The US Immigrant Visa Medical Exam in China
If you are applying for a US immigrant visa from mainland China, your medical exam can only be done at one of four clinics: the International Travel Healthcare Centers in Beijing and Guangzhou, the Shanghai International Travel Medical Center, and the IME Centre at Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital in Fujian. An exam by any other doctor — however senior, however good the hospital — will not be accepted. Budget roughly ¥1,700–2,100 for an adult, book it against your interview date rather than early, and do not open the envelope you are given.
Four approved clinics, nationwide. Everyone applying needs the exam regardless of age. Bring your interview letter, passport, photos, immunisation records and DS-260 confirmation. Fees are paid to the clinic, not the consulate. Your visa's expiry is normally tied to the expiry of the medical report, so an exam done months early shortens the window you have to move — book it close to the interview.
The only four clinics that count
This is a fixed list maintained by the US Consulate General in Guangzhou, which handles immigrant visas for all of mainland China. It is not a ranking or a quality judgement — it is an accreditation. Results from a hospital that is not on it are simply not accepted, and you would have to sit the exam again.
| City | Clinic and address | Phone | Basic fee (published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Beijing International Travel Health Care Center 20 Hepingli North Street, Dongcheng District |
(010) 82005029 | ¥1,831.80 age 15+ ¥1,445 age 2–14 ¥705 under 2 |
| Guangzhou | Guangzhou International Travel Health Care Center 4F–5F, East Tower, Poly Building, 59 Huali Road, Zhujiang New Town |
(020) 81219500 | ¥1,700 age 15+ ¥1,500 age 2–14 ¥700 under 2 |
| Shanghai | Shanghai International Travel Medical Center 2F, Building 3, 15 Jin Bang Road |
(021) 62688851 | ¥2,096 age 18–24 ¥1,646 age 25–44 ¥1,631 age 45+ and 15–17 ¥1,446 age 2–14 · ¥906 under 2 |
| Fuzhou (Fujian) | IME Centre — Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Jinshan Campus 516 Jinrong South Road, Cangshan District |
(0591) 88619601 / 88619602 | ¥2,000 age 15+ ¥1,500 age 2–14 ¥900 under 2 |
Two things worth reading off that table before you plan a trip. Guangzhou is the cheapest of the four for an adult and it is also where your interview will be, which is why most applicants do both in the same visit — the clinic is a few minutes from the consulate at 43 Hua Jiu Road, with the entrance on Huaxia Road near Exit B1 of Zhujiang New Town metro. And Shanghai prices by age band in a way the others do not: 18–24-year-olds pay the most, which lines up with the extra gonorrhoea testing that band requires. If you are 18–24 and flexible on city, that gap is real money.
There is no fifth option and no regional exception. If you live in Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an or anywhere else, you travel — most commonly to Guangzhou, which is about half an hour from Shenzhen by high-speed rail.
What the exam actually involves
Everyone applying needs it, regardless of age — infants included. The panel is set by the CDC's technical instructions for panel physicians, not by the individual clinic, so it is the same wherever you sit it:
- A medical history review — be ready to discuss past conditions, current medications and any ongoing treatment.
- A physical examination.
- A chest X-ray.
- Blood tests for applicants aged 15 and over.
- Gonorrhoea testing for applicants aged 18–24, or at other ages where indicated.
- Tuberculosis testing for everyone aged two and over.
The clinic may add tests where your history calls for it. Fees for X-rays and bloods are included in the basic fee above and are paid directly to the clinic — the consulate does not collect them and will not reimburse them.
Vaccinations: the part that delays people
US immigration law requires immigrant-visa applicants to meet a vaccination schedule, and the panel physician has to verify it — or certify that a given vaccine is medically inappropriate for you. The list is long, and it is much broader than anything a Chinese work-permit medical asks about: DT/DTP/DTaP, Td, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, Hib, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal, varicella, pneumococcal, influenza and COVID-19. Which of these apply depends on your age; the CDC publishes the age table.
The single most common avoidable delay is arriving without documentary proof of vaccinations you have genuinely had. Without records the clinic cannot verify them, and the practical remedy is to be revaccinated on the spot at your own cost. Dig out your childhood immunisation card before the appointment, and if it is in a language other than English or Chinese, bring a translation.
What to bring
- Your visa interview letter.
- Your passport.
- Recent passport-size colour photographs — check the clinic's own count and the State Department photo requirements.
- A copy of your immunisation records.
- Your DS-260 confirmation page.
The sealed envelope, the X-rays, and the clock
Three procedural traps, in the order people hit them.
