Guide · Medical and interview preparation
The Immigrant Visa Medical Exam
The applicant completes a medical exam with an authorized panel physician before the visa interview. Check the embassy or consulate’s instructions for approved doctors, booking, records, fees, and delivery of results.
For: Couples on the CR-1, IR-1, F2A, or K-1 route whose case has reached, or is approaching, the interview stage.
Written from official U.S. government sources. Last reviewed August 2026. Sources and limits. 2 sources await review.
At a glance
- Use an authorized panel physician listed by the embassy or consulate handling the case.
- Check local instructions for booking, fees, and records to bring.
- Follow result-delivery instructions. If given a sealed envelope, do not open it; bring it to the interview.
- Ask the physician medical questions. This guide does not assess health, vaccinations, or exam results.
What the medical exam is, in one paragraph
Origin: official source. Official sourceStated by a US government publisher on the page we cite.Sources
The applicant books the medical examination with an authorized panel physician in the country of the interview. Follow the embassy or consulate’s instructions. The physician handles the medical record; the consular officer decides the visa application.
The physician may send results directly or give you a sealed envelope. If you receive an envelope, do not open it; bring it to the interview. Follow the embassy or consulate’s delivery instructions.
- Interview preparation, including the medical step, is described on the Department of State interview preparation page.
- The recognised-physician arrangements are described on the medical examination and vaccination page.
- The embassy or consulate handling your case publishes the local list and instructions; embassies and consulates are indexed on the U.S. embassies and consulates directory.
Who does what
Origin: official source. Official sourceStated by a US government publisher on the page we cite.Sources
The applicant
- What they do
- Books and attends the examination with a recognised physician, following the embassy or consulate’s published instructions.
The recognised physician
- What they do
- Performs the examination and handles the record in the way the embassy or consulate describes. They are not deciding the visa application.
The embassy or consulate
- What they do
- Publishes which physicians it recognises, how to book, and how the record reaches them. Their page governs.
The consular officer
- What they do
- Decides the visa application at interview. The examination is one required part of the record in front of them.
The petitioning partner
- What they do
- Can help with dates, records, travel, and payment, but cannot complete the examination for the applicant.
The actors in this step
| Who | What they do |
|---|---|
| The applicant | Books and attends the examination with a recognised physician, following the embassy or consulate’s published instructions. |
| The recognised physician | Performs the examination and handles the record in the way the embassy or consulate describes. They are not deciding the visa application. |
| The embassy or consulate | Publishes which physicians it recognises, how to book, and how the record reaches them. Their page governs. |
| The consular officer | Decides the visa application at interview. The examination is one required part of the record in front of them. |
| The petitioning partner | Can help with dates, records, travel, and payment, but cannot complete the examination for the applicant. |
Vaccination records, as paperwork
Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
Gather existing vaccination records before the appointment, especially records held in different countries. Ask the examining physician or your doctor about vaccinations and record gaps.
For K visas, State says vaccinations are not required for visa issuance but are required for later adjustment of status. Read the K visa medical instructions and ask the panel physician about your records.
- Gather what already exists — childhood records, school records, employer or travel clinic records — before the appointment rather than during it.
- Note where each record lives and who can obtain it, especially records held by a family member in another country.
- Tell the examining physician about missing records rather than guessing what is needed.
- Take medical questions to a clinician.
- Keep originals and copies together with the rest of the interview paperwork so nothing is hunted for twice.
What only your embassy or consulate can tell you
Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
Check the embassy or consulate’s medical instructions for the following details. If information is missing or unclear, use the official contact route.
- Which physicians the embassy or consulate recognises, and where they are.
- How appointments are booked, and how far ahead.
- What the examination costs and how it is paid.
- What to bring, including identification and any records.
- How the record reaches the embassy or consulate, and how long it is treated as usable.
- Whether anything about the medical step has recently changed at that embassy or consulate.
Other applicants’ accounts do not replace the official medical instructions.
Organising it as a couple
Origin: suggested action. Suggested actionA way to organise your own case. Optional, and required by nobody.
Both partners can organize the appointment, travel, payment, and records. Agree who handles each task.
- Assign an owner for booking and an owner for collecting records.
- Keep the appointment and travel dates where both partners can see them.
- Agree who pays, the currency, and the payment deadline.
- Record when each task was completed.
- Leave clinical decisions to the physician.
What comes next
Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
Prepare the interview folder while organizing the medical appointment. Keep the two sets of instructions separate.
- What to take, and in what form: our interview document checklist.
- What the day itself involves: what happens at an immigrant visa interview.
- If an appointment cannot be kept: rescheduling or missing an interview.
- Your embassy or consulate’s own instructions, which govern every local detail: embassies.
Common questions
Can we use our own family doctor for the examination?
Which vaccinations will be needed?
Does passing the medical exam mean the visa will be approved?
How long is the examination valid for?
Can the petitioning partner attend the appointment?
