Spain, Greece or Thailand: how the rules actually differ
You sort out a certificate for Spain, feel quietly pleased with yourself, and then a friend who's moving to Athens mentions blood tests. Suddenly you're wondering whether you've understood any of this. The honest answer is that these three countries ask for genuinely different things, and the gap between them is where most applications come unstuck.
Before we start: this article is about the paperwork and the process behind visa medical certificates. It is not medical advice, and nothing here should be used to work out whether you personally have or don't have any condition. If you have a question about your own health, speak to your GP or another qualified clinician.
We write from official sources, including published consulate checklists, government guidance and the legislation itself, and we link to them so you can check for yourself. Those sources change, sometimes without notice, so always confirm the current requirements with the authority handling your application before you pay for anything.
Spain wants a declaration referencing the International Health Regulations 2005. No tests, but it must be apostilled and then translated by a sworn translator.
Greece wants evidence. Tuberculosis and a syphilis test result, under Law 4251/2014.
Thailand wants confirmation you're free of the conditions named in Ministerial Regulation No. 14, notarised rather than apostilled.
All three have to be issued in the country you're applying from. A certificate picked up abroad won't be accepted anywhere.
Why people get caught out
A typical case runs like this. Someone's moving to Valencia, finds a clinic, gets a certificate, and only afterwards discovers it needs an FCDO apostille and then a translation by a sworn translator registered with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Two extra steps, both taking time, and by the time it's all assembled the certificate is nudging the end of its window.
Or someone books what they assume is the same appointment for a Greek visa and finds out the consulate wants tuberculosis evidence and a syphilis test result. Nobody mentioned it when they booked, because the clinic was treating every long stay visa as one product.
The document has the same name every time. What sits behind it is a different story in each country.
Spain wants a judgement, not an examination
Spain's requirement is the one people most often overestimate, because it sounds heavier than it is.
The certificate has to state that you don't suffer from any disease that could have serious public health consequences under the International Health Regulations 2005. That's a clinical judgement based on your history and an assessment. It isn't a request to test for every condition the Regulations mention, which is exactly why some clinics turn the work away. They read it as a screening panel they can't provide.
What Spain does insist on is the paperwork chain. Apostille from the FCDO, then translation into Spanish by a sworn translator. Your own translation, or one from a general agency, won't get through.
Where it usually goes wrong
- Wording that describes good health in general terms without naming the 2005 Regulations
- A missing practice stamp, no headed paper, or no GMC number
- Leaving the apostille and translation until the certificate is already weeks old
- Assuming children are covered by a parent's certificate. They aren't. Everyone needs their own
Greece is the one that wants evidence
Greece is different in kind, not just in detail. Where Spain asks a doctor to form a judgement, Greece asks you to bring proof.
The national long stay visa, the Type D, sits under Law 4251/2014. The certificate typically requires evidence relating to tuberculosis, either a BCG vaccination record or a chest X-ray, plus a syphilis test result. Both take time to get hold of, and neither can be produced during a consultation.
That's why Greece isn't a same day job. Gather the evidence first, then book the consultation, rather than the other way round.
Worth knowing: short Schengen visitor visas to Greece don't require a medical certificate at all. This applies to national long stay visas. If you're going for under 90 days as a tourist, you don't need one, and nobody should be selling you one.
Thailand names the conditions, and has one big exception
Thailand takes a third approach. Rather than a general declaration or a set of tests, it names specific conditions. Ministerial Regulation No. 14 lists the diseases that bar entry, and the certificate confirms you're free of them.
Legalisation is different too. Thai requirements generally call for notarisation rather than the FCDO apostille, and the certificate must be issued in the country where the application is made.
The exception matters more than anything else on this page. A UK issued certificate can't be used for a Thai work permit. Thai law requires those to come from a physician practising in Thailand. We can issue for the O-A and O-X long stay visas, which you apply for from your country of residence. We can't issue one for a work permit, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling you a document you won't be able to use.
Three things that hold true everywhere
It must be issued where you apply. Applying from the UK means a UK doctor. A certificate you picked up on holiday, or in the destination country, will be refused.
It has a shelf life. Every certificate expires, and the window is short. Consulates apply this strictly, and it's the single most common reason a document comes back.
The doctor must be properly registered. In the UK that means GMC registration. For Spain and Greece it's also worth checking their signature is on file with the FCDO, or the apostille takes longer.
Plan backwards, not forwards
The most useful habit is to start from your consulate appointment and count backwards, rather than starting from today and hoping it all fits.
- Note your appointment date and the validity period for your destination
- Count back the time for apostille or notarisation, and translation where it's needed
- For Greece, add the time to obtain test evidence before the consultation
- That gives you the earliest sensible date for the consultation itself
- Add a buffer, because postal delays and consulate backlogs are common and nobody controls them
Questions people ask us
Q Can one certificate cover more than one country?
No. The wording and requirements differ, so you need one written for your specific destination.
Q Which country is the most demanding?
Greece, because of the test evidence. Spain is more about getting the paperwork chain right.
Q Do I need a certificate for a tourist visa?
Generally not. These requirements attach to long stay and national visas, not short visits.
Q What about a residency renewal rather than a first visa?
Requirements differ, and often a fresh certificate isn't needed. Check with your consulate before ordering.
Where this information comes from. We write these articles from official sources: the published checklists of the consulate or embassy concerned, UK government guidance, and the text of the legislation itself. Where we have relied on a particular source, we link to it so you can read it yourself.
Those sources change, sometimes without notice, and different consulates sometimes apply the same rules differently. Everything above reflects our understanding on the date shown at the top of this page.
This article covers the process and the paperwork only. It is not medical advice, legal advice or immigration advice, and we are not immigration advisers. For anything concerning your own health, speak to your GP or another qualified clinician. For what your own application requires, confirm directly with the authority handling it before you order anything or book travel.
Where to go next
Not sure which applies to you?
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