Fit to fly certificate in Koh Samui

When an airline asks for proof you can fly

Airlines can refuse boarding if they believe a passenger is unwell, recently injured, or too far into pregnancy. A fit-to-fly certificate is a doctor's letter confirming you have been examined and are medically safe to travel by air. Most major carriers — Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways, Emirates, Qatar and the main European airlines among them — accept a certificate issued by a licensed Thai physician, and check-in staff at Samui airport ask for one more often than travellers expect.

You will usually need one if you are:

• Flying after an accident, surgery or a hospital stay — including motorbike injuries, fractures or fresh stitches
• Pregnant and past 28 weeks, when most airlines require a doctor's letter to board
• Travelling with a cast, sling, recent wound or other visible injury
• Recovering from an illness such as pneumonia, dengue or a collapsed lung
• Rebooking after missing a flight through sickness, and your airline or insurer wants medical confirmation

How it works at our Chaweng clinic

No appointment is needed — walk in any day of the week, and a doctor is on call 24 hours for urgent cases. Our English-speaking doctors review your history, examine you, check your vital signs and, where needed, run tests in the on-site lab before issuing the certificate; the pharmacy on site can dispense anything prescribed for the journey. Bring your passport and flight details, plus any hospital paperwork if you were treated elsewhere. Most travellers leave within 30–45 minutes carrying a signed, stamped certificate in English that airlines recognise.

If you cannot reach us — you are on bed rest, injured, or staying on the far side of the island — we arrange a doctor hotel visit anywhere on Samui and complete the examination at your villa or resort instead.

Flying after diving, illness or an accident

A few situations deserve special mention. If you have been scuba diving, allow a proper surface interval before flying — generally at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours or more after repetitive dives — and get checked if you feel unwell. If you were hurt in a motorbike accident, the doctor will confirm your injuries are stable enough for cabin pressure changes and hours of sitting. Blocked ears or sinuses from an infection can make descent genuinely painful, so it is worth an examination rather than gambling on the flight. And if you have chest pain, severe shortness of breath or sudden severe abdominal pain, do not fly — go to a hospital emergency department immediately.

Cost, insurance and getting it today

The fit-to-fly examination and certificate is a fixed-fee service, and we offer direct billing with most travel insurers when the assessment forms part of covered treatment. If your airline, employer or insurer simply needs written confirmation of an illness, a standard medical certificate may be all you require — we issue both. To get a Fit to fly certificate in Koh Samui the same day, walk in to the clinic in Chaweng, message us on WhatsApp, or call +66 83 150 2520, and we will have you cleared and ready for check-in.

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