Colombia Medical Exam · Updated May 2026

Bogota Panel Physicians: the Immigrant Visa Medical Exam in Colombia

Every Colombia immigrant visa applicant does the medical at an Embassy-designated doctor in Bogota. Here is how to book one, what it costs, and what happens before your interview.

Summary

Book your medical once the National Visa Center gives you an interview date. Colombia uses four U.S. Embassy-designated panel physicians at two Bogota facilities: Fundacion Cardioinfantil (Dr. Dennis and Dra. Rey) and Centro Medico de la Sabana (Dr. Roa, plus Dr. Pineros for minors). An exam by any other doctor is rejected. There is no online portal, so you book the office directly and pay in cash, in Colombian pesos. Do it a few weeks before the interview, inside the six-month validity window. Results are either a sealed envelope you carry unopened or sent to the Embassy directly.

At a glance

Topic	Details
Who must do it	Every immigrant visa applicant of every age, before the visa can be issued. The exam must be done in Colombia at a U.S. Embassy-designated panel physician in the Bogota area. An exam by any other doctor is not accepted.
The designated doctors	Four U.S. Embassy-designated panel physicians at two Bogota facilities: Dr. Rodolfo Jose Dennis and Dra. Maria Rey Salamanca at Fundacion Cardioinfantil (La Cardio), and Dr. Jairo Roa Buitrago plus Dr. Juan Gabriel Pineros (a pediatrician who sees minors only) at Centro Medico de la Sabana.
When to book	Schedule the exam once the National Visa Center gives you an interview date. Do it a few weeks before the interview so the result is ready, and well inside the six-month validity window.
Booking method	Contact a physician directly by phone, WhatsApp, or email to set an appointment. There is no central online portal; you book with the doctor's office.
Cost	Paid directly to the physician in cash (Colombian pesos), and set by age and the tests you need. A 2021 Cardioinfantil schedule capped the full adult exam near 1,800,000 COP (roughly 430 to 470 US dollars at 2026 exchange rates). Fees change, so confirm the current price when you book.
Results	The physician either hands you a sealed envelope to carry to your interview or sends the result to the Embassy directly. Confirm which applies to you. If you get a sealed envelope, do not open it. The exam is valid for six months.

Based on the U.S. Department of State Bogota post supplement and the U.S. Embassy Bogota medical instructions, verified May 2026. Fees and procedures change, so verify directly with the physician before booking.

Your medical exam, in order

The medical is one of the last steps before your interview, and it has a fixed order. Follow it as a checklist.

1
Wait for the National Visa Center to schedule your interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. You book the medical only after you have an interview date, so the result stays inside the six-month validity window.
2
Pick a physician and call to book. Adults can use either Dr. Dennis or Dra. Rey at Fundacion Cardioinfantil (601 805-0091) or Dr. Roa at Centro Medico de la Sabana (601 745-1820). Minors who need a pediatric exam see Dr. Pineros at Centro Medico de la Sabana. There is no online portal, so contact the office directly by phone, WhatsApp, or email.
3
Schedule the exam for a few weeks before your interview. That leaves room for the result to be ready and for any required vaccine or follow-up test, without the medical aging past its six-month limit.
4
Gather what to bring: your passport, your interview appointment letter, passport-style photos, your vaccination records, and enough cash in Colombian pesos for the full fee. The clinics take cash only, not checks.
5
Attend the exam. For applicants 15 and older it includes a medical history review, a physical, a chest X-ray, blood tests, and syphilis and gonorrhea screening. Tuberculosis testing applies to everyone age 2 and older. The doctor reviews your vaccination history and gives any required shots on site.
6
Before you leave, confirm how your result reaches the Embassy: ask whether you carry a sealed envelope to the interview or whether the office sends it directly. If you are handed a sealed envelope, bring it to the interview unopened, and keep any paperwork the office gives you.

The designated clinics

Any adult applicant can use either facility, so choose on logistics: which doctor answers and offers a slot in time, and which location is easier for you to reach in Bogota. If a minor needs a pediatric exam, that is Dr. Pineros at Centro Medico de la Sabana. Call or email the office directly to book, because neither facility uses an online scheduler.

