← All posts

Australia visa medical test in India: picking a panel clinic city and timing it with your PCC

Tips · 2026-10-26 · 8 min read

An Australia visa medical test in India must be done at a clinic on the Department of Home Affairs' approved panel physician list, and you need a HAP ID before any panel clinic can book you. Home Affairs lists panel clinics in cities across India, from New Delhi and Chandigarh to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Kochi. Results are generally valid for 12 months for a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) application, so the real skill is timing: book it when your sponsored application is moving, close to your Police Clearance Certificate.

What the panel medical decides

Most visa applicants must meet Australia's health requirement. It exists to protect the Australian community from public health risks, especially active tuberculosis.

That is why the examination outside Australia must be done by one of Home Affairs' approved panel physicians or clinics. A report from your family doctor in Lucknow, however detailed, does not replace it.

The medical is part of the visa decision, not a fitness test for the job. A separate rule applies once you arrive: subclass 482 holders must maintain adequate health insurance for their whole stay, as a condition of the visa.

Panel clinic cities across India, by region

Home Affairs' Services outside Australia page lists approved clinics for medical and radiology examinations once you select India. The cities include these:

Treat this table as a starting point only. Clinic names, addresses and hours change, so always confirm the current list on the Home Affairs page itself before you travel.

HAP ID first, appointment second

A panel clinic cannot book you by name alone. Home Affairs says a HAP ID is needed to book the appointment, and its page on how to arrange your health examinations sets out the process.

In practice, the order is simple. Your sponsored application is set up, you get the HAP ID, and only then do you call a clinic in Pune or Chennai.

Be wary of anyone who asks for money to "arrange" your medical before you even have a HAP ID: only the clinic you book can do the examination.

One 12-month window, two documents: the medical and the PCC

For the 482, health examination results are generally valid for 12 months, and Home Affairs advises organising them before lodging to reduce processing times. Police certificates for Australian visas are also valid for 12 months from the issue date.

So the two documents run on the same clock. A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) through Passport Seva is applied for at a Passport Seva Kendra or Mini PSK in your Passport Office's area. It is issued the same day when the police verification report for your existing passport is clear; otherwise it waits for verification.

From 1 July 2026 the PCC fee is Rs. 750 in India. Our guide to the PCC for a New Zealand visa from India explains why a police station certificate no longer counts there.

English tests work to a different clock. For the 482, the test can be up to 3 years old when you apply, so it is the one document worth doing early. PractiseNow offers IELTS and PTE practice you can fit around work while the offer comes together.

Family members and the medical

A 482 application can include your partner and dependent children, who can live, study and work in Australia. Family members in the application are visa applicants too, and most applicants must meet the health requirement.

Plan one trip for the whole family where you can. Each person's results sit on the same 12-month clock, and one late examination can hold up the whole file.

Besides the visa charge, applicants pay their own costs for health checks, English tests, police certificates and biometrics. Ask the clinic for its current charges before you go.

Going to New Zealand: chest X-rays and who you pay

Immigration New Zealand says that if you need a chest X-ray or a medical examination, you must use a doctor or radiologist from its approved panel list if there is one in your country. Check the INZ panel physician list for India before you book.

For the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), applicants staying more than 6 months need a chest X-ray if they are citizens of, or spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in, a country without a low incidence of tuberculosis. Check INZ's list of low-incidence countries rather than assuming either way.

Payment has a firm rule too. Only approved panel doctors and other registered doctors can accept payment for immigration medicals, and INZ never asks for medical payments itself. Our AEWV planning guide covers the rest of the application.

Still working in the Gulf? The medical can happen there

Some Indian tradespeople apply for Australian roles while still on a contract in Dubai, Doha or Riyadh. The panel rule is the same everywhere outside Australia: the examination must be done by a Home Affairs approved panel physician, wherever you are.

The Services outside Australia page has a country dropdown that explains how to find panel physicians, and how to get a police certificate, for each country. Select the country you are living in, not only India.

Gulf years add a second document too. Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from every country you lived in for at least 12 months in the past 10 years, usually if you are over 17. Our guide to Gulf return jobs in Australia for Indian tradespeople covers that paperwork in detail.

Booking sequence for Indian applicants

1. Secure a genuine sponsored offer first; browse IT and technology roles or the trade categories that match your skills.
2. Do the long-validity items early: your English test, your CV and your experience letters.
3. When your employer's nomination and your visa application are moving, get your HAP ID.
4. Choose the nearest listed panel clinic in your region and confirm its current address on the Home Affairs list.
5. Book the medical and apply for your PCC in the same few weeks, so both stay inside 12 months.
6. Bring your passport and HAP ID to the appointment, and keep every receipt.
7. After arrival, follow our 30-day plan for Indian professionals in Australia, including health cover.

For the visa itself, our Skills in Demand (482) planning guide sets out the streams, and the guide to engineering jobs in Australia for Indian engineers shows how one profession prepares its file.

Common mistakes Indian applicants make with visa medicals

• Using an unlisted clinic. A private hospital report, however good, is not a panel medical.
• Going too early. A medical done months before the visa is ready can expire before a decision.
• Booking without a HAP ID. The clinic cannot book you without it.
• Splitting the family. Separate trips for each family member make it harder to keep everyone inside the same window.
• Paying a middleman. For New Zealand, INZ never asks for medical payments itself, and only panel or registered doctors can accept payment.
• Forgetting health insurance. Passing the medical does not cover you once you arrive on a 482.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do my Australia visa medical at any hospital in India?

No. The examination must be done by one of the Department of Home Affairs' approved panel physicians or clinics. Check the current list for India on the Home Affairs Services outside Australia page before you book.

Which Indian cities have Australian panel clinics?

Home Affairs lists clinics in cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi. Names and addresses change, so confirm them on the official list.

What is a HAP ID and where do I get it?

A HAP ID is the reference a panel clinic needs to book your health examination. Home Affairs says you need it before booking, and its page on arranging health examinations explains the process.

How long is an Australia visa medical valid?

For the subclass 482 visa, health examination results are generally valid for 12 months. Police certificates are also valid for 12 months from issue, so plan both close together.

Do I need a chest X-ray for a New Zealand work visa from India?

AEWV applicants staying more than 6 months need a chest X-ray if they are citizens of, or recently spent more than 3 months in, a country without a low incidence of tuberculosis. Check INZ's list and use an INZ panel doctor or radiologist.

Key takeaways

• Use only a clinic on the Home Affairs panel list for India, and confirm it on the official page before you travel.
• Get your HAP ID first; a clinic cannot book you without it.
• Results are generally valid for 12 months for the 482, the same as a police certificate, so time the two together.
• Do long-validity items such as the English test early, and the medical late.
• For New Zealand, use an INZ panel doctor and pay only the clinic, never a middleman.

#australia visa medical #panel physician #india #hap id #police clearance certificate #new zealand