Requirements change. This checklist helps you gather documents early; confirm the current rules with the official authorities and your receiving hospital before travel.
Passport and visa
- Passport with validity that covers the entire trip — confirm how much validity the visa office and airline require.
- Medical visa, applied for through the official Government of India e-visa portal well before travel.
- Separate visa requirements for a companion or attendant — visa categories apply per person.
- Hospital invitation or appointment letter, where the hospital or the visa process asks for it. A letter supports an application; it is not visa approval.
- Printed copies of the visa and application, plus recent passport-size photographs.
Medical records
- Consultation notes and any discharge summaries from doctors at home.
- Imaging files or discs with written reports — key scans matter more than a written report alone.
- Recent blood test results, and an ECG or echocardiogram where relevant to your condition.
- A current medicines list with doses and any allergies.
- A referral letter if you have one from a doctor at home.
Copies versus originals
Keep originals of your passport and essential documents. For imaging and reports, share copies or files first — a hospital may ask for the originals or reload them into its own system once you arrive. Do not surrender originals to anyone other than the receiving hospital, and get back anything the hospital holds at discharge.
Money and practical items
- A payment plan confirmed before travel: currency, cards, transfer or the hospital's payment desk.
- Travel insurance, where available and appropriate — confirm whether it covers surgery abroad.
- The contact details of the doctor or hospital that issued your reports.
- A written hospital estimate and the name of the person who issued it, so the number does not change silently.
Why the checklist matters for each corridor
Bangladesh patients using the knee replacement or heart surgery pages and Kenyan patients on the Kenya knee or Kenya heart pages will find the same document themes being handled in the corridor guides, including the Kenya corridor guide.
Share copies of medical documents first; send originals only when a hospital or authority asks for them. Medical decisions, including whether surgery is appropriate for you, are made by qualified clinicians after reviewing your case.