Immigration medical examination in Georgia: the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand

What is an immigration medical examination and who needs one?

Many countries require a health check of the applicant before they issue a visa or residence permit. The purpose is to protect public health, above all by detecting infectious diseases such as active tuberculosis, and in some countries also by checking vaccination status. This is not an ordinary preventive check-up: the result is assessed not by you but by the immigration service.

The key rule shared by every country is this: the examination can only be carried out by a doctor or clinic that the destination country's authority has itself approved for the purpose. Such a doctor is called a panel physician. A report from your family doctor, from any other clinic or from tests done abroad will not count for a visa, however complete it may be.

Australia and New Zealand receive results through eMedical, an electronic system into which the panel clinic uploads the data directly. For a US immigrant visa, the embassy's page also lists the vaccination requirements separately. In both cases the practical upshot is the same: you need to go to the right clinic with the right documents, and the clinic and the authority deal with the rest between themselves.

Where is the examination done in Georgia?

In all five countries' lists that we checked, there is one facility in Georgia: Medical Center CITO, 40 Z. Paliashvili Street, Vake District, Tbilisi 0179. This means that, as a rule, people living in Georgia do not need to travel to another country for the examination. The table summarises what each country requires.

The entries are reproduced exactly as they appear in each country's official list. We deliberately do not print doctors' names here, because they often change on the lists.

US immigrant visa: what do you need to know?

The US Embassy in Tbilisi's supplementary instructions for immigrant visas state that every applicant needs a medical examination, regardless of age, and that it must be done before the visa is issued. The examination can be done in Georgia or in Azerbaijan, only with an accredited physician: in Tbilisi this is CITO, in Baku Prospekt Medical Azerbaijan. For a family with an interview in Tbilisi, a local examination is the simplest option.

According to the embassy's page, you should bring the following to the appointment:

• your visa interview appointment letter;
• your passport;
• four recent colour photographs, 2x2 inches in size;
• whatever vaccination records you have;
• the DS-260 confirmation page.

US law requires immigrant visa applicants to have certain vaccinations, and the list depends on age. The panel physician decides exactly which vaccinations you need on the basis of your records; if you have no records, or they are unclear, you may have to have some vaccinations on the spot. That is why it is worth tracking down your childhood vaccination card and an extract from your polyclinic in advance.

According to the embassy's page, updated on 24 September 2026, the minimum fees at the Tbilisi clinic are USD 220 from age 15, USD 200 from 2 to 14 years and USD 130 for a child under 2, with vaccinations paid for separately. These are minimums, and the amount goes up if further tests are needed. The page also notes that the medical report is valid for a limited time, so plan the examination close to your interview date.

Canada, Australia and New Zealand: how does the process differ?

The panel physician search tool of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows two doctors for Georgia, both at CITO. The languages listed are English, Russian and Georgian, which means that an applicant who speaks one of them will probably not need an interpreter during the examination. When you should have the examination depends on the type of visa, so follow IRCC's instructions on this point.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) name CITO for both the medical and the radiological examination, through the eMedical system. This system sends the result directly to the authority, so you will not need to carry documents in an envelope. As a rule, both countries first give the applicant instructions on which examination is needed and with which identification details; be sure to take these instructions with you to the clinic.

One practical tip applies to all three countries: when you book, tell the clinic which country's visa you are coming for. The panel physician works separately to each country's form and requirements, and in some cases the laboratory tests or X-ray have to be done on the same day.

UK visa: when do you need a tuberculosis test?

Georgia is on the list of countries from which UK visa applicants need a tuberculosis test. Under the GOV.UK rules, you need the test if you are going to the UK for more than six months and have recently lived in such a country for six months or more. Applicants for a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa need the test whatever the length of stay.

The test involves a chest X-ray; if the image is unclear, you may also be asked for a sputum test. If active tuberculosis is not found, you are issued a certificate that is valid for six months from the date of the X-ray. So do not take the test too early: if your visa application is delayed, the certificate may expire.

• Children. Every child must see the clinician, but children under 11 do not usually have an X-ray; the doctor decides whether one is needed and also issues the certificate.
• Pregnancy. A pregnant applicant has several options, including a shielded X-ray, a sputum test or postponing the test until after the birth.
• What to bring. A valid photo identity document, such as a passport, and the test fee. If you have had tuberculosis or a lung disease before, also bring details of your previous screening and, if possible, your medical records and X-ray results.

The GOV.UK page gives the fee for the clinic in Georgia in two age groups, but it was last updated in May 2024, so check the current price with the clinic.

How should you prepare for the appointment?

1. Check the official list

   Open the destination country's current list of panel physicians and make sure the clinic and its address are still there.

2. Get the authority's instructions

   Some countries give you a letter or an identification number before the examination; without it the clinic cannot upload the result.

3. Gather your documents

   Your passport, photographs, your vaccination card if the country asks for it, earlier X-rays and reports on any chronic condition.

4. Translation, if needed

   An English translation makes a Georgian or Russian medical record understandable to the doctor; ask the clinic in advance in what form it needs it.

5. The appointment and the result

   Depending on the country's rules, the clinic either sends the result to the authority itself or hands it to you sealed. Do not open a sealed envelope.

In Georgia, a vaccination card, an extract from a children's polyclinic or an old X-ray or CT report is often available only in Georgian. We prepare English translations of such documents, with dates, vaccine names and doses reproduced exactly, through our imaging report translation and medical translation services. If you have not yet obtained your old records from the clinic, our guide to obtaining your medical history explains how to request them.

Which mistakes slow the process down?

In practice, most delays come down to the same few causes, and they are easy to avoid:

• The wrong clinic. An X-ray or test done at a private laboratory, however recent, will not count for a visa. It has to be a panel physician.
• Poor timing. The UK certificate is valid for six months, and the US medical report also has a limited validity. An examination done too early may have to be repeated.
• A lost vaccination history. If you cannot present your vaccination records, you may need to repeat some vaccinations or have an antibody test, which costs both time and money.
• Leaving out a past illness. Having had tuberculosis or a lung disease in the past does not automatically mean refusal, but concealing it causes problems. Bring the documents from your previous treatment.
• Forgetting family members. If the family is travelling together, each member, including children, may need a separate examination. Name all the applicants together when you book.

The information in this guide is not medical advice. Your state of health is assessed by the panel physician, and the decision to issue a visa is made by the destination country's authority.

How can Solidaroba.ge help?

Solidaroba.ge does not carry out medical examinations and does not represent the panel clinic. Our part is the paperwork: English translation of Georgian and Russian medical records, notarisation where needed and, if your visa file needs an apostille on another Georgian document, its preparation through our apostille service.

If you are a foreigner in Georgia planning to move on to another country, you may also be interested in local healthcare matters, which are covered in our guide to healthcare for foreigners living in Georgia. For a child born in Georgia who is travelling with the family, the apostille and translation of the birth certificate are covered in our guide to having a baby in Georgia.

Frequently asked questions about the immigration medical