Key points

  • Carry the originals of your medical records and keep digital copies.
  • Bring the hospital's letter and your visa documents in your hand luggage.
  • Attendants need their own passports, visas and copies of the patient's key documents.

This checklist covers what international patients and their attendants usually need to bring. Hospitals and visa rules differ, so confirm the details for your case with the hospital and on the official Government of India visa portal.

Travel documents

  • Passport, valid for the period the visa rules require, for the patient and each attendant
  • Visa: medical visa for the patient, medical attendant visa for those travelling with them. See our medical visa page.
  • Printed copy of the visa approval
  • The hospital’s letter describing the proposed treatment
  • Flight tickets and the address of where you will stay
  • Travel insurance documents, if you have them

Medical documents

  • All recent medical reports, consultation notes and discharge summaries
  • Imaging on disc or as downloaded files, as well as the written reports
  • Pathology reports, and any slides or blocks the hospital has asked for
  • A current list of medicines, with generic names and doses
  • Enough of your regular medicines for the whole stay, in original packaging, with a prescription
  • Records of allergies and vaccinations

Our guide on sending medical records explains which records hospitals usually want before you travel.

Financial documents

  • The hospital’s written estimate
  • A way to pay the hospital deposit and bills: international cards, bank transfer arrangements or other methods the hospital accepts
  • Insurer or employer authorisation letters, if someone else is paying

Read managing money and payments during treatment.

Practical items

  • Contact numbers for the hospital’s international desk and your coordinator
  • A phone that will work in India, or a plan to buy a local SIM on arrival
  • Copies of all documents stored securely online, separate from the originals

After arrival

Some visa categories require foreign nationals to register with the immigration authorities after arrival. Check the conditions printed on your visa, or ask the hospital’s international desk, as soon as you arrive. See arriving in India for treatment.