Medical Examination Procedure
You must appear on your scheduled time with the required documents at the Tirana Panel Clinic, located at Rruga e Kavajes, Kompleksi Delijorgji, Kulla H, Tirana, Albania. This is the only center recognized by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to perform all the tests required for your application (chest X-Ray, blood tests, and urine test,) and other tests if necessary. Private parking is available (managed privately by building administrators).
Each visa applicant, regardless of age, is required to appear for the medical examination.
Important Notice: For the chest x ray you will be asked to disrobe from the waist up and you will need to remove any jewelry, eyeglasses, body piercings, or other metal on your person. Tell your doctor if you have a surgically implanted device, such as a heart valve or pacemaker.
Our secretary will guide you with the necessary parts of the process which are Medical Examination and Vaccination, Chest X-ray (CXR), Blood Test and Urine Test. Please follow carefully the guidance of our staff.
When You Arrive
You will be asked to disrobe for the medical examination. Please choose what you will be wearing at the day of the exam accordingly. Note that you may be called slightly earlier or later of your scheduled time, due to individual circumstances of the previous applicant being processed. Please keep quiet and be patient. We will serve you in a professional manner.
Upon your arrival at our office, we will collect the required documents, update our records, and then will direct you to the lab, located in the same building. Once the medical test results are out (except for gonorrhea testing which requires two days), the panel physicians will make your physical examination and they will fill out your medical reports (depending on your medical history, physical and x-ray and lab results).
The Medical Report
A medical report is usually valid only for 6 months. If you apply for a repeat medical examination you must make a new appointment and repeat the physical examination, blood test, urine test and x-ray.
Most of the cases need one working day for the medical examination. The final medical report for cases with “No Results” will be submitted directly from our office to the Consular Section in about two working days after your medical appointment date. Some cases may require extra tests in order to complete your final report, which means that you will need more days. You may be required to come back to our clinic for further treatment.
In case panel physician provides you the medical envelope, you must submit the sealed envelope to the embassy. You may not open the envelope. Only employees of the Consular Section may open the sealed envelope. You should not send the chest X-ray CD to the U.S. Embassy, unless you are an asylee. You will be provided with a copy of your vaccination documentation worksheet, which you may need in order to be able to register your child into a U.S. school, etc. Please take the original chest X-Ray to the U.S.
Applicants with signs or symptoms of TB, Syphilis, or Gonorrhea
In accordance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) instructions, you may be required to undergo additional testing for Tuberculosis (TB), which may take an additional time of 8-10 weeks for the results to become available, and one week for gonorrhea. In such cases, you must appear for your interview as scheduled, and we will submit your medical directly to the U.S. Consular Section once it is ready. The Panel Physician’s Office will also notify the U.S. Consular Section regarding any applicants referred for further TB culture testing or gonorrhea, so that you don’t experience any delays on the date of your visa interview. If the applicant’s results are TB, Syphilis, or gonorrhea positive, he or she will need to undergo a compulsory TB or gonorrhea treatment by the panel physician’s staff. Note that only the cost of TB treatment is covered by the panel physicians.
Note: The validity of your visa will be limited to the validity of your medical report. Medical reports classified as “Class B (TB)” are valid for 3 months from the date on which the doctor signed the report. All other medical reports classified as “No apparent disease or defect” are valid for 6 months from the date on which the doctor signed the report.
Possible Delays
When you are here, some delays in the procedure may occur either because of your test results or because of the other applicants. There may also be visa applicants seeking for urgent medical care in the same day. Please be patient and follow our staff’s guidance.