Did you know that if you’re a resident of Hong Kong who has decided to go to the UK for more than a six-month period, you’ll first need to obtain a clearance certificate for tuberculosis (TB)? We hear more from the team at Matilda International Hospital.
Getting a TB test in Hong Kong
The UK Pre-departure Screening Programme for TB involves an assessment by a doctor and, for adults, a chest x-ray. A clearance certificate is then issued – at Matilda, this is within four working days if the screening is negative. (You’ll be notified by phone or email once the clearance certificate is issued.)
The certificate is valid for six months from the date of the chest x-ray or three months if the applicant or any of the family members has been treated for TB. There are two types of Basic Tests:
- The Adult test costs $1,200 and is required for anyone above 11 years of age.
- The Child test costs $600 and doesn’t require a chest x-ray
Additional TB testing
Anyone with signs and symptoms or a chest x-ray indicating possible TB will need to undergo sputum testing. You’ll be contacted by a Matilda nurse as soon as possible, and sputum collection will then need to be done on three consecutive mornings (before 9am). The turnaround time for sputum tests is around 10 weeks.
If you’re pregnant, you can choose not to have the chest x-ray. The Matilda team advises that a chest x-ray is a relatively safe procedure in the second and third trimester, and you can proceed to do the x-ray with double shielding. If you’re earlier in your pregnancy, you can wait to do the test, or choose to carry out the three sputum tests instead. Discuss this with your doctor during the consultation.
What you need to bring
On both the examination day and the day of collection of the certificate, you’ll need the original passport you’ll be using to enter the UK, and a copy of it, plus your original HKID and a copy of it.
On the day of collecting the certificate, you’ll also need a passport-size photo.
More details on the screening requirements and who it applies to can be found on the UK Government website at gov.uk/tb-test-visa.
Test Your Knowledge on Tuberculosis
How much do you know about tuberculosis? Try to answer the questions below.
The word tuberculosis comes from the Latin tuberculum meaning:
(a) Infected lung
(b) Small swelling
(c) Coughing disease
A common name used for the disease in the past is:
(a) Apoplexy
(b) Dropsy
(c) Consumption
The earliest evidence of TB in humans dates back to when?
(a) World War I
(b) Ancient Egypt
(c) 13th-century England
How do you contract TB?
(a) Through blood
(b) Through sexual contact
(c) Through the air
Why is TB hard to diagnose?
(a) It can take years for the disease to become active
(b) Symptoms come and go
(c) M. tuberculosis bacteria are difficult to detect under a microscope
How is TB treated?
(a) Surgery
(b) Antiviral medicine
(c) Antibiotics
In 2023, approximately how many people fell ill with TB?
(a) 105 million
(b) 575,000
(c) 10 million
Matilda International Hospital 41 Mount Kellett Road, The Peak | matilda.org
Answers: b,c,b,c,a,c,c
This article about getting a TB test in Hong Kong first appeared in the March 2025 edition of Expat Living.
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