with you need to see a clinician at an approved clinic too. Children under 11 do not normally have an x-ray; the clinician decides after a questionnaire and examination, and issues a certificate if no TB is found. If you are pregnant, tell the clinic when you book. They will explain your options for the x-ray.
Questions people ask
I live in the UAE but I am a Pakistani national. Do I need a test?
It depends where you have lived, not your nationality. If you have lived in the UAE, not on the list, for more than six months, you may not need one. We check your history with you.
My certificate expires next week. Can I still apply?
Yes, if it is valid on the day you submit. If it expires before you apply, you need a new test.
Is the TB test needed at the extension?
No. Applications from inside the UK do not need a TB certificate.
See our document checklist for everything else that goes in the application.
