Once your have mailed your Packet 3 to the US embassy, you should get an email back from them within a few days notifying you of your interview date and time. Once you receive this email, call a hospital to have your medical exam and vaccination scheduled. The embassy only accepts medical results from Bumrungrad Hospital (Bangkok), Bangkok Nursing Home (BNH; Bangkok), and McCormick Hospital (Chiang Mai). The hospital will not honor your request to schedule an appointment without the interview email from the embassy so make sure you have that first. At this stage, your case status should appear as Ready on this website.
Read first
- IR-1 DCF Visa: Basic information
- IR-1 DCF Visa: My timeline
- IR-1 DCF Visa: Step 1 Filing I-130 petition
- IR-1 DCF Visa: Step 2 Obtaining a police clearance certificate
- IR-1 DCF Visa: Step 3 Mailing Packet 3 to the US Embassy
Tips
- Use photocopies of all your documents.
- Your medical exam report is only valid for 6 months. Do not rush to the hospital until you know the exact date of your interview. If at your interview, your report is older than 6 months, you’ll need to get a new exam.
- The 6-month validity also determines the validity of your visa. If your departure date is 6 months past the issue date on your report, your visa is deemed invalid. You’ll have to repeat your medical exam and interview.
- For vaccinations, you can start completing them at any time even prior to knowing your interview date. It can be done at any hospital or clinic. I chose to have mine at the Bumrungrad Hospital for convenience. For a cheaper option, you may visit Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute or your local clinic. Just make sure you have a record of every vaccine received.
- For complete protection, certain vaccines require subsequent booster injections 1-6 months after the first injection. But what matters most (and the only dose the embassy cares about) is the first dose. As long as you have proof of the first injection, you’re fine. Whether to get the remaining doses is totally up to you. Or you may choose to have the first dose in Thailand and the rest in the US, though I recommend completing a full course in Thailand as the price is considerably cheaper than in the US.
- If your chest X-ray contains abnormalities, the doctor will request sputum collection for 3 consecutive days. If treatment is needed, you’ll also have to start taking meds which will take some time to clear up your lungs. If you don’t get the “normal” results back by the interview date, you must contact the embassy to reschedule. Medical exam reports with X-ray abnormalities are valid for only 3 months from the date of issuance.
- The report is issued in English language so there’s no need to get a translation.
- When picking up your report, the nurse will give you 2 big envelopes. The brown envelope is to be given to the consular officer untampered whereas the white envelope you can open and keep for your reference.
- For complete information, visit this page.
Instructions and my experience
IR-1 DCF Visa: Step 4 Medical exam and vaccination
Ingredients
- 1. Passport
- 2. National ID
- 3. 4 1.5x2" or 2x2" photos
- 4. Interview email from the embassy
- 5. Your address and phone number in Thailand
- 6. Your address and phone number in the US
- 7. Email address
- 8. Vaccination record (if any)
- 9. Form DS2054, DS3025, DS3026, DS3030 (provided by the hospital)
- 10. Cash or credit card to pay for the exam and vaccination
Instructions
Upon receiving the interview email from the embassy, contact Bumrungrad Hospital at 02-667-1000 to schedule your exam.
They will ask for your name, last name, phone number, and brief medical history before setting up your appointment.
On the appointment date, try to get there early so you don't have to wait long. I got there at 6:30 AM and there were already some people before me. When arrived at the hospital, look for Clinic Building then take the elevator to the 10th floor where you'll complete a new patient registration. Then the hospital staff will hand you some papers to bring up to the 15th floor.
I was scheduled to have an appointment with Dr Watcharapong (นพ. วัชระพงศ์ แซ่ซือ) whose office is located on the 15th floor, Counter C. I contacted a front desk nurse and was asked to leave my documents including vaccination history with her. A moment later she came back to let me know what vaccines I needed. She then instructed me to pay at the cashier (I paid a total of 10,366 Baht).
Initial tests include blood pressure, fever, height, and weight measurement and eye examination. Then wait in the waiting area until you're called to meet with the doctor.
The doctor will ask you general questions such as if you have had certain diseases before or if you're allergic to anything. Then you'll be instructed to lie on the patient examining bed where the doctor will inspect your eyes, ears, and inside of your mouth. After that, you will go through blood and urine collection process. If you are female and on that time of a month, notify your doctor beforehand so that he can interpret your urinalysis results accordingly.
To ease your blood collection, try to wear a short-sleeved shirt or long sleeves that can be rolled up to above the elbow.
Next you will given a plastic cup with lid to collect your urine. Before collecting, clean up your area properly and only collect midstream urine (middle part of the urinary flow) for the most accurate results.
While waiting for your blood and urine results, another hospital staff will bring you down to the 12th floor for a chest X-ray. You'll have to change your shirt to a hospital shirt. There's a locker to keep your belongings during X-ray.
When done with the X-ray, take the elevator back up to the 15th floor and wait for your vaccination (if you need one). In my case, I received Tdap (Boostrix) and Varicella (Varilrix).
Wait for your initial test results. My results were all normal so I was allowed to leave. I was scheduled to pick up my official report 2 days after. The whole exam process took 2 hours for me.
When picking up your report, you will receive 2 envelopes. The brown one is not to be tampered with in any way. It must stay sealed until your interview date and can only be opened by the consular officer. The white one you can open and keep for your record. The report is valid for 6 months from the date of issuance. It will also determine the validity of your visa.
Notes
Directions to Bumrungrad Hospital
Take the BTS and get off at Nana station. Take Exit 1, walk along Sukhumvit road and turn right onto Sukhumvit 3 road (Soi Nana Nua). Take a short walk along the road until you see the hospital entrance on your left adjacent to the Embassy of Pakistan.
Contact Bumrungrad Hospital
Address: 33 Sukhumvit 3 (Soi Nana Nua), Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Office hours: 24 hours
Phone: 02-066-8888
Email: info@bumrungrad.com
Website: bumrungrad.com
This post is also available in: Thai
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