A medical check-up in Georgia: imaging, laboratory tests and results for your own doctor

What is a check-up, and when does it make sense?

A "check-up" is a set of tests, laboratory analyses and consultations planned as a whole and completed in one or several days. People have one during a visit to Georgia for different reasons: the waiting list for a test at home is long, your doctor has ordered a specific test and the timing coincides with your trip, or you want to see several specialists at the same time.

What matters is what you expect from the result. According to the conclusion of a 2019 Cochrane systematic review, general health checks offered systematically to adults are unlikely to be beneficial and may lead to unnecessary tests and treatment. This does not mean testing is pointless: it means that a targeted programme, based on your age, symptoms, family history and your own doctor's question, is better than "checking everything".

What does a check-up consist of, and what should be clarified before booking?

Skipping a medicine or changing its dose before a test is only allowed on a doctor's instructions. We ask the clinic for these instructions in writing and send them to you in your language, so that you know what to expect before you arrive.

How do we arrange a check-up with you?

The arrangement is a short chain: you send us your question and the dates of your visit together with the records you already have, the clinic's doctor proposes a programme and a price, and we spread the tests over the days and book transport and, if needed, an interpreter. How clinics are compared and chosen is described on the clinic selection service page, and support throughout the whole visit on the personal coordinator service page.

1. Defining the question

   The more precise the question, for example "my doctor at home recommends a heart assessment", the more targeted the programme the doctor proposes.

2. Programme and price

   The clinic lists the tests and consultations in writing with the cost of each; we check what is left out of the price.

3. Schedule

   We plan fasting blood tests for the morning, and after a procedure under sedation we book nothing else for that day.

4. Review of results

   If the programme ends with a doctor's report, we schedule it for the day when all the results are ready.

What should you send us before you arrive?

• Results of previous tests. A comparison often says more than the test itself. If you have a previous CT or MRI, bring the images too, in DICOM format, not just the report.
• A letter or referral from your doctor. It shows which question needs answering and which test your doctor is expecting.
• A list of your medicines and allergies. This is especially important before a contrast agent or anaesthesia.
• Implants and devices. A pacemaker, a metal implant or another device affects how an MRI is planned, so bring its documentation with you.
• Possibility of pregnancy. When planning an X-ray examination, the clinic will always ask about this.

Records in any language are accepted. If a Georgian doctor needs them translated, our imaging report translation service translates them while keeping the terminology intact. Health data is a special category of personal data, so we send it only to the clinic you confirm.

When and in what form will you receive your results?

How long results take depends on the type of test. Many routine laboratory tests and ultrasound reports are ready the same day, the radiologist sometimes completes the CT or MRI report the following day, and histology of a biopsy sample takes longer. The clinic tells you the exact time frame when you book, and we build it into the schedule. If you cannot wait for all the results in Georgia, we agree on remote delivery in advance.

The Law of Georgia on Patient Rights gives you the right to information about the results of your examination, and obliges the doctor to provide it in a form you can understand, with a minimum of specialist terminology. You request a copy of your medical records from the facility in writing, and under the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection the copy must be provided no later than 10 working days after the request; in exceptional cases this period may be extended, with reasons given, by a further 10 working days. In practice, it is best to request the copies before you leave.

Images: the report and the files separately

After an imaging test you need two things: the radiologist's written report and the images themselves, which your doctor will open in their own software. We ask the clinic to provide the files in DICOM format, on a disc or via a secure link, and check that the link stays valid long enough. Our digital archive service can help you keep everything in one place.

How do the results reach your own doctor?

If the results you receive in Georgia are in Georgian, your doctor at home will not be able to read them. Translation is usually into English, Russian or your native language. When laboratory results are translated, the units and reference ranges must stay as in the original, because the normal ranges of different laboratories do not match exactly; our laboratory test results translation service takes care of this. You can look up the meaning of an unfamiliar term in our medical glossary.

For a doctor, an accurate translation is enough. If a document is to be submitted to a state body, such as a fund or a court, it may need an apostille. A document issued by a medical facility is apostilled by the Public Service Development Agency, without prior notarisation. An apostille only works for countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention; other countries require consular legalisation. The full package is prepared by our documents for home service.

What happens if a test shows something unexpected?

Every check-up carries a chance that a test will show something you were not looking for. Many such findings turn out to be harmless, while some call for further tests or treatment. What matters most at such a moment is calm and a clear order of steps: the clinic's doctor explains what the finding means and how urgent the next step is, and you decide whether to continue in Georgia or take the results home to your own doctor.

• Ask for a written report stating the finding and the recommended next step.
• If you are offered treatment or surgery, a decision made on the spot is not binding: under Georgian law, you are free to turn to another doctor or facility for a second opinion.
• You can get an independent assessment through our second opinion service, remotely, even after you are back home.

Price structure, insurance and the clinic's permit

In a check-up quote, the tests are usually listed as separate items. Check whether the price includes the contrast agent, sedation, the radiologist's report, recording the images on a disc and a review of the results with a doctor. Any test ordered after you arrive, translation of the results, transport and the interpreter are priced separately. Our coordination fee is separate from the clinic's bill and is agreed in writing. The overall picture is in the guide to costs and payment.

Since 1 January 2026, a visitor coming for a check-up must also hold a policy covering health and accidents, with cover of at least GEL 30,000. Such a policy meets the entry requirement, but a planned check-up is as a rule not included in it; you pay the cost yourself or, if your policy has such a condition, your insurer at home pays.

As for the clinic, Government Resolution No. 385 of 2010 sets separate additional permit conditions for inpatient facilities providing radiology services, including X-ray services. We ask the clinic for a copy of its permit and check that it covers the very tests you are being offered.

Frequently asked questions about a medical check-up in Georgia