Fundacion Cardioinfantil (La Cardio), Usaquen, Bogota. Photo: EEIM, Wikimedia Commons, 2016 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Fundacion Cardioinfantil (La Cardio): Dr. Rodolfo Jose Dennis and Dra. Maria Rey Salamanca

Address: Cra. 13B No. 161-85, Torre H, primer piso, Bogota
Contact: +57 601 805-0091 (Dr. Dennis: doctordenniscitas@gmail.com; Dra. Rey: +57 322 821-8551)
Booking: By phone or email, directly with the doctor's office. Adults see Dr. Dennis or Dra. Rey.
Payment: Cash in Colombian pesos. Checks are not accepted.

Centro Medico de la Sabana building facade with signage on Carrera 7, Bogota, where U.S. Embassy-designated panel physicians perform the immigrant visa medical exam — Centro Medico de la Sabana, Carrera 7, Bogota. Photo: Centro Medico de la Sabana official website, 2016.

Centro Medico de la Sabana: Dr. Jairo Roa Buitrago (and Dr. Juan Gabriel Pineros for minors)

Address: Cra. 7 No. 119-14, Cons. 317-318 (Dr. Roa); Cons. 301 (Dr. Pineros), Bogota
Contact: +57 601 745-1820 (Dr. Roa: citasdrjroa@gmail.com; U.S. line 1-800-606-8339)
Booking: By phone or email, directly with the doctor's office. Dr. Pineros, a pediatrician, sees minors only.
Payment: Cash in Colombian pesos. Checks are not accepted.

Verify the current address, doctor availability, and fee with each office before you go. Photos show the facilities, not the individual consulting rooms.

What to bring

•Your passport (the same one you will use at the interview).
•Your interview appointment letter or case number from the National Visa Center.
•Passport-style photos (confirm the count when you book).
•Your vaccination and immunization records, so the doctor does not repeat shots you can already prove.
•A copy of your medical history if you have been treated for any condition the office asks about, to avoid a delay.
•Any prescription eyeglasses or contacts you normally wear, for the vision check.
•Enough cash in Colombian pesos for the full fee plus any required vaccines. The clinics do not take checks.

The exam fits into the wider trip: see the Bogota interview trip guide for how the medical, the documents, and the interview line up. A missing or wrong-doctor medical is a common reason an applicant is held up on interview day.

If the exam flags something

The medical screens for tuberculosis, syphilis, and gonorrhea, and reviews your vaccination history. Most applicants finish with nothing flagged. If the panel physician does identify a health condition that needs follow-up, the office will tell you the next step and may require additional testing or treatment before the report is finalized. We cannot tell you what a specific finding means for your case.

A medical finding that affects admissibility: this one needs an attorney.

Whether a tuberculosis result, another health condition, or a vaccination issue affects your eligibility depends on facts specific to you, and the rules and any available waivers are complicated. Getting this wrong has serious, hard-to-reverse consequences, so it is one of the few areas where you genuinely need a licensed immigration attorney to review your specific situation.

Where to find help: the AILA Find-a-Lawyer directory lets you filter by specialty and location. For free or low-cost help, CLINIC lists nonprofit providers. Bring your clinic paperwork to the consultation.

What applicants report

Aggregated from VisaJourney Bogota medical threads (2019–2023), the colombiavisas.com fee schedule, and U.S. Embassy Bogota guidance. Real applicant reports, not medical or legal advice; your visit may differ.

Tips from the community

Book the doctor directly; there is no online portal
Applicants report that the Bogota medical is arranged by calling, messaging, or emailing the physician's office, not through a central scheduling site. Dr. Dennis and Dr. Roa are the two adult doctors people mention most. Reach out as soon as you have your interview date, because slots fill.
VisaJourney Bogota medical threads, 2019-2023
Bring cash in pesos, and expect roughly 1.8 million COP for an adult
A 2021 Cardioinfantil fee schedule itemized the exam: about 355,000 COP for the physical, 262,500 for X-rays, 52,500 for blood work, plus the tuberculosis and gonorrhea tests, capping near 1,800,000 COP (roughly 430 to 470 US dollars in 2026). Fees are paid in cash, not by check, and have likely risen since 2021. Confirm the total when you book.
colombiavisas.com fee schedule (2021); confirm current price
Confirm whether you carry the envelope or the office sends it
Bogota handles results both ways depending on the physician: some hand you a sealed envelope to bring to the interview, others transmit the result to the Embassy directly. Ask which applies before you leave the appointment, and if you get an envelope, never open it.
U.S. Embassy Bogota guidance; VisaJourney reports, 2019-2023
Bring your vaccination records to avoid repeat shots
The panel physician reviews your immunization history against the CDC list and gives any missing required vaccines on site, which adds cost. Applicants who bring complete records often skip shots they can already prove, keeping the visit shorter and cheaper.
CDC panel-physician technical instructions; community reports

