A chest X-ray from your own doctor, however recent and however well translated, will not satisfy a UK visa. Appendix TB of the Immigration Rules accepts only a certificate that "was issued by a medical practitioner approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of these rules."
Medical certificates often work like that: the first question is who may issue the certificate, not how to translate it. Getting it wrong costs an appointment, a fee and sometimes the application.
Below: the certificates UK visas, employers and the DVLA ask for, who must issue each, where translation helps and what a translated certificate must show.
Which medical certificates must come from a specific doctor or clinic?
Check the issuer before you think about translation:
| Certificate | Who asks | Who must issue it | Where translation fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| TB certificate | UK Visas and Immigration | A clinic approved for UK visa screening | Nowhere: only the clinic's certificate counts |
| Life in the UK and English exemption (medical) | Home Office, settlement and citizenship | A GMC-registered medical practitioner | The medical reports sent with the form |
| Letter for private medical treatment | UK Visas and Immigration | Your doctor or consultant | A certified translation if the letter is not in English |
| Fit note | Employers, after 7 days off sick | A doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist | A foreign certificate counts only if your employer agrees |
| D4 medical report, lorry and bus licences | DVLA | A doctor, such as your GP or a private firm | A foreign certificate cannot replace it |
| Medical enquiries about a condition | DVLA | Questionnaires to you and your healthcare professionals | Foreign specialists' reports you rely on |
| Occupational health clearance | Employers, after a job offer | The employer's occupational health service | Foreign vaccination records and test results |
Do I need a TB test for a UK visa?
Yes, if you are coming for 6 months or more and have lived for at least 6 months in one or more listed countries, including some time there in the last 6 months. GOV.UK's list covers around 100 countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, the Philippines, China, Russia and Ukraine. Applicants for a fiancé or proposed civil partner visa or a Returning Resident visa need a test even for shorter stays.
The rules that decide whether a certificate is valid:
- Approved clinics only. GOV.UK lists the clinics country by country. Where a country has none, you are told to get tested in another country.
- A chest X-ray, and a sputum test if the X-ray is not clear. "Children under 11 will not normally have a chest x-ray", but "All children must see a clinician who'll decide if they need a chest x-ray."
- Six months' validity. If no TB is found, "you'll be given a certificate which is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray." Appendix TB also requires it to have been issued within the 6 months before you apply.
- Include it with the application. GOV.UK simply says "Include this certificate with your UK visa application"; no translation step is mentioned.
Accredited diplomats, returning UK residents who have been away for no more than 2 years and people coming under the Ukraine scheme are exempt. If TB is found, UKHSA's screening leaflet says you will be referred for treatment and may re-apply once it is complete. Where you genuinely cannot get a certificate, the decision maker "may waive the requirement" under Appendix TB, but that is discretion, not a route to plan on.
Can a doctor abroad sign the Life in the UK or English exemption form?
Only if they are on the GMC register. Applicants for settlement can be exempt from the English language requirement if "they have a disability (physical or mental condition) which prevents them from meeting the requirement" (Appendix English Language, EL 1.1(c)), and the Home Office's medical waiver form covers the Life in the UK test too. The form says: "It must be completed by a General Medical Council registered medical practitioner who is able to comment on the individual's condition."
A translated certificate from a doctor who is not on the register is not a substitute. GOV.UK tells applicants to include "all original and current relevant medical reports" with the form, so a specialist's report from abroad belongs in the application, translated.
For settlement, paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules requires a dated translation with the translator's confirmation of accuracy, name, signature and contact details, plus "certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials." For citizenship, meeting the same standard leaves a caseworker nothing to query. Official Translations certificates meet every element, including the company's credentials as a member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC). See our guides to indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship documents.
Will my employer accept a sick note from a doctor abroad?
It can, if it agrees. "Employees can self-certify for the first 7 calendar days of their sickness absence", and GOV.UK says "You must give your employer a fit note if you're off work for more than 7 days in a row (including non-working days)." It adds: "If your employer agrees, you can give them another appropriate form of evidence instead of a fit note."
A UK fit note can only come from a doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist, so a certificate from a doctor in Spain or Poland is never a fit note. Whether it is accepted is your employer's decision, so make it easy:
- Tell your employer early that the certificate is from abroad, and ask what it needs.
- Send the original with a translation that shows the dates of incapacity, any restrictions and the doctor's details.
Contractual sick pay schemes may set their own evidence rules, so check your contract.
What does occupational health need from abroad?
Usually your vaccination history and some test results, and only after a job offer. Under section 60 of the Equality Act 2010, an employer in England, Wales or Scotland "must not ask about the health of the applicant" before offering work, with limited exceptions.
