Can my NHS GP write my visa medical certificate?

You've got the bank statements sorted. The application form is nearly done. Then you reach the line about a medical certificate of good health, and your first thought is the obvious one: I'll just ask my GP. That's a perfectly sensible instinct. It's also where a lot of people hit their first wall, and the reasons are more interesting than "they're too busy".

Six reasons a GP might say no

People assume a refusal means their surgery is being unhelpful. Usually it isn't. There are six reasons that come up, and it genuinely matters which one you're hearing, because three of them you can work around and one of them you really can't.

1. It isn't NHS work, and nobody has to do it

This is the foundation of all of it. The NHS contract covers medical care for NHS patients. It doesn't cover writing letters and completing forms for third parties, including foreign governments.

The British Medical Association is clear that this sits outside the contract, and NHS practices across the country say the same thing on their own websites. With a few narrow exceptions, such as confirming someone isn't fit for jury service, GPs are simply not required to do non-NHS work for their patients. Most will try to help where they can. None of them are obliged to.

It also means the work has to be done outside NHS hours. Many practices complete private letters in the evenings and at weekends specifically so NHS care doesn't suffer, which is why turnaround times of 20 to 28 working days are normal rather than obstructive.

2. They may not be insured to do it

This is the reason almost nobody explains to patients, and it's the most important one on the list.

Since April 2019, GPs in England have been covered for clinical negligence by a state backed scheme called CNSGP, run by NHS Resolution. It's free, automatic, and it covers NHS work. What it does not cover is private or non-NHS work. NHS England, the GMC and the Department of Health all state this plainly.

To do private work, a GP needs separate cover from a medical defence organisation such as the MDU, MPS or MDDUS. Since CNSGP arrived and removed the need for individual indemnity on NHS work, some GPs reduced or dropped that separate membership. A doctor in that position isn't being awkward when they decline your form. They're uninsured for it, and no amount of asking nicely changes that.

If this is the reason you're given, accept it and go elsewhere. It's the one thing on this list that genuinely cannot be worked around.

3. Signing carries a real professional risk

When a doctor signs a certificate, they're not just doing you a favour. It's a condition of staying on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true.

In practice that means reading your notes properly. GP records, hospital letters, laboratory results, the lot, to make sure what they're certifying is actually accurate. For someone with a long or complicated history, that isn't a five minute job, and getting it wrong can end up in front of the GMC.

There's a related point worth knowing. The BMA has taken the position that even after a full history, examination and investigations, a doctor still isn't in a position to guarantee that someone is fit for a particular activity. Some practices refuse all "fitness to" certificates on exactly that basis, and they'll say so on their website.

4. "We'd have to test you for everything first"

This one is a misunderstanding, and it's worth pushing back on gently.

The Spanish certificate asks a doctor to confirm you don't have any illness that would be a serious public health risk under the International Health Regulations 2005. Read quickly, that sounds like a request to screen you for a long list of diseases, and a busy GP will reasonably conclude they can't do it.

They don't have to. It's a clinical judgement based on your history and an assessment, not a set of lab tests. Spain doesn't ask for blood tests or a physical examination for this certificate. Greece is the exception and does require specific evidence.

5. "We wouldn't know what to write"

Also fair, and the easiest of the six to solve. Most GPs have genuinely never seen a Spanish or Greek visa certificate. The answer is to bring the exact wording with you rather than trying to describe it across a desk in ten minutes.

6. The practice has a blanket policy

Some surgeries have simply decided not to do immigration related paperwork at all. You'll find practices stating outright on their websites that they don't complete passport, residency or nationality forms. It's a policy decision, applied to everyone, and it isn't personal.

The question almost nobody thinks to ask

Even when a GP says yes, there's one more thing that quietly derails applications, and it's worth asking about in the same appointment.

For Spain and Greece, your certificate needs a stamp from the FCDO called an apostille. To issue it, the Legalisation Office compares your doctor's signature against a database of specimen signatures they hold. If your GP is on that database, it goes through smoothly. If they aren't, the certificate has to be certified by a solicitor first, which costs more and adds several days.

Most GPs have never been asked about this, so plenty of excellent doctors simply aren't on it. The good news is that joining is free. Your GP sends a short email to the Legalisation Office with their GMC details, and it's usually sorted within a few working days.

There's a catch worth knowing for Spain specifically. If you go the solicitor route instead, the apostille ends up attached to the solicitor's signature rather than your doctor's. Spain often wants the original document signed by the doctor, so that route isn't always suitable. Ask before you pay for it.

What it costs and how long you'll wait

Where a surgery does offer this privately, the fee varies from practice to practice. The BMA publishes suggested fees for non-NHS work, but they're guidance rather than rules, and no doctor is obliged to charge those rates. That's why two surgeries in the same town can quote you quite different numbers.

Turnaround is usually the bigger issue. Twenty to twenty-eight working days is standard, and some practices are slower over winter when everything backs up. Because it's done outside NHS hours, urgent requests often aren't possible at all.

That wait matters more than the fee. Your certificate has a validity window and it's a short one. If it takes four weeks to get, then needs an apostille and a sworn translation on top, you can find yourself at the consulate with a document that's nearly expired.

What your GP probably won't do

Even a helpful GP usually stops once the letter is signed. The rest of the chain is yours to organise:

• The apostille. You'll need to send the certificate to the FCDO yourself, or pay a service to handle it.
• The translation. Spain requires a sworn translator accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A normal translation agency won't be accepted.
• Checking the wording is right. If the letter comes back saying you're in good health generally, without naming the relevant regulations, it may be rejected and you start over.

How to give yourself the best chance

1. Ask early. Four to six weeks before you need it, not four days.
2. Put the request in writing and hand it to reception rather than raising it at the end of an appointment about something else.
3. Bring the consulate's exact wording, printed.
4. Ask for the practice stamp and the GMC number on the letter.
5. Ask the FCDO signature question.
6. Ask what it costs and how long it takes before you book your consulate appointment.
7. Have a backup ready in case the answer is no.

Questions people ask us

So which route should you take?

It comes down to your timeline and your surgery.

If you've got plenty of time and a helpful practice, ask your own GP. It's usually the cheapest way and there's nothing second rate about it. Take the wording, check the stamp and GMC number before you leave, and ask the FCDO question.

If your GP has said no, or you're working to a fixed date, a service that handles the wording, the certificate and the legalisation together takes the juggling off your plate.

Where we come into this

We issue these certificates, so do read this knowing that. We've just spent an article explaining that you might not need us.

If your GP will write yours, go with them. It's a good route and we'd encourage it. Just ask the FCDO signature question early and you'll avoid the delay that catches most people out.

What we offer is a video consultation with a GMC registered GP, wording that's already correct, the signed original posted the same day, and the apostille and translation arranged if you'd rather not chase three companies at once.

Related reading

• What "FCDO registered" actually means
• Spain medical certificate requirements
• Apostille legalisation and sworn translation