Nigeria Medical Exam · Updated May 2026

Lagos Panel Physicians: the Immigrant Visa Medical Exam in Nigeria

A short list of approved clinics in Lagos handles every Nigeria immigrant visa medical. Here is how to book one, what it costs, and when to do it.

Summary

Book your medical the moment the National Visa Center gives you an appointment date, and schedule it before your In-Person Document Review, not just before the interview. Nigeria uses U.S. Consulate-designated panel physicians; in Lagos that means the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre in Ikeja and Q-Life Family Clinic on Victoria Island. Either is accepted equally, and an exam from any other doctor is rejected. You pay the clinic directly, plan for roughly half a day, and the clinic sends the sealed report to the Consulate. The exam is valid 6 months, so do not book it more than 3 months before your interview.

At a glance

Topic	Details
Who must do it	Every immigrant visa applicant, of every age, including children and infants. The exam must be done in Nigeria with a U.S. Consulate-designated panel physician. Results from any other doctor are not accepted.
Designated physicians	In Lagos: the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre on Isaac John Street, Ikeja, and Q-Life Family Clinic on Victoria Island. The U.S. Consulate also lists an IOM center in Abuja. Either Lagos clinic is accepted equally.
When to book	As soon as you get your appointment date from the National Visa Center. Do the exam before your In-Person Document Review (a step required since January 1, 2025), not just before the interview, and never more than 3 months before the interview.
Cost	Paid directly to the clinic. For applicants 15 and older, community and clinic figures put Q-Life around 68,500 Nigerian naira (roughly $45) and IOM around 57,000 naira (roughly $38), plus the cost of any vaccines. Confirm the current price with the clinic when you book.
What it covers	A medical history review, a physical exam, a chest X-ray for applicants 15 and older, blood and urine tests, and tuberculosis testing for everyone 2 and older. The panel physician reviews your vaccination records and gives any required vaccines on site.
Results	The exam is usually completed in a day, but allow at least 7 days for the full process. The clinic sends the report to the Consulate, often electronically, or hands you a sealed envelope you must not open. The exam is valid for 6 months.

Based on the U.S. Consulate General Lagos post supplement and IOM Nigeria guidance, verified May 2026. Fees and procedures change, so verify directly with the clinic before booking.

The U.S. Consulate General Lagos, which requires the immigrant visa medical exam completed at a designated panel physician in Lagos — The U.S. Consulate General Lagos, which requires and receives the medical results. The exam itself is done at a designated clinic (IOM Ikeja or Q-Life on Victoria Island). Photo: U.S. Department of State, 2024 (public domain).

Your medical exam, in order

The medical is one of the last steps before your interview, and in Lagos it has a fixed order with one timing trap: do it before the document review, not just before the interview. Follow this as a checklist.

1
Wait for the National Visa Center to give you an appointment date. Once your case is scheduled at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, you can book the medical. Do not book more than 3 months before your interview date, because the exam is only valid for 6 months and the Consulate will not accept a stale one.
2
Pick a designated physician in Lagos and book. IOM books through its MyMedical online portal (mymedical.iom.int) and by phone or email at iomlagosmedicalbooking@iom.int; Q-Life books by phone at 0809 974 2000 or through qlifefamilyclinic.com. Either Lagos clinic is accepted equally, so choose on location and the soonest available slot. An exam done anywhere else is rejected.
3
Time the exam BEFORE your In-Person Document Review, not just before the interview. Since January 1, 2025, the Consulate requires a separate document review, scheduled about two to four weeks ahead of the interview, and you should already have done the medical by then. Aim to complete the exam at least two weeks before the document review so the report is on file in time.
4
Gather what to bring: your interview appointment letter, your passport plus one copy of the biodata page for every applicant being examined, your DS-260 confirmation page, your vaccination and immunization records, any prescription glasses or contacts, and payment in the clinic's accepted form (the clinic confirms whether it is bank transfer, card, or cash at booking).
5
Attend the exam. Plan for roughly half a day. For applicants 15 and older it includes a medical history review, a physical, a chest X-ray, and blood and urine tests; tuberculosis testing applies to everyone 2 and older. The panel physician reviews your vaccine history and gives any required shots on site, so do not arrange vaccines on your own first.
6
Collect your paperwork and confirm how the result reaches the Consulate. The clinic gives you a copy of your vaccination record and a chest X-ray CD, and sends the report to the Consulate, often electronically. If you are handed a sealed envelope, bring it unopened to the interview. The exam is valid for 6 months, so keep an eye on that window if your interview is delayed.

