TB test for a UK visa in Pakistan: clinics, fees and booking

If you have lived in Pakistan and are going to the UK for 6 months or more, you usually need a tuberculosis (TB) test before you apply for your visa. The test must come from a clinic approved by the UK Home Office. This guide covers who needs it, the clinics in Pakistan, what they charge, how to book and what happens on the day.

Who needs a TB test

You need a TB test certificate if all of these apply to you:

• you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more;
• you have lived in Pakistan for 6 months or more; and
• you were living in Pakistan within the last 6 months.

Most people applying from Pakistan for a Skilled Worker visa or a Student visa for a course of 6 months or more need one. You also need a test for a shorter stay if you are applying for a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner visa, or a Returning Resident visa. Visitors staying less than 6 months do not need one.

The approved clinics in Pakistan

Only a certificate from an approved clinic counts. The Home Office will not accept a certificate from any other clinic, so do not let anyone send you elsewhere. There are two clinic operators in Pakistan: AMC and IOM (the International Organization for Migration).

Islamabad

• AMC: G-6 Branch, Building 14, Civic Centre, Melody, G-6 Markaz. Phone +92 51 287 3191. Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm.
• IOM, clinic 1: 2nd floor, Maroof International Hospital, F-10.
• IOM, clinic 2: ground floor, IDC, Pakland Square, G-8.

Lahore

• AMC: 8-B Chaudhary Ali Anwar Road. Phone +92 423 455 6611, WhatsApp +92 312 617 8887. Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm.
• IOM: House No. 70, H-Block, Gulberg III, near D-Ground.

Karachi

• IOM: Plot F-14, PECHS Block 6, Shahra-e-Faisal. There is no AMC clinic in Karachi.

Mirpur, Azad Kashmir

• IOM: House 66-A, Sector F-2, near the MDA Office. Phone +92 58 27 432 530.

All IOM clinics share the phone number +92 51 111 466 472 and the email uktbappointments@iom.int. GOV.UK lists IOM's hours in Islamabad, Lahore and Mirpur as Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4:45pm, and Friday, 8am to 12:30pm; it gives none for Karachi.

What it costs

As GOV.UK listed the fees in February 2026:

• AMC Islamabad and Lahore: PKR 15,000 for people aged 11 and over, PKR 11,000 for children under 11.
• IOM Islamabad, Lahore and Mirpur: PKR 14,000 for people aged 11 and over, PKR 10,000 for children under 11.
• IOM Karachi: GOV.UK does not list a fee, so ask the clinic when you book.

The fee covers the consultation, the chest X-ray and the certificate. If you need a sputum test, it may cost extra. The TB test is paid on top of your visa fee.

How to book

GOV.UK has no central booking system: you book directly with the clinic.

• IOM: its online booking is currently unavailable. Call +92 51 111 466 472, or email the appointment form to uktbappointments@iom.int; IOM says it replies within 2 working days. Booking is free, and IOM tells applicants not to pay anyone to book for them.
• AMC: book on its website or contact the centre. AMC sees only applicants with a confirmed appointment, and says it has no agents and no bank account for fees.

What to take with you

• your original passport (or national identity card) and a colour copy;
• 3 passport-size photos with a white background, without glasses;
• the completed applicant history questionnaire;
• the fee;
• your appointment confirmation; and
• any past TB records you have.

At IOM, a visit takes about 3 to 4 hours, and phones, laptops, luggage and visitors are not allowed inside.

What happens on the day

1. You sign a consent form and see a doctor.
2. You have a chest X-ray. This is the test: no other TB test is needed.
3. The result is usually ready within 24 hours. AMC says its certificate takes 48 to 72 hours.

If your X-ray is not clear, you give 3 sputum (phlegm) samples on 3 mornings, and the final result can take up to 2 months. Plan your visa application with this in mind.

Children: every child sees a clinician, who decides whether an X-ray is needed. Children under 11 do not normally have one. A parent takes the child to the clinic and fills in a health questionnaire.

Pregnancy: you can choose a shielded X-ray (in the second or third trimester), a sputum test instead, or wait until after the birth.

Your certificate

If no TB is found, you get a certificate that is valid for 6 months from the date of your X-ray. Include it with your visa application, and apply before it runs out. In some cases, for example for close contacts of someone with TB, a clinic may issue a certificate that lasts for a shorter time.

If the test finds TB, the doctor refers you for treatment straight away and no certificate is issued. After treatment, which usually takes about 6 months, you can be screened again for an extra fee. Having had TB in the past does not affect your visa once you have a certificate showing you are free of TB.