What is a visa medical examination for Australia?
A visa medical examination for Australia is the health examination Home Affairs requires of permanent visa applicants and the family members applying with them, arranged through ImmiAccount with a HAP ID, according to its “Who needs health examinations” page.
Home Affairs calls the HAP ID “an identifier we call a HAP ID”. It appears on the referral letter produced after you answer the medical history questions. The useful distinction is between that identifier, which you use to arrange the examination, and the examination results.
How to get a HAP ID
To get a HAP ID, follow these steps on Home Affairs’ “Who needs health examinations” page:
- Firstly, log in to ImmiAccount.
- Secondly, select “View health assessment”.
- Thirdly, select “Organise health examinations”.
- Fourthly, answer the medical history questions.
- Fifthly, get the referral letter containing your HAP ID.
If you are looking for an existing HAP ID, look on that referral letter. For examinations before lodgement, Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page describes the separate My Health Declarations route, restricted to the visas listed in the service.
Booking a visa medical in Australia and overseas
Booking a visa medical depends on where you have the examination. Home Affairs’ “Arrange your health examinations” page, updated 24 September 2026, directs applicants to:
- In Australia: Bupa Medical Visa Services, using your HAP ID. Home Affairs lists the booking telephone number as 1300 794 919.
- Outside Australia: a panel physician or clinic approved by the Department.
Use the Department’s approved-provider instructions rather than assuming any local doctor can perform an immigration medical examination.
Health examinations for an 858 applicant and family members (including family who are not migrating)
Health examinations for an 858 applicant and family members cover the main applicant and every family member applying, because each must meet the health requirement in PIC 4007 under Schedule 2 clauses 858.221 and 858.223 of the Migration Regulations 1994.
- Main applicant: must meet PIC 4007.
- Partner and children applying: must have examinations under Home Affairs’ “Who needs health examinations” instructions.
- Family members not migrating: must still meet PIC 4007 unless that would be unreasonable, under Schedule 2 clause 858.223(6).
- Timing of the criterion: the primary applicant’s health criterion is tested at decision under Schedule 2 clause 858.221.
The 858 has a waiver provision for the cost-and-access part of PIC 4007 under the Migration Regulations 1994; the final section explains its limits.
When to book your visa medical for an 858: before or after a request?
Book your visa medical for an 858 after the request if you did not complete it before applying: Home Affairs’ National Innovation visa page, updated 4 September 2026, says to wait for the Department’s request.
Before applying? Only if the upfront route is available. Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page limits My Health Declarations to listed visas. Whether the 858 is currently listed is not confirmed here, so do not assume that route is available for your application.
Plan document timing together: Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page gives medical results a general 12-month validity period, while its character guidance gives police certificates for an 858 12 months from issue. The National Innovation visa page also says some countries require a Department letter, supplied after the application is made, before issuing a certificate.
How long are visa medical results valid?
Visa medical results are generally valid for 12 months, and may need repeating if processing is delayed, according to Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page, updated 21 September 2026.
That is a general validity period, not a promise that one examination covers the entire processing period. It also describes the results’ validity—not how long the HAP ID itself lasts.
Who pays for the visa medical?
The applicant pays for the visa medical: Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page says you must pay for any health examinations you have.
The examination cost is separate from the visa application charge. Home Affairs’ National Innovation visa page says its cost estimator excludes health checks. No examination price is confirmed here; check the amount payable with the approved provider before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get a medical examination for an Australian visa?
Home Affairs’ “Arrange your health examinations” page specifies Bupa Medical Visa Services in Australia and approved panel physicians or clinics overseas.
How much does a visa medical cost?
No figure is confirmed here. Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page says you pay, and its National Innovation visa page excludes health checks from the visa cost estimator.
Where do I find my HAP ID?
On the referral letter produced after the medical history questions under “Organise health examinations”, according to Home Affairs’ “Who needs health examinations” page.
Do family members who are not coming to Australia need a medical for an 858?
Some do: Schedule 2 clause 858.223(6) of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires them to meet the health test unless that would be unreasonable.
What happens if my results expire before a decision?
Home Affairs’ “When to have health examinations” page says results generally last 12 months and may need repeating if processing is delayed.
If a medical result affects your 858: the health requirement and waivers
If a medical result affects your 858, the question becomes PIC 4007, whose cost-and-access part the Minister can waive under PIC 4007(2) of the Migration Regulations 1994 when every other criterion is met and the grant would not cause undue cost or prejudice access to services.
Home Affairs’ “Health waiver” page says there is no separate application for a health waiver: an officer invites a submission and considers it case by case; it is not available for active tuberculosis or public-health threats.
Home Affairs’ “Protecting health care and community services” page, updated 24 September 2026, gives the Significant Cost Threshold as $86,000.
Read the health test alongside the other 858 visa health, character and values requirements, rather than treating a medical result as the whole assessment of an 858 visa.
Ask an Australian migration lawyer to plan health examinations for every required family member against the 12-month validity period and any request from Home Affairs.