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International Travel: COVID-19 Clearance
ALWAYS CALL 111
IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
The doctors in our urgent care clinic are all skilled and experienced in dealing with all types of urgent medical care, "everything and anything" that comes in through the door.
Are you travelling overseas?
Our clinics provide an efficient COVID-19 testing service to ensure your travel clearance is as straightforward and stress-free as possible. We have assisted hundreds of travelers to navigate this process, and pride ourselves for our round the clock customer service, as well as being able to facilitate a greatly expediated turnaround of results for our clients in extenuating circumstances.
Nasopharyngeal PCR Test
Some countries, including China, Japan and Niue, still require a COVID-19 RT-PCR) test at 24, 48 or 72 hours prior to your flight. It is also required for entry into certain countries if you are unvaccinated.
This will be a nasopharyngeal (nose) or oral swab. For the nasal test, the doctor will gently introduce a cotton-tip swab into the back of the nasal passage to take a sample. People describe this as a slightly 'stingy & ticklish' sensation that lasts 5 seconds. It is often well tolerated as if done professionally by a qualified doctor.
The entire process will take 10-15 minutes.
The current testing timeframes are:
China: 24 & 48 hours prior to travel (First test anytime 2 days prior to travel, Second test AFTER 3PM one day before travel)
Niue: 48 hours prior to travel
Japan: 72 hours prior to travel + government travel certificate
Please click here for more information on testing for China.
Rapid Antigen Test (RATs)
Some countries require RATs within 24 hours of travel. RATs may also be required pre-boarding for sea travel eg. cruise ships.
The doctor will perform your RAT test and conduct a basic assessment to ensure you are well and fit to fly.
Once your negative result is confirmed, you will receive a travel certificate containing all the required details to certify that you are fit to fly. Please double check all details are correct prior to leaving the clinic.
For all tests:
Please bring along your passport (or be able to show this to us on a phone), to verify your details.
A copy of your fit to fly certificate and test result will be emailed to you. You do not need to return to the clinic to collect a hard copy of your results; most hotels will assist with printing out the hard copies, and we can also do this for you if required.
We strongly advise that you check with your airline and destination country regarding their Covid-19 related entry requirements prior to booking, as requirements can change suddenly and at short notice.
Additional certification
Some countries, for example Japan, require an additional certificate to be completed. We have copies of this certificate in our clinic. This will be completed once your PCR test results are back and this is emailed to you. You do not need to return to the clinic to collect the original copy.
What are the steps?
1. Book you test online (preferred), via email or phone. Please provide the following details:
a. Full name (as per your passport, with family name in BLOCK LETTERS)
b. Date of Birth
c. Passport number
d. Destination, Date & Time of Travel
e. Timeframe requirement for test to be done
e. Email & Cell phone number
2. Bring along your passport to your appointment.
3. For delivery of your swab, you have two options:
a. Drop off the swab at the main Labtest testing facility located at 37 Carbine Rd, Mt Wellington. We will provide instructions for this.
b. We can arrange an urgent private courier for you to deliver your swab to the lab on your behalf immediately after your appointment. Additional fee applies.
4. You will receive the results in approximately 24 hours, usually by 12:00 the next day. We have a dedicated travel team that monitors results on a regular basis (including after hours, weekends, Public holidays, even if our clinic is closed).
5. We email your official Negative test result & a fit-to-fly certificate, which you can print out at home (no need to come back to clinic to collect). If you don't have access to a printer, you can come back to the clinic to pick up a hard copy of the documents.
We understand that travelling internationally and organizing your COVID-19 clearance test can be stressful. Our goal is to ensure that this process as straightforward and stress-free as possible.
If you need to have your swab done outside of our listed hours, or if you need a same-day travel test, do contact us directly at [email protected] and we will try our best to accommodate you.
Our goal is to ensure that your COVID-19 clearance process as straightforward and stress-free as possible.
For PCR tests - please be aware that all tests are processed by one main lab (Labtests Auckland), and processing times may be longer during a surge in testing, such as during the current Omnicron outbreak. Swab results are taking up 24 - 48 hours to return and as of 15th Feb 2021, Labtest has advised you will need to deliver the swab yourself to the lab.
https://www.labtests.co.nz/2021/08/23/covid-19-turnaround-times-and-important-information-for-patients/
Please plan your swab accordingly.
In addition, countries can change their entry requirements abruptly within 24 hours. Please check the requirements carefully, including on the day of your test. While we are happy to help you plan the date/time of your swab, please understand that it is ultimately the passenger's responsibility to ensure that the type of test & timing requested meets the requirements of the destination country +/- airline; and that we cannot be held liable if a passenger is refused entry to their final destination due to a new/ sudden change in regulations, or if the swab timing falls outside of the required time frame.
Thank you for your understanding.
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