Frequently asked questions

You must have the General Medical  if one of the following applies to you:

• you are applying for a temporary entry class visa for New Zealand and you intend to stay longer than 12 months
• you are applying for residence, unless you are a person who must use the Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201).

You must have the Limited Medical  if one of the following applies to you:

• you are the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident and you meet the requirements of the Partnership Category, which includes having lived together with your partner for 12 months or more in a partnership which is genuine and stable (your dependent children, if any, should also use this certificate)

• you are the dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or resident

• you are a person (or the partner or dependent child of a person) who has been recognised as having refugee or protection status in New Zealand.
• *You must not use this certificate if you are applying for a visa as the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or resident and you were not included in, or were withdrawn from the earlier residence application made by your partner or parent. If this situation applies to you, you must use the General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007).

You must have a Chest X-ray  if:

• you are applying for residence, or

• you are applying for a temporary entry class visa and you intend to stay longer than 12 months,

• you are applying for a temporary entry class visa and you intend to stay between six to 12 months and you are from, or have visited, a place that is not on Immigration New Zealand’s list of countries, areas and territories with a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB) List of Countries with a low incidence of TB .

Children under 11 years of age and women who are pregnant are not required to undergo a chest X-ray examination unless requested by INZ.

Generally the medical examination and blood tests will take 30-45 minute with the chest x-ray taking a further 15 minutes, however complications with the medical may extend that time.

We endeavour to submit your medical electronically within 2-3 working days.  If there are any complications with the medical we will assist you in organising any further tests that NZ Immigration requires.

• You can eat and drink as normal prior to your medical.  You do not need fast
• Do not consume kava for 48 hours before your blood tests

Females

• We can proceed with your medical if you have your period (menstruation) but you may need to return for the urine test once your period has finished.
• Women over 45 years of age will need to have a breast examination. If you prefer you can submit a breast examination report from a breast specialist or submit a breast ultrasound scan, MRI scan or mammogram no more than 6 months old.

Valid passport – this is Immigration New Zealand’s primary and preferred form of identification (a verified copy of your passport is not accepted), however, the following identity documents may be acceptable evidence of identity for your health examination if you are unable to provide a passport

• Certificate of identity
• Refugee Travel document

A list of all medication including drug name and dosage, all medical notes and reports which are relevant to your health

Your glasses (spectacles) or contact lenses if you use them

You can bring a family member or support person with you to the examination.

If you are under 18 years you are required to bring a parent or guardian with you.

If you do not understand English you must bring an independent interpreter with you to the medical examination.

The NZ Visa eMedical consists of:

• Digital photo, client declaration and a health questionnaire
• Urine test for applicants 5 years and older
• Blood tests
• Bio-metric measurements including; blood pressure, height, weight, hearing and vision
• Physical exam by the doctor
• Chest X-ray

We generally see people individually, although children under 18 years are required to be seen with a parent or guardian.

You may need to remove some items of clothing for the physical examination; we recommend you wear loose clothes.

Applicants over the age of 69 are required to undergo a “mini-mental exam”, this is a short questionnaire which allows the doctor to assess cognition

The medical will then be submitted electronically to NZ Immigration when it is completed and you will receive an confirmation email from NZ Immigration advising this.