Related guides
- Medical and interview preparationWhat to Take to the Interview, and in What FormAssemble and maintain the documents an applicant takes to a consular interview
- Medical and interview preparationWhat Happens at an Immigrant Visa InterviewUnderstand the general shape of a consular immigrant visa interview day
- Civil documents and documentary qualificationDocumentarily Qualified, and the Wait That FollowsInterpret a documentarily qualified record and understand the wait for interview scheduling
- Medical and interview preparationVaccination Records, and What to Do About GapsGather vaccination paperwork before the medical exam and understand who resolves gaps
How Togetherward helps
SuggestionShare the medical appointment, record-gathering tasks, owners, and completion dates in one case. Togetherward does not assess medical records or case readiness.
- Look at the sample case — Opens Joe and Kat’s fictional sample workspace.
- See the other guides — Opens the guide library index.
- Apply for the private beta — Opens the beta page, where you can read what the beta covers and apply.
In Togetherward
Sign in to your case to continue where this leaves off.
Sign in to continueThis page describes a published process. It is not medical advice and not legal advice. Clinical questions belong with a physician, and questions about how the process applies to your case belong with an immigration attorney.
Sources and limits
Last reviewed and verification status
- Last reviewed
- Last recorded source review: . We aim to re-read it every 120 days.
- Review recorded.
- Verification status of the sources behind this page
- 3 of 5 sources are recorded as checked. 2 are awaiting verification. See the note beside each pending source for what remains to be checked.
Verified (3)
- VerifiedDepartment of State — Medical examination — checked as part of the page review.
- VerifiedDepartment of State — Prepare for the interview — checked as part of the page review.
- VerifiedDepartment of State — The immigrant visa process — checked as part of the page review.
Pending verification (2)
- Pending verificationDepartment of State — K-1 medical exam and vaccination scope — A direct source read supports the revised wording about medical-result delivery and K-visa scope. Full guide review against this source is still pending; the recorded page review date has not changed. Flagged .
- Pending verificationDepartment of State — Interview preparation and medical results — A direct source read supports the revised wording about medical-result delivery and K-visa scope. Full guide review against this source is still pending; the recorded page review date has not changed. Flagged .
About this guide and its review
Guide scope
- Medical and interview preparation
- CR-1 / IR-1 (Form I-130)
- K-1 (Form I-129F)
- F2A (spouse of a permanent resident)
- K-2 (child of a K-1 applicant)
- Who this is for
- Couples on the CR-1, IR-1, F2A, or K-1 route whose case has reached, or is approaching, the interview stage.
- Stage it covers
- Medical and interview preparation, after the consular stage begins and before the interview itself.
- What it helps you do
- Understand who does what, what the couple can organise in advance, and which questions belong to your embassy or consulate rather than to any general page.
- What this page cannot tell you
- Which physician you should see. The list of recognised physicians is published per country by the embassy or consulate handling your case.
- What the examination will involve for you, what it costs, or how long it takes. These are set locally and medically.
- Anything about your health, your records, or any vaccination. We are not clinicians and this page contains no medical guidance.
- Whether an examination result clears anybody for anything. No result on this page is described as clearance, and nothing here predicts a decision.
How we put this page together
Togetherward analysisBased on the Department of State’s interview-preparation and medical-examination pages. Local physician lists, booking, fees, records, and result-delivery instructions remain with the embassy or consulate. This guide covers organization, not medical care.
What we did not include
- Any medical content: conditions, vaccinations, treatments, exemptions, or interpretation of any record.
- Named physicians, clinic addresses, prices, or booking channels for any country.
- Typical durations, waiting times, or validity periods, all of which vary and are published elsewhere.
- Anything describing a result as clearance, sufficiency, or a step towards approval.
Review record
- Author
- The Togetherward editorial team. The people who build Togetherward. We are not attorneys and we do not give legal advice.
- Review
- Reviewed by Togetherward Team
- Scope of review
Read the full review scope
Review scope: a second person on the Togetherward editorial team re-read this page against the official pages listed below and confirmed that every process statement still matches them. That is what our review covers, and it is described in full in our editorial standards. It does not assess legal accuracy, eligibility, or how anything applies to a particular case — for that, speak with a qualified immigration attorney.
- Dates
- Last reviewed · Published .
- Review status: Review recorded.
- How this guide was prepared
- How we review guides.
- What the labels in this guide mean
- Official factStated by a U.S. government publisher on the source page we cite.
- Togetherward analysisOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
- SuggestionA way to organise your own case. Optional, and not a requirement.
- Limitations
- This is an explanation of a published government process, not legal advice, and not a prediction about your case.
- Figures that move — processing ranges, Visa Bulletin dates, fees, form editions, interview availability — are described rather than reproduced here, so you read the current number at the source.
- USCIS, the National Visa Center, the embassy, or the consular officer may ask for something this page does not mention.
- This page is process guidance only. It contains no medical advice, no diagnosis, no vaccine recommendation, and no statement that any examination result clears anything. Panel physicians, validity, and local arrangements are published by your post.
- Commercial independence
- Commercial independence: nobody pays to appear on this page. There are no sponsors, no advertising, no referral fees, no affiliate links, and no paid placement of any attorney, agency, or service. Togetherward makes money from couples who use the product, and a commercial relationship cannot change what this page says, when it was last reviewed, whether it is flagged as out of date, or whether it stays in search results.
- Corrections
- Report a correction using the form below, support@togetherward.app or use the support page.