Most Australian visa applicants are required to undergo a health examination as part of the visa application process, to establish that they meet the health requirement at PIC 4005. The examination must be conducted by a DHA-approved panel physician (not the applicant's personal doctor) — either at a panel clinic outside Australia or, for onshore applicants, at an approved facility in Australia. Results are submitted electronically through the eMedical system directly to DHA by the panel clinic. A Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) — a doctor employed by DHA — then assesses the results and makes the health assessment decision. This page explains the process, what examinations are typically required, and what happens after the examination.

For current information on who needs health examinations and how to find a panel physician, refer to the DHA arrange health examinations page and the panel physician gateway.

• Migration Regulations 1994, PIC 4005 and 4006 — the health requirement criteria that the health examination is used to assess; for the standard itself, see the PIC 4005 page
• DHA: Panel Member Instructions — the binding instructions that govern how panel physicians conduct Australian visa medical examinations
• DHA: Arrange your health examinations — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/arrange-health-examinations
• DHA: Panel physician gateway — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/panel-physician-gateway
• DHA: After your health examinations — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/after-health-examinations

Who needs a health examination

Not all visa applicants are required to undergo a formal health examination — the requirement depends on:

• The visa subclass — most permanent residence applications require a full examination; some temporary visa applications require a partial examination (e.g. chest X-ray only); short-stay visitor visas typically do not require a formal examination
• The applicant's country of birth and country of residence — countries with higher incidence of tuberculosis and other conditions trigger specific examination requirements
• The intended length of stay — longer stays generally trigger more comprehensive examination requirements
• The applicant's age — children under a certain age may be exempt from the chest X-ray requirement

DHA publishes a health examination requirements tool that allows applicants to determine what examinations they need based on their specific circumstances. The DHA health examination requirements page should be consulted before booking an appointment.

Panel physicians — not the applicant's own doctor

A panel physician is a doctor approved by DHA to conduct Australian immigration medical examinations (IME). Key points about panel physicians:

• Applicants must use a DHA-approved panel physician — results from the applicant's personal doctor or an unapproved clinic are not accepted
• Panel physicians are located in most countries worldwide — the DHA panel physician gateway allows applicants to search for an approved clinic by country
• For onshore applicants (applicants already in Australia), health examinations are conducted at approved facilities within Australia — the same eMedical process applies
• Panel physicians are bound by DHA Panel Member Instructions — they must conduct the examination according to DHA's specified procedures
• The panel physician conducts the examination personally (including physical and mental health history and examination) and may delegate certain tasks (such as blood collection) to clinical staff, but retains accountability for the results

What the examination typically includes

The specific examinations required depend on the visa subclass and the applicant's profile, but typical components include:

Chest X-ray (tuberculosis screening)

A chest X-ray is required for most visa applicants over a specified age (usually 11 years, or 15 years for some visa types and countries) from countries with a higher incidence of tuberculosis. The X-ray is assessed for active pulmonary tuberculosis. A radiologist reviews the chest X-ray and provides a report to the panel physician, who submits it electronically through eMedical.

Full physical examination

A comprehensive physical examination is required for most permanent residence applicants. The panel physician assesses general health, cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, musculoskeletal, neurological, and other systems. The mental health history is also taken as part of the physical examination.

Blood and urine tests

For most permanent residence applications (and some long-stay temporary applications), blood and urine tests are required including:

• HIV antibody test (most permanent applications)
• Syphilis serology (most permanent applications)
• Hepatitis B surface antigen (some visa types and applicant profiles)
• Urine analysis (some visa types)

eMedical — electronic submission to DHA

DHA uses an electronic system called eMedical for the submission of health examination results. The process works as follows:

1. The applicant attends the panel clinic — the clinic receives the applicant's identity and visa application number before or at the appointment
2. The panel physician conducts the examination and records findings electronically in eMedical
3. The clinic uploads X-ray images, pathology results, and specialist reports directly into eMedical
4. The panel physician submits the complete examination record through eMedical to DHA
5. The applicant does not receive a paper copy of the examination results — the results go directly to DHA

Because results are submitted electronically by the clinic, applicants cannot modify or intercept them between the clinic and DHA. Applicants can track the status of their health examination through ImmiAccount.

Medical Officer of the Commonwealth — assessment

Once the panel clinic submits the examination results, a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) — a doctor employed by DHA — assesses the results. The MOC:

• Reviews all examination findings, X-ray images, pathology results, and any specialist reports
• Assesses whether the applicant meets the health criteria under PIC 4005 (and the related public interest criteria)
• Makes the health assessment — which may be: (1) met, (2) met with conditions, (3) not met, or (4) a referral for further information or specialist review

For the health criteria that the MOC applies, see the PIC 4005 health requirement page. If the health requirement is not met, the applicant may be eligible to apply for a health waiver for certain visa types — for details, see the health waiver page.

After the health examination

The applicant is not typically notified of the health assessment outcome by the panel clinic — the outcome is communicated by DHA through ImmiAccount as part of the overall visa application progress. The health assessment result is one component of the overall visa decision — a positive health assessment does not guarantee visa grant, and DHA may request further information or specialist review if the initial results are unclear.

Health examination results are generally valid for 12 months — if the visa application is not finalised within 12 months of the health examination, the applicant may need to repeat the examination. For the current validity period and requirements for repeat examinations, refer to the DHA after health examinations page.

The most common source of delays in Australian visa processing related to health examinations is late or incomplete examination results — particularly where specialist referrals or additional tests are required. Applicants should book the health examination as early as possible once they are directed by DHA to do so (or proactively, in the case of visa applications where health examinations are routinely required). Panel physician fees are separate from and in addition to the visa application charge — they are paid directly to the clinic and are not refundable if the visa application is refused. For the current panel physician locations by country and the DHA health examination requirements tool, refer to the DHA arrange health examinations page.