Note: Since January 1, 2025, the Consulate requires an In-Person Document Review, scheduled about two to four weeks before your interview. Treat the document review as your real medical deadline: have the exam done before it, not the day before the interview.

The designated Lagos clinics

Either Lagos clinic is accepted equally, so choose on logistics: pick the one closer to you and the one with the soonest open slot. If you are on the mainland, IOM in Ikeja is convenient and books through its MyMedical online portal. If you are on the island, Q-Life on Victoria Island is a short trip and books by phone. The Consulate also lists an IOM center in Abuja for applicants based there.

IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre (MHAC), Lagos

Address: 1 Isaac John Street (at the corner of Isaac John Street and Oduduwa Way), GRA Ikeja, Lagos
Contact: +234 1 465 6600 · iomlagosmedicalbooking@iom.int
Booking: Online through the IOM MyMedical portal (mymedical.iom.int), or by phone and email. Fees are published in IOM's monthly payment instruction sheets.
Payment: Per IOM's payment instructions for the booking month. Confirm the exact amount and method when you schedule.

Q-Life Family Clinic

Address: Plot 155A Prince Ade Odedina Street, off Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos
Contact: 0809 974 2000 · 0811 397 5433
Booking: By phone, or through qlifefamilyclinic.com. Applicants report being directed to pay at a nearby bank on the day.
Payment: Confirm the current fee and accepted payment method when you book.

Neither clinic publishes a rights-clean facility photo, so their cards are text-only. Verify the current address, hours, and fee with each clinic before you go.

What to bring

•Your visa interview appointment letter.
•Your international passport, plus one copy of the biodata page, for each applicant being examined.
•Your DS-260 confirmation page.
•Your vaccination and immunization records, so the panel physician does not repeat shots you can already prove.
•Any prescription glasses or contacts you normally wear, for the vision check.
•If applicable: specialist reports and a current medication list.
•Payment for the exam in the clinic's accepted form, plus a buffer for any vaccines.

The exam fits into the wider trip: see the Lagos interview trip guide for how the medical, the document review, and the interview line up. A missing or wrong-doctor medical is a common reason an applicant is turned away.

If the exam flags something

The medical screens for tuberculosis and certain other conditions, 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 clinic will tell you what the next step is 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 complex. 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 Lagos medical threads (2017–2024) and U.S. Consulate and IOM guidance. Real applicant reports, not medical or legal advice; your visit may differ.

Tips from the community

Arrive early; the exam day can run several hours
Applicants describe arriving around 8 a.m. and spending a good part of the day moving between history, physical, X-ray, and the lab. The exam itself is usually finished in one day, but the Consulate still tells you to allow at least 7 days for the whole process, including results. Clear your schedule and bring everything organized.
VisaJourney Lagos medical threads, 2017–2024
Be ready to pay at a bank, not just at the front desk
At least one Q-Life applicant reported being sent to a nearby bank to pay the fee before the exam continued, rather than paying at reception. Ask at booking how payment works so a banking errand does not eat into your appointment.
VisaJourney Q-Life Lagos thread, 2017
Bring your vaccination records and let the doctor decide
If you cannot show a vaccination record, IOM treats you as not immunized and gives the age-appropriate vaccines, which adds cost. Bring whatever records you have so the panel physician only orders what is genuinely missing. Refusing required vaccines can affect your case.
IOM Nigeria guidance; VisaJourney reports, 2019–2024
Do the medical before the document review, not just the interview
Since January 1, 2025, Lagos requires an In-Person Document Review two to four weeks before the interview. Applicants report being expected to have the medical done by that point, so treat the document review as your real deadline, not interview day.
U.S. Consulate Lagos guidance; community reports, 2025

