U.S. Department of State

HIV Testing Requirements for Entry Into Foreign Countries

March 2006

An increasing number of countries require that foreigners be tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prior to entry. It is usually required as part of a medical exam for long-term visitors, i.e. students and workers. The following list of country requirements is based on information available as of March 2006 and is subject to change. Before traveling abroad, check with the embassy of the country to be visited to learn about entry requirements and specifically whether AIDS testing is a requirement. If the list indicates U.S. test results are acceptable and the word "Yes" appears with an asterisk beside it (Yes*) in a particular country, prospective travelers should inquire at the embassy of that country for details (e.g. which laboratories in the United States may perform tests and where to have results certified and authenticated) before departing the United States.

Country	Test Required For	U.S Test Accepted?
Algeria	All foreigners requesting resident permits	No
Angola	All foreigners applying for work visas and resident permits	Advertisement Yes
Australia	All applicants (15 years of age or older) for permanent Residence. Permanent applicants under 15 years of age must be tested if being adopted or has history of blood transfusions. Temporary applicants need to declare any illness/condition at time of interview. Any temporary applicant who is likely to come in contact with blood must also be tested.	Yes*
Bahrain	All foreign citizens (workers, family, etc.) applying for residence permits must submit locally performed medical exams, including HIV tests. Anyone who tested positive is immediately deported.	No
Belarus	All persons staying longer than 3 months	Yes
Belize	Residency permit	No
British Virgin Islands (BVI)	Persons applying for residency	Yes
Brunei	All persons applying for work permits	No
Bulgaria	All intending immigrants and foreigners staying longer than 1 month for the purpose of study or work.	Yes*
Canada	Routine HIV testing is required for all applicants who are 15 years of age and over and are seeking entry to Canada for a period longer than 6 months (i.e. students, workers, visitors, those applying for immigration and refugee status, etc.), and resided in a designated country for 6 consecutive months within a 12 month period immediately preceding entry into Canada.	Yes*
Central African Republic	Anyone seeking residence, work, or student permits must submit to a medical exam (which includes HIV testing).	Yes
China, People's Republic Of	Foreigners planning to stay for more than 6 months (not required for entry or residency in Hong Kong or Macau). Those who are HIV positive are not allowed into China for any purpose.	Yes*
Colombia	Entry is prohibited for HIV positive individuals. HIV positive individuals should request a waiver from a Colombian Embassy.	No
Comoros	Foreigners planning to work	Yes
Cuba	Foreign students in Cuba on scholarships.	Yes*
Cyprus	All foreigners working or studying.	No
Dominica	No HIV testing requirement for standard entry; students, intending immigrants and anyone seeking employment.	Yes
Dominican Republic	Foreigners planning to reside, study, or work.	No
Egypt	All foreigners applying for work, study, or training permit and staying longer than 30 days in requires testing. Dependents are no longer exempt; testing is also a requirement for spouses and children aged 15 or older.	Yes*
Eritrea	May be required upon entry.	N/A
Fiji	Persons staying longer than 6 months	Yes
Greece	Only persons arriving to work as legal prostitutes.	Yes*
Hungary	Anyone staying over 1 year and all intending immigrants. Some employers may require workers to be tested.	No
India	All students over 18. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 70 with a visa valid for 1 year or more. Anyone extending length of stay to a year or more (excluding accredited journalists and those working in foreign missions).	Yes*
Iraq	Residency/exit permit.	N/A
Israel	Legal foreign workers; Ministry of Interior reserves the right to deny entry to aliens claiming to be HIV positive.	N/A
Jordan	Anyone staying longer than 6 months.	No
Kazakhstan	All visitors staying more than 1 month must present a certificate of an HIV test within 10 days of arrival.	Yes*
Korea, Republic of	Persons entering on an E-6 visa to be engaged in performance or entertainment activities at tourist hotels and entertainment places.	No
Kuwait	Foreigners intending to work or reside (Anyone found to be HIV positive will be deported.)	Yes*
Lebanon	Persons intending to work and maids.	No
Lithuania	Residency permits (Migration Dept. reserves right to exclude foreigners who present a public health threat.)	Yes
Malaysia	Foreign workers (unskilled and semiskilled) undergo a full medical check up (includes HIV) within 1 month of arrival and on yearly basis.	No
Marshall Islands, Republic of the	Applicants for residence. US Citizens are exempt from obtaining work permits, but may still require medical clearance (including HIV test) by the Immigration Division upon entry.	No
Mauritius	Foreigners planning to reside or work; testing performed upon arrival.	N/A
Moldova	Anyone staying longer than 3 months	Yes*
Monserrat	University students and applicants for work and residency.	No
Niger	Foreigners seeking to marry national of Niger	No
Oman	Anyone applying for residency.	No
Palau	Anyone staying longer than 6 months	No
Paraguay	Applicants seeking temporary or permanent residency status.	No
Qatar	Applicants seeking residency and anyone staying longer than 30 days, including dependents.	No
Russia	Applicants applying for visas valid more than 3 months	Yes*
Samoa	Anyone applying for work, study or staying more than 12 months to submit a medical report, which may include an HIV test.	Yes*
Saudi Arabia	Applicants for residency/work permits	Yes
St. Vincent	No HIV testing required for visitors; HIV testing required for applicants seeking temporary and permanent residency visas	Yes
St. Kitts & Nevis	Persons applying for residency	Yes
Saudi Arabia	Applicants for residency/work permits	Yes*
Seychelles	Foreigners planning to work must undergo a medical exam, which includes an HIV test, upon arrival	No
Singapore	For all applicants for employment passes, work permits and permanent resident status (except spouses and children of Singapore citizens)	No
Slovakia	Those applying for residency status (as part of a medical exam).	No
South Africa	All mine workers (irrespective of their positions)	Yes*
Syria	All foreigners (ages 15 to 60 years) staying more than 15 days	No*
Taiwan	Anyone staying over 90 days (Foreigners applying for residency/work permit must be tested, at a public hospital in Taiwan within three months of application.)	No
Tajikistan	Anyone staying more than 90 days	Yes*
Tonga	Anyone staying longer than 6 months	No
Turkey	Any foreigner immigrating or applying for permanent residence	No
Turkmenistan	All foreigners staying longer than 3 months	No
Ukraine	All foreigners staying longer than 3 months	30 days before arrival
United Arab Emirates	Anyone applying for residence. Tests are done upon submission of visa applications.	No
United Kingdom	Anyone who does not appear to be in good health may be required to undergo a medical exam (including an HIV test) prior to being granted or denied entry	No
Uzbekistan	Anyone staying more than 15 days (long-term visitors must renew HIV certificate after the first 3 months in Uzbekistan and annually thereafter)	Yes*
Yemen	Applicants seeking permanent residence, students over age 16, all foreigners staying longer than one month and foreign spouses.	No
* A test performed in the U.S. may be accepted under certain conditions. Check with the destination country's embassy or representative office in Washington, D.C. for detailed requirements.

This article was provided by U.S. Department of State.

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