Before moving to the United States, or travelling there for a long stay, it is important to prepare your medical documents in advance. This matters particularly for families with children, for people who take medicines regularly, and for anyone who has to continue a course of treatment after arriving.
Well-prepared documents will help you explain your medical history to a doctor more quickly, confirm the vaccinations you have had, and avoid repeating tests or procedures you have already been through.
Which medical documents to take with you
Before the flight it is best to gather all the documents you or your family may need after arriving. You do not have to take a lifetime of medical records — the most important and most current information is enough.
First of all, prepare medical summaries, the results of your most recent examinations, vaccination records and documents relating to any treatment you are having.
If the whole family is moving, it is better to put together a separate folder, or a separate electronic archive, for each person.
Medical records and summaries
If you have a chronic condition, or you were treated shortly before the move, ask your doctor to prepare a brief medical summary.
It should set out the diagnoses, the treatment given, the results of important examinations and the doctor's recommendations. That information will help an American specialist understand your situation more quickly. Summaries are particularly useful if you need to stay under a doctor's care after the move.
Test and examination results
If you have recently had a medical examination, keep the test results and the specialists' reports.
These might be:
- laboratory test results;
- X-ray images and reports;
- ultrasound results;
- MRI or CT scans;
- doctors' reports;
- the results of other important examinations.
If medical images are held electronically, it is worth getting copies of the files. Sometimes it is more useful for a doctor to have not only the written report but the images themselves.
Vaccination records
Vaccination records may be needed for study, for work, for certain paperwork and when you go to a medical facility. It is especially important to have vaccination documents for children when a family moves to the United States. Schools and educational institutions may ask for proof of particular vaccinations in line with the rules of the particular state.
If you have an international vaccination certificate or a national immunisation record, keep the original and make an electronic copy.
Translating medical documents
Documents that are not in English can be awkward for American doctors and medical facilities. So it is best to have the main ones translated in advance. You do not have to translate every old test result if it no longer has any practical value. Concentrate first on the documents that may be needed immediately after you arrive.
These include current medical summaries, vaccination records, the list of medicines you have been prescribed and important examination results. If a particular organisation requires a certified or attested translation, you have to follow its requirements exactly.
A list of the medicines you take
If you take medicines regularly, draw up a separate list in advance.
It should give:
- the name of the medicine;
- the active ingredient;
- the dose;
- how often it is taken;
- what it was prescribed for.
It is particularly useful to know not only the trade name used in your country but the active ingredient. Medicine names in the United States can differ. It is also important to check in advance the rules on bringing a particular medicine into the United States. Some medicines that are sold freely in one country can have a different legal status in the United States.
Prescriptions and doctors' instructions
If a medicine was prescribed by a doctor, it is best to keep the prescription or the written instruction. It can help when you go to an American specialist and explain why the medicine is needed.
If you take a medicine continuously, do not count on being able to find an American doctor and get a new prescription straight after you arrive. It is better to plan the transition in advance and check the rules on carrying the quantity you need.
Medical insurance
Medical documents are not the only thing worth preparing before the flight. Working out your insurance cover matters just as much. If insurance is already arranged, keep the details of the plan and your login for the online account. If necessary, print the insurance card or keep an electronic version.
If insurance is going to be arranged after you arrive, look into the possible options in advance and when cover would begin. It is important to understand which medical services the plan you choose covers and which costs may remain your own responsibility.
Medical documents for children
For children it is advisable to prepare a separate set of documents. Besides medical summaries, particular attention should go to the vaccination history. If a child is seen regularly by a paediatrician or another specialist, it is best to bring the most recent reports and test results.
It is also useful to keep information about allergies, prescribed medicines and other important points about the child's health.
Documents for pregnant women
If you are pregnant and planning a flight or a move, your medical records should be prepared with particular care. It is useful to have a current summary from your doctor, examination results and information about how far along the pregnancy is. If your care continues in the United States, these documents will help a new specialist take in your medical history more quickly. Questions about whether it is safe to fly have to be discussed with your doctor in advance, and the requirements of the particular airline taken into account.
Electronic copies
Original medical documents are best backed up with electronic copies. You can keep the documents in secure cloud storage, on a phone or on another reliable device. The important thing is to be able to reach the files even if the phone or the luggage is lost.
A good practice is to have one digital folder of medical documents for each member of the family. File names are better kept clear, for example: “Vaccination_Record”, “Medical_Summary”, “Blood_Test_2026”.
What to put in your hand luggage
The most important medical documents and the medicines you need are better carried in hand luggage than in checked baggage. That way you can reach them as soon as you land, and you reduce the risk of trouble if a suitcase is delayed or lost.
In your hand luggage you can keep a small separate folder with the main documents, prescriptions and information about your medicines.
What to do if the originals are lost
Before the journey it is best not only to make copies but to find out in advance where documents can be replaced. If your medical information is held at a clinic, ask them to supply an electronic copy of the summary or of the test results.
It is also useful to keep the contact details of your doctor or medical facility. In future that will let you request further information remotely.
You do not have to take your whole medical history
One common mistake is to assemble an enormous folder holding every medical document of the past several decades. For most people it is far more useful to prepare current, well-organised information.
If an old examination has no bearing on your present health, a doctor is unlikely to need it in the first days after the move. A recent summary, though, along with information about vaccinations, medicines and important diagnoses, can be very useful indeed.
What to check before the flight
A few days before travelling it is worth going through the family's medical folder once more. Make sure you have current summaries, vaccination records, prescriptions and the list of medicines. Check the electronic copies and make sure the documents can be opened without access to the computer at home. If you take prescription medicines, check separately the rules on carrying them and bringing them into the United States.
Preparing medical documents before the flight helps make the move to the United States more orderly and saves unnecessary difficulty after you arrive. First of all, take current medical summaries, the results of important examinations, vaccination records, prescriptions and information about the medicines you take. Documents that are not in English are best translated in advance if an American doctor or institution may need them.
The originals of the most important documents, and the medicines you need, are better kept in your hand luggage, with the electronic copies stored somewhere safe.
The better organised your medical information is before the journey, the easier it will be to continue treatment and get medical care after the move.
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