TB Test for UK Visa From Nigeria: IOM Clinics, 6-Month Rule

You need a TB test for a UK visa from Nigeria only if your visa grants more than 6 months' leave. That covers Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Student and dependant routes. A 6-month Standard Visitor visa keeps its exemption — no TB test is required for it. gov.uk publishes the approved clinic Lagos/Abuja list, and a test at any lab not on it gets rejected. The process is a chest X-ray. Applicants report a TB test cost of roughly $130-$150, about ₦200,000-₦231,000 at this site’s July 2026 rate — the clinic sets that price, not gov.uk. Your TB certificate stays valid 6 months from the test date, so book the IOM tuberculosis test before you start your online application. UKVI checks the certificate at submission, not at the UK border.

Do you need a TB test for your UK visa from Nigeria?

In short: you need the test only if your UK visa grants more than 6 months' leave, applying from Nigeria — a Home Office-listed country. Source: gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test for your visa application.”

Two things decide it. First, your visa length: over 6 months triggers the rule. Second, your country: Nigeria sits on the Home Office’s list. Meet both and testing is mandatory — there is no discretionary skip. A Standard Visitor visa sits under the 6-month line, so tourism, family visits and short business trips keep their exemption, whatever your actual travel plan turns out to be.

Which UK visas actually require it

In short: the test applies to every route granting over 6 months — Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Student and Dependant. Visitor visas stay exempt. Source: gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test for your visa application.”

If you are checking which visas need TB test proof, the answer is one line: anything over 6 months, every time. Treat the TB test for 6+ month visa routes as mandatory, not optional. A dependant needs their own certificate too. It isn’t shared with the main applicant, even on one application.

How to book your TB test — steps at the approved clinic Lagos/Abuja network

In short: only a clinic on gov.uk’s own approved list — the IOM-run Lagos and Abuja centres — issues a TB certificate UKVI accepts. Book directly, never through an agent. Source: gov.uk, “Find a TB test clinic for a UK visa.”

The gov.uk list for Nigeria has run through IOM Nigeria’s migration health centres in Lagos and Abuja. Locations, operators and prices change, so read the current entry on gov.uk’s clinic finder before you book — not a third party’s word for it, and not this page’s. Slots fill fast in peak season, June to September, when student applications spike. Book the IOM tuberculosis test as soon as your CoS, CAS or dependant paperwork is confirmed.

1. Find your nearest approved clinic on gov.uk’s clinic finder.
2. Book directly and pay the clinic — not an agent.
3. Bring your passport, a passport photo, and the fee.
4. Attend for a chest X-ray; children under 11 get a clinical assessment instead.
5. Enter your TB certificate reference in your gov.uk application.

TB test cost from Nigeria

In short: applicants report the TB test at $130-$150, about ₦200,000-₦231,000 at ₦1,540/$ (24 July 2026). No government body publishes this price — the clinic sets it. Source: applicant-reported range, not an official gov.uk figure; confirm with the clinic.

Source: the USD range is applicant-reported, not an official figure — gov.uk’s fee tool does not price the TB test and no clinic in this scan publishes a 2026 rate. The ₦ column is this site’s own conversion at ₦1,540/$, checked 24 July 2026, not an official naira price. Confirm the exact number with the clinic when you book.

How long the certificate is valid — and when to book it

In short: your TB certificate stays valid 6 months. Test before you start your application, not after — UKVI checks it at submission. Source: gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test for your visa application.”

Sequence it on purpose. Get your CoS, CAS or dependant paperwork confirmed first, book the test next, and start your gov.uk application only once you hold a valid certificate. Submit without one and your application is missing mandatory evidence — not something you can add later without delay. Testing too early is its own trap if your timeline slips, because the certificate expires at 6 months. Match your test date to your real submission date.

If your result is abnormal — the sputum-referral timeline

In short: an abnormal chest X-ray means a sputum test next, and a confirmed case adds weeks, not days, to your certificate. Source: gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test for your visa application.”

Most X-rays come back clear. If yours doesn’t, the clinic refers you for a sputum test. A confirmed case means the certificate waits until treatment starts and the clinic confirms you are not infectious. That runs weeks, not the same-day turnaround a clear X-ray gets. It is the single biggest hidden risk to a tight visa timeline. Book early, not in your final weeks before applying.

Red flag: no clinic outside the approved network can issue a certificate UKVI accepts, whatever an agent promises. No one can speed up an abnormal result. Sputum and treatment-confirmation are clinical steps, not paperwork you pay to skip. See how to avoid visa scams from Nigeria.

Your next step: check your own route’s length first — anything over 6 months needs the certificate. Start from the UK visa routes from Nigeria, then book your test as soon as your CoS or CAS is confirmed, not in the last fortnight before you apply.

FAQ

Sources

• gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test for your visa application” — checked 25 July 2026
• gov.uk, TB test clinic finder — checked 25 July 2026
• gov.uk, “Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants: countries where you need one” — checked 25 July 2026
• This site’s ₦ conversion basis: ₦1,540/$ (24 July 2026), this site’s own dated rate, not an official price