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Skip to content Thousands of people travel to the UK each year for medical consultations and treatments. They must apply for a UK medical visa to accomplish this.
For immediate assistance with your medical visa UK, call our UK immigration solicitors at 02033844389.
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A Private Medical Treatment Visa allows foreign nationals to access private healthcare in the UK, as well as donate organs or be evaluated for potential organ donation to a designated recipient.
On this page, we address many frequently asked questions, including when a foreign national can have private medical treatment in the UK, and examine the criteria for a Private Medical Treatment Visa. For what period of time can one obtain a private medical treatment visa? And can someone with a Private Medical Treatment Visa come with them to the UK?
Meanwhile, you can also call our expert solicitors at 02033844389 to discuss your private medical treatment visa UK application.
People from countries on the UK’s visa nationals list (see “Appendix Visitor: Visa national list” in the Immigration Rules) must apply for a visa before they can come to the UK for medical reasons.
You don’t need a special medical visa to enter the UK. You would instead apply for a UK Standard visitor visa, which lets people with visas come to the UK for medical care. In this case, they might come to the UK to get private medical care at a hospital or another medical facility. It could also mean going to the UK to get medical care at an NHS hospital, as long as your own government pays for the care as part of a mutual healthcare deal. If you have accepted to be an organ donor for a family member or close friend, or if you want to be checked out to see if you could be a donor, you can also come to the UK with this visa.
Non-visa nationals, whose country of origin is not on the list of visa nationals, usually do not require a visa to visit the UK for medical reasons as long as their stay is less than six months and they do not plan to do anything illegal under the UK’s Immigration Rules, such as work. People who don’t need a visa should check to see if they need to apply for an ETA in order to come to the UK.
Non-visa nationals visiting the UK for more than six months must get a medical visa for UK prior to travel.
You must meet the following eligibility conditions for travellers seeking private medical care in the UK:
If you want to come to the UK for up to 11 months, you must also show proof from a doctor or consultant in the UK that the planned treatment will last longer than 6 months but not more than 11 months;
or if you want to get NHS treatment through a reciprocal healthcare arrangement, you must show an authorisation form that says the planned treatment will last longer than 6 months but not more than 11 months;
finally, you must show a valid medical certificate confirming that you have been screened for TB if needed.
In order to be eligible to come to the UK to give an organ or be evaluated as a possible donor match, you must also meet the following requirements:
To apply for a private medical treatment visa UK, the first thing you need to do is
If you want to get a visa, you will have to wait for a decision and finish all the steps. Processing times can be different, but you can check online to see where your application stands. If your application is accepted, you will get a vignette, which is a sticker that you can put on your visa that lets you enter the UK.
Along with a passport or other valid travel document, several supporting documents are required when applying for a medical visa to the UK.
Needed Documents | Description of Documents |
Valid Passport | Must have a passport that is both current and valid for the whole time you will be staying in the UK. The visa vignette requires a minimum of one blank page. |
Visa Application Form | A filled-out online application form that can be found on the website for visas and immigration for the UK Government. |
Biometric Information | At a visa application centre, fingerprints and a picture are taken. |
Confirmation of Acceptance for Treatment | A letter from a hospital or clinic in the UK confirming the specifics of your medical care, such as the plan, length, and cost of the care. |
Medical Evidence | Written permission from your doctor or consultant in your home country, outlining your health problem and the reason you need care in the UK. |
Financial Proof | Proof that you |