In their words

“Got to Q-Life around 8am, did the paperwork, then they sent me to a bank nearby to pay before the exam. The whole thing took most of the morning.”
VisaJourney member (Q-Life Family Clinic, Lagos), 2017

“Bring your immunization card if you have one. Without it they just gave the full set of vaccines for my age, which cost more.”
VisaJourney member (Lagos medical), 2019

Sources

U.S. Department of State: U.S. Consulate General Lagos (LGS) post supplement (verified May 2026)
U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Nigeria: Immigrant Visas Processing in Lagos (verified May 2026)
IOM Nigeria: Migration Health Assessment Centre (MHAC) (verified May 2026)
VisaJourney Lagos and Q-Life medical exam threads (community), 2017–2024
U.S. Consulate General Lagos photo via Wikimedia Commons, U.S. Department of State, 2024 (public domain)

Frequently asked questions

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

Only U.S. Consulate-designated panel physicians. In Lagos those are the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre on Isaac John Street in Ikeja and Q-Life Family Clinic on Victoria Island; the Consulate also lists an IOM center in Abuja. Either Lagos clinic is accepted equally, and a medical from any other doctor is not accepted. Every immigrant visa applicant of every age must complete the exam before a visa can be issued.

Do I have to do the medical exam in Nigeria?

Yes. The exam must be done with a Consulate-designated panel physician in Nigeria before your interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos. A medical done in the United States or another country is not accepted for a Lagos immigrant visa case.

When should I do the exam relative to the In-Person Document Review?

Do the medical before the document review, not just before the interview. Since January 1, 2025, Lagos requires an In-Person Document Review scheduled about two to four weeks before the interview. Aim to complete the exam at least two weeks before that review so the report is on file in time. Do not book the exam more than 3 months before your interview, because it is only valid for 6 months.

How much does the exam cost?

You pay the clinic directly. For applicants 15 and older, community and clinic figures put Q-Life around 68,500 Nigerian naira (roughly $45) and IOM around 57,000 naira (roughly $38), plus the cost of any vaccines. IOM publishes its current fees in monthly payment instruction sheets. Fees change, so confirm the price and accepted payment method when you book.

What is included in the exam?

For applicants 15 and older it includes a medical history review, a physical examination, a chest X-ray, and blood and urine tests. Tuberculosis testing applies to everyone 2 and older. The panel physician also reviews your vaccination records and gives any required vaccines on site. Plan for roughly half a day at the clinic.

Should I get my vaccinations before the exam?

Bring your vaccination records and let the panel physician decide. If you cannot show a record, IOM treats you as not immunized and gives the age-appropriate vaccines, which adds cost. Buying shots in advance on your own can be unnecessary. Note that refusing required vaccines can affect your immigration case.

Do I carry the results to the interview?

The clinic gives you a copy of your vaccination record and a chest X-ray CD, and sends the medical report to the Consulate, often electronically. If you are instead handed a sealed envelope, bring it unopened to the interview and do not open it. The exam is valid for 6 months, so watch that window if your interview is delayed.

Do my Nigerian documents need to be translated for the exam?

Nigerian civil documents issued in English do not need a translation. The Consulate's general rule is that any document not in English must come with a certified English translation and the original, but standard Nigerian birth and marriage certificates are issued in English, so most Lagos applicants do not need translations for this step.

Key takeaways

✓
Use only a Consulate-designated panel physician: in Lagos that is the IOM center on Isaac John Street in Ikeja or Q-Life Family Clinic on Victoria Island. Any other doctor's exam is rejected, and the medical must be done in Nigeria.
✓
Book as soon as the National Visa Center gives you an appointment date, but never more than 3 months before the interview, because the exam is valid for only 6 months.
✓
Time the exam BEFORE your In-Person Document Review, a step Lagos has required since January 1, 2025 and that falls two to four weeks before the interview, not just before interview day.
✓
Budget for the exam plus vaccines: roughly 68,500 naira at Q-Life and 57,000 naira at IOM for applicants 15 and older, paid directly to the clinic. Bring your vaccination records so the doctor only orders what is missing.
✓
The clinic sends the report to the Consulate, often electronically, or gives you a sealed envelope you must not open. Standard English-language Nigerian certificates do not need translation.

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