United Kingdom visa guideThere is no separate UK medical visa. A patient travelling for private treatment applies as a Standard Visitor and shows that the visit is for medical reasons, a recognised purpose of that visa.
GOV.UK sets out what has to be proved: that you have a condition needing private consultation or treatment in the UK, that the arrangements are already made, that you can pay for it, and that you will leave when it is finished. Where treatment will take longer than six months, an 11-month visa can be applied for from the start.
What GOV.UK asks a medical visitor to prove
Five things, in the government's own words. You must show that you:
- have a medical condition that needs private consultation or treatment in the UK;
- have made arrangements for the consultations or treatment;
- have enough money or funding to pay for it;
- will leave the UK once treatment is completed, or when the visa expires;
- are not a danger to public health if you have an infectious disease.
Each has a document behind it. The first three are answered by one letter.
The consultant's letter
From a registered doctor or consultant, confirming:
- the condition that needs consultation or treatment;
- the estimated cost and likely duration of any treatment;
- where the consultation and treatment will take place.
The cost and duration lines are the ones that do the work. They tell the officer how much money your bank evidence has to show, and how long a visa you actually need. If the letter says twelve weeks and an estimated £40,000, your funding evidence has to reach that figure plus living costs, and if it does not, that gap is the first thing an officer will see.
Six months or eleven? Decide before you apply
This is the most expensive decision on the application, and it is made at the start:
Standard Visitor visa, up to 6 months
- Cost
- £135
Standard Visitor visa for treatment, up to 11 months, applied for before travel
- Cost
- £234
Entering for 6 months, then extending in the UK
- Cost
- £1,172 each time
If the consultant's letter suggests treatment could run past six months, the 11-month visa costs £99 more than the standard one. Extending later costs over a thousand pounds per extension. Ask the consultant for a realistic duration, including follow-up, and apply for the length the treatment needs.
The person travelling with the patient
An attendant (a spouse, son or daughter), applies separately as a Standard Visitor. Their application should refer to the patient's treatment letter and show how their own stay is funded.
Tuberculosis certificate
Depending on where you apply from, you may need a certificate showing you do not have TB. Check the requirement for India on GOV.UK for the length of visit you are applying for, and book the test at an approved clinic if it applies.
Source: GOV.UK, Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor: visit for medical reasons, read 21 September 2026. Fees and rules change; confirm on GOV.UK before you apply.
Official sources
- GOV.UK, Visas and immigration: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration
Fees and rules change; the official page always prevails. The guide above was written from our filing experience for Indian applicants; check the current requirements on the authority’s site before you book.
