From people living with HIV and organisations supporting our community.
29 experiences
In a July 2026 report, a foreign resident's appeal against an HIV-related deportation order was rejected. The court declined to apply the family exemption because his marriage took place after the original exclusion decision.
Read sourceA traveller describes a two-week tourist visit in 2026 with no questions at immigration. Their bag was scanned, but their HIV medication was not flagged.
Read sourceReporting on a 2024 holiday, a traveller says they entered Egypt without problems. Their baggage was scanned and the month's supply of HIV medication they carried was not flagged.
Read sourceA former resident reports leaving voluntarily after an HIV diagnosis during a visa-renewal exam. When they tried to return three months later, airline check-in showed an entry ban. A later visa application was also refused.
Read sourceIn a discussion about travelling with ART, a commenter reports a two-week visit the previous month with their medication bottle and no reported problems.
Read sourceA teacher reports living and working across Thailand and Vietnam for seven years. They say visa and work-permit applications went smoothly and their medical examinations did not include HIV testing.
Read sourceOne commenter names Italy, Türkiye, Denmark, Dubai and China, reporting that their medication did not lead to being stopped.
Read sourceA commenter reports travelling frequently to both destinations with medication and a prescription, without being stopped.
Read sourceA commenter says they visited Japan that summer and encountered no issues.
Read sourceLe Mauricien reports that a foreign care worker was sent back to Madagascar in May 2026 after her HIV status was disclosed to her employer. She had been living and working in Mauritius for several years.
Read sourceThe author reports entering with their ARV medication without questions from customs or immigration, and without being asked for a prescription.
Read sourceA traveller reports leaving the airport during a 24-hour Dubai stopover with medication in their bag. They say the bag went through an X-ray machine but was not searched, and they encountered no medication questions.
Read sourceA commenter says they had just returned from a two-week trip to Japan and South Korea and describes a positive experience.
Read sourceA traveller describes carrying their medication and a doctor’s note on a China trip via Dubai, with no medication questions during the journey.
Read sourceAn applicant reports that a work-visa health check included an HIV test. They say the positive result caused them to fail the examination and their application was rejected.
Read sourceA visitor says customs let them bring HIV medication after checking a prescription. Later, an NGO helped arrange a one-month refill, but the visitor reports hospital paperwork and a long-stay permit requirement made continuing treatment difficult.
Read sourceA commenter living with HIV describes moving to Australia on a short-term skilled visa, later receiving permanent residency after an 18-month process, and eventually becoming a citizen. They stress that each case is different.
Read sourceA different commenter describes consulting an immigration lawyer about moving to Australia for work. They report being told that permanent residency would be difficult and describe a temporary visa as the option available to them at the time.
Read sourceA commenter describes living in Thailand for two years and travelling to a Bangkok clinic for laboratory checks and medication.
Read sourceA community member describes travelling to Munich in July 2024 to speak at the International AIDS Conference. She highlights the chance to share her experience of HIV care and connect with people from other countries.
Read sourceA long-term resident of Thailand reports paying for Biktarvy and twice-yearly blood tests. The reply describes their own treatment costs while comparing healthcare in Thailand and Vietnam; their HIV treatment experience is in Thailand.
Read sourceA commenter reports transiting through Qatar in 2023 without their bag being checked. In the same reply, they describe carrying a doctor's note on their travels and say they had not been questioned about medication during other journeys.
Read sourceIn a 2022 discussion about HIV medication, a commenter recalls carrying their pills and a doctor's note on a 2014 visit. When asked whether airport security had questioned the pills, they reply that it had not.
Read sourceA foreign permanent resident reports receiving HIV medication and blood tests through Clínica Condesa in Mexico City without insurance charges. They describe collecting several months of medication at a time and paying separately for optional private consultations.
Read sourceA commenter reports visiting the United States, Canada, Türkiye, the Netherlands, France and Germany after their HIV diagnosis. They say they encountered no problems carrying their antiretroviral medication and had prescription documentation available.
Read sourceAnother commenter reports taking medication to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Czechia, Japan, New Zealand and Fiji without encountering problems. The reply appears in a discussion about travel after an HIV diagnosis.
Read sourceA commenter living in Vietnam reports paying for a generic single-tablet HIV regimen and routine blood tests. They share their own treatment experience in response to a question about maintaining medication during a longer stay in Asia.
Read sourceA 2020 commenter describes earlier trips to Australia, France, Austria, Belgium, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Hong Kong, reporting no medication questions at airports.
Read sourceIn January 2020, a young adult living with HIV joined a Youth Across Borders trip to Honduras. She describes a welcoming visit, time with young people living with HIV, and a wish to return.
Read sourceExperiences describe individual outcomes, not current entry rules. Sources & approach ↗