Seven questions to ask a sexual health clinic abroad before you go
Finding a clinic's name is the easy part. These questions decide whether you, as a visitor, will actually be seen, and what it will cost.
Most clinic directories tell you where a clinic is. Almost none tell you whether a traveller can use it. After researching clinics in 37 cities, these are the seven questions that most often had no answer on the clinic’s own website, and that are worth a two-minute call, email or WhatsApp message before you cross town.
1. Do you see short-term visitors?
This is the question everything else depends on. Some services are for residents of one region only. Some free community clinics are free for nationals and simply don’t mention foreigners. Others are explicit: Melbourne Sexual Health Centre says its on-site services are free for everyone, including international visitors, and Toronto’s HQ clinic says people without Canadian health coverage are seen with a passport.
Ask it plainly: “I’m visiting for two weeks and don’t live here. Can I be seen?”
2. Can a clinician examine and treat me, or is this testing only?
A rapid-testing site, an LGBTQ+ health organisation and a clinic that assesses and treats symptoms are three different things. Many community checkpoints do excellent screening but will send you elsewhere if you have symptoms. If something hurts, burns or has appeared, say so when you ask, and look for “Seen with symptoms” and “Treatment on site” on our listings.
3. How do I book, and does it work with a foreign phone?
This is where visitors most often get stuck. Online booking that needs a local mobile number, a national ID, a postcode or an account can stop you at the first screen. One Sydney testing service states that STI screening requires an Australian mobile number. Ask whether there’s a walk-in session, a phone line, or a WhatsApp or LINE number, and whether a foreign number is fine.
4. What do I need to bring?
Passport or other photo ID is the usual answer, but not always: some clinics test anonymously and ask for nothing. If you take PrEP or any other medication, bring the packaging. If you’ve had a recent test, a photo of the result helps.
5. What will it cost me, in total?
Ask for the whole bill, not just the test price. The consultation is often charged separately, and the fee for non-residents can be much higher than the one on the website. Ask: “What would a visitor pay for a consultation plus an HIV and STI check?” See our guide to what visitors pay for worked examples.
6. Which samples do you take?
If you have oral or anal sex, a urine sample alone can miss infections in the throat and rectum. Ask whether the clinic takes throat and rectal swabs. Clinics that serve gay and bi men and trans people usually do; general clinics may not unless you ask.
7. How do I get my results if I’ve already left?
Lab results can take days. Ask how they’re delivered (text, email, online portal, phone call) and whether that works abroad. Some clinics can’t send results by email, and “no news is good news” policies are awkward if you’ve changed SIM card. If treatment might be needed after you’ve moved on, ask what they’d advise.
A message you can copy
Hello. I’m visiting from abroad and don’t live here. Could you tell me: can visitors be seen at your clinic, how do I book without a local phone number, what should I bring, and roughly what would a consultation with HIV and STI tests cost? Thank you.
If it might be urgent
If you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, don’t spend that time emailing. Go to the urgent page, which tells you where to go first.
Where To Test is a directory, not a clinical service. Rules and prices change; every figure here links to its source and the date we checked. Spotted something out of date? Use “Something wrong? Tell us” on any clinic page.