Verified against official sources — 30 Oct 2026

UK Visitor Visa for Medical Treatment: Private Care, NHS Reciprocal Care and Organ Donation

NEW Published 30 October 2026

The 6-month treatment visit, the 11-month medical visa at £234, the doctor's letter the Rules require, and extending your stay at £1,172 when treatment runs longer.

SECTION 01Private medical treatment: the requirements

GOV.UK says you must prove that you:

• RULE — Have a medical condition that needs private consultation or treatment in the UK.
• RULE — Have made arrangements for the consultations or treatment.
• RULE — Have enough money or funding to pay for your treatment.
• RULE — Will leave the UK once your treatment is completed, or when your visa expires.
• RULE — Are not a danger to public health if you have an infectious disease such as leprosy.

The Immigration Rules put the same requirements in legal form (V 7.1–7.2): treatment arranged before you travel, and a letter from your doctor or consultant in the UK detailing the condition, the estimated costs and likely duration — which must be of finite duration — and where the consultation or treatment will take place.

SECTION 02NHS treatment under a reciprocal arrangement

• RULE — Your government pays. You can visit for treatment at an NHS hospital only where the care is paid for by your own government under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement.
• RULE — The authorisation form is the key document. You must provide an authorisation form issued by the government of your country saying they will pay for your treatment.
• ADVICE — Ordinary NHS care is not free for visitors. Separately from this route, GOV.UK's healthcare pages note that visitors pay for NHS care at the point they use it unless the service is free — and visitor visas carry no immigration health surcharge.

SECTION 03Coming as an organ donor

• RULE — Only for a family member or a close personal relationship. You can only visit to donate organs to a family member you are genetically related to (for example a sibling or parent) or someone you have a close personal relationship with (for example a partner or friend). This includes being assessed for suitability as a donor match.
• RULE — The recipient must be legally allowed to be in the UK, and you must prove it.
• RULE — A specialist letter is required, from the lead nurse of the transplant team, a GMC-registered specialist or a registered NHS consultant, confirming: you are a donor match or being tested as a potential donor; the recipient is genetically related to you or in a close personal relationship with you; and when and where the transplant or tests will take place. The letter should be dated no more than 3 months before you intend to arrive.
• RULE — If the recipient is not legally resident in the UK, you must provide their name, nationality and date of birth in your application — and the recipient should themselves check whether they need a medical visitor visa.

SECTION 04Treatment over 6 months: the 11-month visa and extensions

• RULE — A visa is required whatever your nationality. All visits for medical treatment lasting longer than 6 months require a Standard Visitor visa.
• RULE — The 11-month medical visa costs £234, applied for before you come. For it, the Rules (V 7.3) additionally require evidence from your UK doctor or consultant that the proposed treatment is likely to exceed 6 months but not more than 11 (or, for reciprocal NHS treatment, a government authorisation form stating the same) — and a valid TB screening certificate where the tuberculosis appendix applies to you.
• RULE — Or extend from inside the UK at £1,172. You can visit for up to 6 months and apply to stay a further 6 months; there is no limit on how many times you can extend, and it costs £1,172 each time.
• RULE — Extension conditions: you have paid for any treatment you have already had in the UK; you can and will pay the further costs; and you continue to meet the medical eligibility requirements. A UK-registered medical practitioner or NHS consultant must provide details of the condition needing further treatment; reciprocal NHS patients need a fresh government authorisation form.
• RULE — TB can apply to medical visitors. Depending on where you come from, you may need a certificate proving you do not have tuberculosis — check GOV.UK's TB test page for your country.

Official references and verification status

Every requirement, fee and time limit in this guide was checked against the GOV.UK Standard Visitor pages (medical reasons section) and Appendix V paragraphs V 7.1–7.3 on 30 October 2026. Whether a reciprocal healthcare arrangement exists between the UK and your country, and whether TB screening applies to you, are country-specific checks that must be made on GOV.UK for your own circumstances — this guide does not reproduce those country lists.

• GOV.UK — Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor
• GOV.UK — Immigration Rules Appendix V: Visitor
• GOV.UK — Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application

If a detail here ever disagrees with GOV.UK, GOV.UK is right — and please tell us via the Contact page so we can correct the guide.

General information only. This guide is based on official sources publicly available and checked on the date shown on this page. Visa rules change, and consular and USCIS officers decide every case on its own facts — nothing here is a confirmation or a guarantee for your individual case, and this is not legal advice. Always confirm the current requirement on the official page linked in this guide before you act, and consider a qualified immigration attorney for your specific situation.