Getting an x-ray or medical examination

If you need to get a chest x-ray or medical examination, you'll need to bring certain things along to your appointment. At your appointment the physician will examine you and send us information we can use to check you have an acceptable standard of health.

If you have to get a chest x-ray or medical examination, you’ll need to use a doctor or radiologist from our 'List of Panel Physicians'.

If you are based in New Zealand and you only need a chest x-ray you must first visit an INZ Panel Medical Clinic, where they will:

create a case for you, and
refer you to a Panel Radiology Clinic to get the chest x-ray.

List of panel physicians

When to have your x-ray or medical examination

Your chest x-ray and medical certificates must be no more than 3 months old when we receive them.

This means you should have all your visa application documents ready to submit to us once your x-ray or medical examination is completed.

We recommend you contact the panel physician to find out when you can book an appointment for your x-ray or medical examination. If you are getting a medical examination you should also find out how long it will take to receive your blood test results.

If an issue is found during your x-ray or medical examination you may require additional tests, which can take more time.

When not to get an x-ray or medical examination

If you sent us a chest x-ray certificate with an earlier visa application, you don’t need to have another x-ray unless either:

it’s been more than 3 years since you had the last one
since you had the last x-ray, you spent more than 6 months in a row in a country that doesn't have a low incidence of TB.

If you sent us a medical certificate with an earlier visa application, you don’t need to have another medical examination unless:

it’s been more than 3 years since you had the last one
you weren’t assessed as having an acceptable standard of health at the time
we need a different kind of medical certificate than the one you provided.

What to bring to your appointment

an identity document
your glasses or contact lenses if you use them
a list of any medication you are taking (including dosage)
any relevant medical reports or x-rays
if you’re 17 or under, your parent or legal guardian with you
if you’re using an immigration adviser, a completed ‘Immigration Adviser Details’ form.

If you choose to, you can bring a family member, support person, and/or interpreter to your appointment. Let the clinic know when you make your appointment if you will be bringing another person with you.
Identity documents for x-rays and medical examinations
Immigration Adviser Details (INZ 1160) PDF 254KB

If you’re from an eMedical country

Panel physicians in most countries use eMedical to send us medical information. If panel physicians in your country use eMedical, you’ll need to read a copy of the ‘eMedical consent and declaration’ before your examination. During your examination you’ll be asked to confirm that you understand it and then sign it in front of your physician. If you’re aged 17 years or under, your parent or guardian will need to sign it for you.

After your examination, you’ll be given an eMedical reference number to include with your visa application.

You can see whether eMedical is available by checking our panel physician list and selecting a panel physician in your country.
eMedical consent and declaration document
List of panel physicians

If you’re not from an eMedical country

If you’re not from an eMedical country, you’ll also need to bring the following items to your medical appointment:

3 recent passport-sized photos, or only one if you’re having a chest x-ray and not a medical examination – photos must be less than 6 months old
printed medical certificates for the examining physician to complete – you’ll need to include the completed certificates with your visa application.

All x-ray and medical certificates must be completed in English.
Evidence you're in good health - medical certificates

What happens at a medical examination

There are 3 parts to the medical examination:

Medical history and physical examination.
Urine and blood tests.
Chest x-ray, if required.

The physician will complete the physical examination. He or she will check your height, weight, mental state, hearing and vision, listen to your heart, lungs, feel your abdomen and check your reflexes, power and the rest of your nervous system.

You’ll need to remove some items of clothing for the physical examination. Some parts of the physical examination may be completed by a nurse or health care assistant.

You will need to provide a urine sample during the medical examination.

You will also need to get blood tests, and possibly a chest x-ray and some other tests if necessary.

You may need to go to different places to get some tests done.

If you’d like a copy of your medical examination results, you should advise the clinic at the time you are undergoing your examination.

Women

You can’t have your medical examination during your period (menstruation) because the blood can affect your results – you’ll need to wait until your period finishes before having your medical examination.

Women aged 45 and over may need to have a breast examination. Your physician will tell you if you need one.

Children

All children, including babies, must have a medical examination.

Children aged 10 and under don’t need to have a chest x-ray, unless the physician thinks it’s necessary or we ask for one.

Children aged 14 and under don’t need to have a blood test, unless the physician thinks it’s necessary or we ask for one.

Cost of your health examination

You’re responsible for paying any fees and costs associated with your medical examinations. Health costs can vary from country to country. For this reason, we recommend that you contact the clinic before your appointment to ask about the fees.

What we do with your x-ray and medical examination results

We use your x-ray and medical examination results to decide if you have an acceptable standard of health.

Once all blood test, urinalysis and chest x-ray exam results have been returned, the examining physician will grade your health examination and send it to us.

If you ask for email notifications, we’ll send you an automated email to let you know when we receive your health information.

If there are no significant abnormal results, our online health system may decide you have an acceptable standard of health within minutes or refer your results to an immigration officer for manual processing.

Immigration officers use your graded examination results to help them decide if you have an acceptable standard of health.

An immigration officer may refer your results to our medical assessors if we need medical advice to decide if you have an acceptable standard of health. We may also ask you to provide more information about your health before making a decision.

See our leaflet Health Requirements (INZ 1121) for more information PDF 260KB