Medical Visit
Visit the UK for private medical treatment, consultation or organ donor arrangements under visitor rules.
- Screening A few questions about your work, your family and your plans.
- Documents A checklist built around your route and who is coming with you.
- Expert review A qualified adviser reads every document before anything is filed.
- Application Every answer is checked against the published rules for your route.
- Submission Filed, with everything that went with it kept in one place.
- Arrival We stay with you through the crossing and the first steps after.
Application fee
£135
GOV.UK; Standard Visitor visa, 6 months
Maximum stay per visit
Up to 6 months
GOV.UK, visit for medical reasons
Longer visa for treatment
Up to 11 months
GOV.UK, medical treatment visa
What is the Standard Visitor visa for medical treatment?
The Standard Visitor visa lets you come to the UK for private medical treatment, or reciprocal NHS treatment paid for by your own government, arranged before you travel. Longer treatment can use an 11-month entry clearance, and you can apply to extend your stay from inside the UK if you need further treatment.
Who this route is for
The published rules are for someone who has already arranged their consultation or treatment before travelling, who can show they can pay the costs involved, and who will leave the UK once the treatment is complete or their permission ends. Where treatment is expected to take longer than the standard length of stay, extra evidence about the likely course of treatment is needed.
Requirements
- Private medical treatment arranged before travelYou must have arranged your private medical treatment before you travel to the UK, and provide evidence of it.
- Not a danger to public healthIf you have a communicable disease, you must satisfy a medical inspector that you are not a danger to public health.
- Funds to cover the cost of treatmentYou must have enough money to cover all reasonable costs of the visit, including the return or onward journey and the cost of the planned medical treatment, without working or claiming public funds.
- Extra evidence for an 11-month entry clearanceIf you are applying for the longer, 11-month entry clearance for private medical treatment, you must also provide extra evidence about the likely length of the treatment.
- Genuine visitor, leaving at the end of treatmentYou must satisfy the decision maker that you are a genuine visitor who will leave the UK at the end of your visit.
- Organ donation (genuine relationship with the recipient)If you are visiting to donate an organ, you must satisfy the decision maker that you genuinely intend to donate to, or be assessed as a potential donor for, an identified recipient you are genetically related to or have a close personal relationship with.
- Valid passport or travel documentYou must hold a passport or travel document valid for the whole of your stay.
Documents typically needed
- Passport or travel documentValid for the whole of your stay in the UK.
- Letter from your doctor or consultantSetting out the condition requiring consultation or treatment.
- Estimated cost and duration of treatmentFrom your doctor or consultant.
- Details of where treatment will take placeFrom your doctor or consultant.
- Reciprocal healthcare authorisation formIf your own government is paying for NHS treatment under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement.
- Tuberculosis test certificateDepending on where you come from, if you may need to stay beyond 6 months.
- Organ donor letterDated no more than 3 months before arrival, from the transplant team's lead nurse or coordinator, or a registered NHS consultant, if you're an organ donor.
How to apply
Check if you need a visa
Depending on your nationality you may need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa, use an electronic travel authorisation, or travel without either.
Confirm your visit is a permitted medical activity and gather your evidence
Check the medical activity is covered by the permitted activities, then gather your consultant's or doctor's letter, evidence of funds for the treatment, and a reciprocal-healthcare authorisation form if that applies to you.
Apply online
If you need a visa, apply online before you travel and book an appointment at a visa application centre. Applicants coming for private medical treatment lasting more than 6 months can apply for the longer entry clearance instead.
Prove your identity and give biometric information
Attend your appointment to have your fingerprints and photo taken and provide your supporting documents.
Wait for a decision
Keep your passport and documents available while your application is considered.
Fees & costs
- Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months)
- £135
- Medical treatment visa (up to 11 months)
- £234
- Electronic travel authorisation (up to 6 months, where eligible)
- £20
- Extend your stay for further treatment (each time, no limit)
- £1,172
Fees are set by the Home Office and can change. Source: GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/visit-uk-medical-treatment
Processing times
- Apply outside the UK
- Usually within 3 weeks
- Extend your stay (standard service)
- Usually within 8 weeks
Standard service times published by the Home Office; a faster decision may be available for an extra fee.
What you can and can't do
Permitted
- Have private medical treatment at a hospital or other medical facility
- Have treatment at an NHS hospital, paid for by your own government under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement
- Donate an organ to a family member or close friend, including being assessed as a donor match
- Apply for an 11-month entry clearance where treatment is likely to last between 6 and 11 months
- Extend your stay for further treatment, with no limit on the number of extensions
Not permitted
- Access medical treatment other than private treatment or to donate an organ
- Do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person
- Claim public funds
- Marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of this
Duration and extending a stay
Where treatment is expected to last longer than the standard stay, a longer entry clearance option exists for treatment that remains within a defined outer limit, and a visitor already in the UK can instead apply to extend their stay once the costs already incurred have been paid and further treatment is still needed. There is no cap on the number of times a medical extension can be applied for.
If the application is refused
A refusal letter sets out the reasons under the published rules. Standard Visitor refusals do not always carry a right of appeal, and the letter explains whether an appeal is available for that decision.
Common questions
Can I come to the UK as a visitor for private medical treatment?
Can I get NHS treatment as a Standard Visitor?
Can I donate an organ while visiting the UK?
What if my treatment will last longer than 6 months?
How many times can I extend my stay for further treatment?
What if I'm entitled to healthcare under a reciprocal S2 arrangement?
What happens if a medical-visit application is refused?
Talk it through with one of our solicitors.
Book a consultation and one of our immigration solicitors will go through your situation, the documents involved, and what happens next.
Family and Friends Visit
Travel to the UK to spend time with relatives and friends, attend family events and enjoy short visits of up to 6 months.
Read the guide →Tourist Visit
Travel to the UK as a Standard Visitor for a holiday, sightseeing, or to see family and friends, for up to 6 months at a time.
Read the guide →Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
Digital permission to visit the UK for up to 6 months. Most travellers from Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia need one, not a visa.
Read the guide →