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Timing of Tests

China requires TWO negative PCR tests prior to travel from New Zealand to China.

1. The first test (48 hour test) is done anytime TWO days before your flight date.
2. The second test (24 hour test) is done anytime after 3pm ONE DAY before your flight date, or on the same day of the flight (We do not recommend this).

We are open on Sundays from 3pm - 4pm by private appointment. Please email us for this.

Please bring your passport for your appointment for verification purposes.

Location of Tests

The requirement is that the sampling for the two tests must be administered by either:

1. Two different facilities; OR
2. The same facility, but done over 24 hours apart

We have two testing facility locations: Viaduct Doctors and Ponsonby Doctors, each with its own distinct facility logo and stamp (see above logos)

We can perform your tests either in the same facility, or at either clinics, within the required timeframes.

Certificates will be issued under the two different testing facility names if required.

Rest assured that we have helped many clients with this process utilising either option 1) or 2), and have never had anyone fail to board their flight due to issues with the testing facility requirement.

** Please note there is only ONE lab certified to do Covid-19 testing for China-bound passengers (Labtest Auckland). No matter which testing facility you do the tests, it will be processed at this laboratory.

Delivery of Swab Tests to Laboratory

The laboratory (Labtests Auckland) highly recommends that swabs are delivered directly to the testing area of the Laboratory to facilitate a faster turnaround. The lab is 15 min drive (without traffic) from both our clinics.

We acknowledge that if transiting through Auckland, you will most likely not have a vehicle, hence we offer a personal courier service to deliver your swab directly to the laboratory door.

The cost for this service is $65 (the price of a return taxi fare).

You may choose to take the sample yourself to the laboratory via Uber. We will provide an information sheet with detailed instructions for this.

Given that turnaround times over the past few months have been much shorter (within 24 fours), and we can mark your lab forms specially to ensure an expedited turnaround, you may choose to use our standard Labtest courier which runs at regular intervals from our clinic for your 48 hours test. We still recommend using a personal courier for the 24 hour test as there is a shorter time frame from testing time to departure time.

This is particularly important during the weekend.

Timeframe for Results

We expect all Travel swab results to be issued overnight, or at least by 9am the following morning (faster if the sample is delivered directly to the lab).

Our practice is to send out your results, along with a fit to fly certificate, by 11am the following day. If you have not received this, please check your junk/spam mail folder, and then contact us by email or phone if you have not received your results by 12pm on the day of your flight.

During Weekends, your results are often issued within the same day.

It is Labtests’ Policy to issue a text or statement to you (if delivered directly), stating that results "will be available within 72 hours". Please do not panic - it has been our experience so far this year that (barring an emergency at the Laboratory eg. machine breakdown), all results are issued within 24 hours.

Please also note that all documentation is sent out in PDF form, you will need to upload these in JPEG format.

Unexpected Positive Tests

From time to time, we have received positive results on an otherwise well client who already has 2x negative tests prior to flying into New Zealand. Our testing machines are very sensitive and will pick up the tiniest bit of viral RNA if there has been a historical infection, which is often unrecognised.

If this is the case, we will recall you to our clinic as soon as possible, especially if this is the 24 hour test. This often ends up being done on the morning of the flight.

We will repeat the test and liaise with the laboratory pathologist directly to organise an expedited testing on a different machine.

The lab is often understanding and will help facilitate this.

While this personalised service is inclusive within our fees, you will be required to pay for any additional tests (as each test performed incurs a charge from the laboratory), and may be required to change your flights and extend your stay in NZ if you keep returning positive tests.

We acknowledge that this is likely to be a stressful process, and we ask for your patience while we work through this with you and the laboratory.

So far, we have managed to help all our clients successfully navigate through this process.

Fees

Our fee for this service is $260 ($290 on Sundays).

This is inclusive of:

1. The testing fee charged by the laboratory (which is more then half the total fee we charge);
2. Our service fee, including performing the swab, issuing the medical certificates, amendments
3. All correspondence with the laboratory should there be any issues such as a positive results

Rest assured that having undertaken this process for over 2 years since the pandemic started, our team understands your needs, and is highly experienced in helping you through this.

Our service includes responding outside of normal working hours, including weekends and public holidays.

For more details - refer to the Chinese Consulate's page;

Q&As on Applying for Health Code (July 2022)

Our direct contact details:

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Or contact Dr. Rachel Lee by WeChat-

What are the steps?

1. ‍Book your test online (preferred), via email or phone. Please provide the following details: ‍
2. > Full name (as per your passport, with family name in BLOCK LETTERS)
3. > Date of Birth
4. > Passport number
5. > Destination, Date & Time of Travel
6. > Timeframe requirement for test to be done
7. > Email & Cell phone number ‍
8. Bring along your passport to your appointment.
9. For delivery of your swab, you have two options:‍
10. > Drop off the swab at the main Labtest testing facility located at 37 Carbine Rd, Mt Wellington. We will provide instructions for this.
11. > 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.‍
12. 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). ‍
13. 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.

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