Guidance

Tuberculosis testing in Tanzania

Updated 5 October 2023

Your test must be from a clinic approved by the Home Office and you will need to obtain an IOM medical certificate confirming that you are free from TB. We will not accept a TB test certificate from a clinic we have not approved.

You do not need a certificate if you:

• are a diplomatic passport holder travelling on official business or on a posting to the UK
• qualify for an exempt visa
• are applying for a certificate of entitlement

Approved clinic

International Organisation for Migration

Besta Polyclinic
Plot no. 122
Tunisia Road
Kinondoni
Dar es salaam
Tanzania

Telephone: +255 689 103 096

Mobile: +255 699 858 872

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://register-uktb.iom.int/uktbdp-register

Operating hours:

• Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm
• Friday, 8am to 1pm

Closed on national holidays.

Attending the clinic

You should contact the clinic to book an appointment and make it clear you need the test for a UK visa application.

You can expect to get an appointment within a few days of your request. At busy times you may have to wait 10 days for an appointment, especially during the UK student visa peak season between July and October.

You’ll be given a chest x-ray to test for TB. If the result of the x-ray is not clear, you may also be asked to give a sputum sample (phlegm coughed up from your lungs).

If your test shows that you do not have TB, you’ll be given a certificate which is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray. Include this certificate with your UK visa application.

What you should bring with you

• a valid passport/UNHCR/MHA registration documents
• 2 recent passport photographs, not older than 6 months at the time of examination
• bank receipt of the service fee deposit

Test fees

11 years and above	Below 11 years
130 USD	65 USD

The cost of the test is in addition to the visa application fee.

The test fee does not cover treatment if you have TB.

There is a 10 USD fee for reissuing a TB clearance certificate, for instance if you make a mistake during registration or lose your certificate.

Payment

Payment must be made before the medical examination in US dollars (USD) or TZ shilling (TZS) using the UN exchange rate to the following bank:

Bank name: Absa Bank Tanzania Limited
Account name: International Organization for Migration
TZS account number: 004-6004922
USD account number: 004-6003284

Step-by-step procedures

• the medical examination will be processed from 9am to 4pm; applicants who will need a medical examination between 9am and 12pm will be able to collect their reports/certificates on the same day between 3pm and 5pm – for others, collection of medical reports/TB clearance certificates will be on the following day from 10am to 5pm (Monday to Thursday), and from 9am to 2pm (Friday)
• all visa applicants must attend the clinic for the assessment with all the required documents
• the initial examination will include a counselling session and signing a consent form
• applicants aged 10 and under will go through a medical examination by the physician before a certificate is issued
• applicants aged 11 and above will have a chest x-ray done; applicants will then be reviewed by the doctor with the chest x-ray result before a certificate is issued
• additional sputum smears and cultures medical procedures may apply in case of abnormal chest x-ray findings and could take up to 8 weeks to get the final results
• a TB clearance certificate will be issued to the applicant on the day of the examination if the examination result is considered free of active pulmonary TB disease
• if you do not return within 7 days for sputum collection, you will not get a TB clearance certificate
• you will be given further testing or told to contact your own health care provider if the examination results are abnormal but the abnormality is not related to TB disease
• the TB clearance certificate expires 6 months from the chest x-ray date if you had a chest x-ray done, or 6 months from the physical examination date if you don’t need a chest x-ray
• the TB clearance certificate is valid for 3 months if you have been in contact with a family member with active pulmonary TB
• female applicants may be requested to undergo a pregnancy test, in case there is uncertainty as to whether they may be pregnant
• pregnant applicants can decide not to get a chest x-ray examination and instead either give sputum for a TB test on 3 consecutive mornings or delay the TB screening until after giving birth

Read more information on TB screening requirements for people applying for a UK visa in countries where TB is common.