For healthcare roles, the UKHSA Green Book says "All new employees should undergo a pre-employment health assessment, which should include a review of immunisation needs." Its standard for measles and rubella is "documentation of having received two doses of MMR or having had positive antibody tests", and staff with an uncertain chickenpox history should be tested for immunity. A translated vaccination card and laboratory report from abroad can spare you repeat blood tests and injections. For children's records and the UK schedule, see vaccination records.
Does the DVLA accept medical evidence from a doctor abroad?
GOV.UK does not say either way, so ask DVLA how it wants it. What is clear is your duty. DVLA's guide for medical professionals says "The driver is legally responsible for telling the DVLA or DVA about any such condition or treatment", and GOV.UK warns "You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving."
The same guide describes the process. Information is sought first from you, "either by paper questionnaire or online", then "from relevant healthcare professionals, either by questionnaire or provision of medical notes." GOV.UK says DVLA might "contact your doctor or consultant", "arrange for you to be examined" or "ask you to take a driving assessment, or an eyesight or driving test", and "In some circumstances DVLA will require independent review by a DVLA-appointed doctor".
If your specialist care was abroad, say so on the questionnaire, and send any foreign reports DVLA agrees to consider with a certified translation that keeps every test result, date and the specialist's own words on driving. Lorry and bus drivers also need form D4, which "has to be filled in by a doctor": your GP, with an optician for the eyesight section if needed, or a private firm specialising in drivers' medicals. A foreign certificate cannot stand in for it. Licence exchanges are covered in our DVLA driving licence guide.
What should a translated medical certificate show?
Everything a non-medical reader needs to verify it and act on it:
- The issuer: doctor's name, qualifications, registration number, clinic name, address and contact details.
- The patient's name as in the passport, and date of birth.
- Dates: examination, issue, and the period of incapacity or validity.
- The statement exactly as worded: unfit for work, fit with restrictions, fit to travel, with each restriction listed.
- The diagnosis only if the certificate states it, with any code as printed. The translator never adds one.
- Form numbers, serial numbers, stamps, signatures and QR codes.
Medical certificates going abroad
A UK doctor's certificate for a work permit, residence permit or university abroad follows the destination's rules, not the UK's. Some countries want a sworn translator there, or a notarised and apostilled translation; our certified vs notarised guide explains the difference. Check with the consulate before you order.
Common mistakes with medical certificates
- A TB certificate from your own doctor or an unlisted clinic, translated at cost and then rejected.
- The exemption form signed by a doctor abroad who is not GMC-registered.
- A foreign sick note translated as a "fit note" instead of under its own name.
- Restrictions summarised ("light duties") rather than translated as written.
- The doctor's registration number left out, so the reader cannot verify the issuer.
Checklist: medical certificates
Questions people ask
Does my TB certificate need translating?
GOV.UK tells you to include the certificate with your visa application and mentions no translation step. What matters is that it comes from a clinic approved for UK visa screening; a certificate from any other doctor is not valid, however well it is translated.
Can I use a TB test from my own doctor?
No. Appendix TB accepts only a certificate issued by a medical practitioner approved by the Secretary of State for these rules, which in practice means a clinic on GOV.UK's list for your country. Book there before your visa appointment.
Will my employer accept a sick note from a doctor abroad?
It can if it agrees. After 7 days off sick you normally need a fit note, but GOV.UK says that if your employer agrees you can give another appropriate form of evidence instead. Send the original with a translation showing the dates, any restrictions and the doctor's details.
Can a doctor abroad complete the Life in the UK exemption form?
Only a doctor on the General Medical Council register, because the Home Office form says it must be completed by a GMC registered medical practitioner. Translated reports from your doctors abroad can still support the application.
Does the DVLA accept medical reports from a doctor abroad?
GOV.UK does not say, so ask DVLA before relying on them. DVLA gathers information from you and your healthcare professionals and may require an examination by a doctor it appoints. Any foreign report you send should come with a complete certified translation.
Who can issue a fit note in the UK?
Doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists. Employees self-certify for the first 7 calendar days, and other evidence, such as an Allied Health Professional Health and Work Report, can be used if the employer agrees.
Do medical certificates need to be notarised?
Not for the Home Office, which asks for a certified translation meeting paragraph 39B(f). GOV.UK sets no notarisation requirement for fit notes or DVLA medical evidence, though an employer could set its own. Certificates going abroad are different, because some countries require a sworn or notarised and apostilled translation.
How much does a medical certificate translation cost, and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges £29.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words of the source document, with a signed certificate of accuracy on every translation. Most single-page certificates are delivered as a signed PDF by email within 24 hours, and a printed hard copy by post is £14.95 extra.