In their words

“When your examination is completed, the doctor will provide you with the results in a sealed envelope to take to your interview, or will send them directly to the Embassy. Do not open the envelope.”
U.S. Embassy Bogota medical examination instructions (official guidance)

Sources

U.S. Department of State: U.S. Embassy Bogota (BGT) post supplement (verified May 2026)
U.S. Visa Information Service, Colombia (ustraveldocs.com/co): medical examination (verified May 2026)
CDC: Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians (gonorrhea, tuberculosis, vaccinations) (verified May 2026)
colombiavisas.com Bogota medical fee schedule (community), 2021
VisaJourney Bogota medical exam threads (community), 2019–2023
Fundacion Cardioinfantil building photo via Wikimedia Commons, 2016 (CC BY-SA 3.0); Centro Medico de la Sabana facade via the clinic’s official website

Frequently asked questions

Which doctors are accepted for the Bogota immigrant visa medical exam?

Four U.S. Embassy-designated panel physicians at two Bogota facilities. At Fundacion Cardioinfantil (La Cardio): Dr. Rodolfo Jose Dennis and Dra. Maria Rey Salamanca. At Centro Medico de la Sabana: Dr. Jairo Roa Buitrago, and Dr. Juan Gabriel Pineros, a pediatrician who sees minors only. An exam by any other doctor is not accepted, and every immigrant visa applicant of every age must complete it before a visa can be issued.

Do I have to do the medical exam in Colombia?

Yes. For a Bogota immigrant visa case the exam must be done in the Bogota area at one of the Embassy-designated panel physicians before your interview. A medical done in the United States or another country is not accepted for this post.

When should I book, and how far ahead should the exam be?

Book once the National Visa Center gives you an interview date, because you schedule the medical around it. Aim to do the exam a few weeks before the interview so the result is ready in time and stays inside the six-month validity window. There is no online portal: you contact the physician's office directly by phone, WhatsApp, or email.

How much does the exam cost?

You pay the physician directly, in cash, in Colombian pesos, and the total depends on your age and the tests you need. A 2021 Cardioinfantil schedule itemized the parts (around 355,000 COP for the physical, 262,500 for X-rays, 52,500 for blood work, plus tuberculosis and gonorrhea testing) and capped a full adult exam near 1,800,000 COP, roughly 430 to 470 US dollars at 2026 exchange rates. Fees have likely risen since 2021, so confirm the current price when you book. Checks are not accepted.

What is included in the exam?

For applicants 15 and older it includes a medical history review, a physical examination, a chest X-ray, blood tests, and syphilis and gonorrhea screening. Tuberculosis testing applies to everyone age 2 and older. The panel physician also reviews your vaccination records and gives any required vaccines on site.

Do I carry the results to the interview?

It depends on the physician. The Bogota panel physicians either hand you a sealed envelope to carry to the interview or send the result to the Embassy directly. Ask which applies before you leave the appointment. If you are handed a sealed envelope, bring it to the interview and do not open it. The exam is valid for six months, so if it expires before your visa is issued you must repeat it at your own cost.

What if the exam flags a health condition?

Most applicants finish with nothing flagged. If the panel physician identifies a condition that needs follow-up, such as a tuberculosis result or a vaccination issue, the office will tell you the next step, which may be additional testing or treatment before the report is finalized. Whether a finding affects your eligibility depends on facts specific to you and on rules that are complex, so that is a question for a licensed immigration attorney, not for us.

Key takeaways

✓
Four U.S. Embassy-designated panel physicians at two Bogota facilities: Dr. Dennis and Dra. Rey at Fundacion Cardioinfantil, and Dr. Roa (plus Dr. Pineros for minors) at Centro Medico de la Sabana. No other doctor is accepted.
✓
Every applicant of every age needs the exam, done in Colombia, booked once you have an interview date and a few weeks ahead of it.
✓
There is no online portal; you book directly with the physician's office by phone, WhatsApp, or email.
✓
Pay in cash in Colombian pesos. A 2021 schedule capped an adult exam near 1,800,000 COP (about 430 to 470 US dollars); confirm the current fee, which has likely risen.
✓
Bring your passport, interview letter, photos, vaccination records, and cash. Results may be a sealed envelope you carry unopened or sent to the Embassy directly; confirm which, and note the exam is valid six months.

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