The envelope. When the exam is finished the clinic either hands you results in a sealed envelope or transmits them to the consulate directly. If you are given an envelope, do not open it — an opened envelope is not accepted and the exam has to be repeated. Take it to the interview sealed. Under the newer e-medical process there is no envelope at all, and you should not expect one.
The X-rays. If X-rays or digital copies are issued to you, hand-carry them to the US port of entry and present them to the immigration inspector with your visa packet. They must not go in checked luggage. Applicants processed through e-medical do not need to carry X-rays at all.
The clock, which is the one that costs money. An immigrant visa's expiry date is normally set by the expiry of the medical report, and you must enter the United States before the visa expires. So doing the medical far in advance does not buy you breathing room — it spends it, shortening the window you have to wind up a job, a lease and a move. Book the exam against the interview date, not against your own convenience. If you are travelling as a family, note that the principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as everyone else on the petition.
How this differs from the China residence-permit medical
These two exams get confused constantly, and neither substitutes for the other. If you are living in China on a work or study visa you will likely have done the foreigner visa medical exam for your residence permit — the one that produces the stamped Foreigner Physical Examination Record (体检表).
| China residence-permit medical | US immigrant-visa medical | |
|---|---|---|
| Who wants it | Chinese exit–entry administration | US Consulate General, Guangzhou |
| Where | Any city's ITHC, and some designated hospitals | Only the four clinics above |
| Typical cost | From about ¥430 in Beijing to ¥1,100–1,700 in Guangzhou | ¥1,700–2,100 for an adult |
| Vaccination check | No | Yes, and it is extensive |
| Output | Stamped certificate you collect and file | Sealed envelope or e-medical transmission |
The overlap is real but partial — a chest X-ray and bloods appear on both — and the clinics are frequently the same building. That is exactly why people assume one covers the other. It does not.
Make the trip count
Both of these exams are compliance screens. They confirm you are admissible; they say nothing about your cardiac risk, your metabolic health or anything a doctor could act on. Since you are already fasting and already in a city with strong hospitals, a fair number of people pair the visit with a genuine comprehensive health checkup — which, if you are about to emigrate, is worth doing before you land in a health system where the same panel costs several times more. Ask for results in English so your new doctor can actually use them.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I do a US immigrant visa medical exam in China?
At only four clinics in mainland China: the Beijing International Travel Health Care Center (20 Hepingli North Street, Dongcheng), the Guangzhou International Travel Health Care Center (4F–5F East Tower, Poly Building, 59 Huali Road, Zhujiang New Town), the Shanghai International Travel Medical Center (2F Building 3, 15 Jin Bang Road), and the IME Centre at Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital in Fujian. Exams performed by any other physician are not accepted, regardless of the hospital's reputation.
How much does the US immigrant visa medical exam cost in China?
As published by the US Department of State: Guangzhou ¥1,700 for age 15 and above, Beijing ¥1,831.80, Fuzhou ¥2,000, and Shanghai between ¥1,631 and ¥2,096 depending on age band. Children aged 2–14 are roughly ¥1,445–1,500 and infants under 2 roughly ¥700–906. Fees are paid directly to the clinic and cover the X-ray and blood work. Confirm the current schedule when you book.
Can I use my China residence-permit medical exam instead?
No. The two exams serve different authorities and are not interchangeable in either direction. The US exam is required of every applicant regardless of age and adds gonorrhoea testing for ages 18–24, tuberculosis testing from age two, and an extensive vaccination check that the Chinese residence-permit panel does not include. Equally, a US panel exam does not produce the stamped Foreigner Physical Examination Record the Chinese exit–entry authorities require.
When should I schedule the medical exam?
Close to your interview date rather than as early as possible. An immigrant visa's expiry is normally set by the expiry of the medical report, so an exam completed months in advance shortens the window you have to enter the United States rather than lengthening your preparation time. Schedule it as soon as you receive your appointment date, but for a slot near the interview.
What happens if I open the sealed envelope?
The results are void and the exam has to be repeated at your own expense. If the clinic gives you a sealed envelope, carry it to the interview unopened. Many applicants are now processed through the e-medical system instead, where results are transmitted to the consulate electronically and no envelope is issued at all — in that case there is nothing to carry and nothing to open.
Do I need to bring my vaccination records?
Yes, bring a copy. The panel physician must verify that you meet the US immigration vaccination requirements or certify that a vaccine is medically inappropriate for you. Without documentary proof of vaccines you have already had, the practical outcome is usually being revaccinated at the clinic at your own cost — which is the most common avoidable delay in the whole process.
Do children and babies need the medical exam too?
Yes. Everyone applying for an immigrant visa needs a medical examination regardless of age, and the published fee schedules all include bands for children aged 2–14 and infants under 2. Tuberculosis testing applies from age two upward; blood tests apply from age 15 upward.