Getting an X-ray or medical examination

Check if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination, and how to plan your appointment.

Health

Process overview

  1. Prepare your visa application as much as you can — check if you need an X-ray or medical examination and when.
  2. If you need an X-ray or examination, make an appointment.
  3. Get all the things you need for your appointment ready.
  4. Go to your appointment. The doctor may need you to take other tests — that can take more time.
  5. Provide evidence of your X-ray or medical examination results in your application.
Note

Your chest X-ray and medical examination results must be no more than 3 months old when we get your application.

Check if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination

The visa criteria and application form will tell you if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination.

If you need a medical examination, you normally get a 'general medical examination' unless you need a limited medical examination. A general medical examination is sometimes called a 'full medical examination'.

Check the situations where you need an X-ray or medical examination, and the different types of examinations.

Who needs an X-ray or medical examination

The visa details should also tell you when you need to have your X-ray or examination.

  • For most visas, you must have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both before you apply.
  • For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or a Visitor Visa, we will let you know after you submit your application if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination.

Make an appointment

If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination, you must visit a doctor or radiologist from our list of panel physicians — unless there are no panel physicians in your country.

Check if there is a panel physician in your country.

Find a radiologist or doctor near you

If there is a panel physician in your country

You must visit a panel physician.

  1. Contact a panel physician to make an appointment for your chest X-ray or medical examination.
  2. Tell them it is for an Immigration New Zealand application and what visa you are applying for.
  3. Tell them the type of medical examination you need.
  4. You can ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment.

If there is no panel physician in your country

You can use any registered doctor.

  1. Contact your doctor to make an appointment for your X-ray or medical examination.
  2. Tell them it is for an Immigration New Zealand application.
  3. Tell them the type of medical examination you need.
  4. You can ask them about the costs when you make your appointment.
  5. Make sure you have a printed medical certificate form for the examination you need, and 3 passport sized photos.

Get what you need for your appointment

If you are in New Zealand and only need a chest X-ray

You must visit a panel medical clinic who will refer you to a panel radiology clinic.

  1. Find a panel medical clinic from the list of approved panel physicians.
  2. Tell the clinic what type of visa you are applying for, and that you need a chest X-ray only.
  3. You will normally need to visit the clinic. Bring an identity document.
  4. The clinic will create a case for you and refer you to a panel radiology clinic.
Note

If there are other people on your application, they will each need an appointment.

If you are menstruating (having a period), you need to wait until your period finishes before having your medical examination. You cannot have your medical examination during your period because the blood can affect your urine test.

For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or Visitor Visa, if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination, we give you an Immigration New Zealand health case reference number (NZHR). Give the NZHR to the clinic when you make your appointment.

Finding your eMedical and INZ health case reference numbers

Bringing someone with you to the appointment

You can bring a family member, support person or interpreter to your appointment.

Let the clinic know when you make your appointment if you are bringing someone with you.

If you are having a physical examination, you can ask the clinic for a chaperone. The clinic must have chaperones available.

Get what you need for your appointment

Have the following ready 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
  • other documents you need if you are not visiting a panel physician, or if you are using an immigration adviser — see the following sections.

Identity documents for X-rays and medical examinations

Note

If you are 17 years or under, you need your parent or legal guardian to come with you.

If you are visiting a doctor that is not a panel physician

If you are visiting any registered doctor because there are no panel physicians in your country, you need to also bring:

  • 3 recent passport-sized photos less than 6 months old — you only need 1 photo if you are having a chest X-ray and not a medical examination, and
  • a printed copy of the required medical certificate form for your doctor to complete and send to us.

Get the medical certificate form you need:

Chest X-ray certificate (INZ 1096) PDF 273KB

Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) PDF 879KB

General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007) PDF 517KB

RSE Scheme Supplementary Medical Certificate (INZ 1143) PDF 477KB

If you are using a licensed immigration adviser

You need to also bring a completed 'Immigration Adviser Details' form to give to the clinic.

Immigration Adviser Details (INZ 1160) PDF 260KB

Go to your appointment

Authority to collect medical information

At your medical appointment, you must sign a form to allow the doctor to send your medical information to us.

If you are 17 years old or younger, your parent or guardian must sign the form for you.

If your doctor is using eMedical, they will give you an eMedical client consent and declaration form to sign. You can read the form before your appointment:

eMedical client consent and declaration form PDF 166KB

What happens at the 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 doctor checks your height, weight, mental state, hearing and vision, listens to your heart and lungs, feels your abdomen and checks your reflexes and other parts of your nervous system.

A nurse or health care assistant may complete parts of the examination.

You will need to:

  • remove some items of clothing for the physical examination
  • provide a urine sample during the medical examination
  • get blood tests, and possibly a chest X-ray or other tests if needed — the clinic will tell you if you need these, and you may need to go to different places to get some tests done.

Paying for your medical examination

You must pay any costs related to your X-ray and medical examinations.

Note

Ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment.

Provide evidence of your results in your application

In your visa application, you need to provide evidence of your X-ray or examination results.

Evidence you are in good health

To show you had an examination you can either:

  • tell us the eMedical reference code from your panel physician — we will get your results electronically
  • tell us the name of the clinic where you had the medical examination, or
  • give us a copy of the completed medical certificate, if you did not visit a panel physician — the doctor will normally send your medical certificate to us, but you can ask them for a copy.

Finding your eMedical and INZ health case reference numbers

If you need a copy of your results

You can ask the clinic for a copy of your medical examination results.

What we do with your x-ray and examination results