If Emirates asks for a MEDIF, you complete Part 1 and your treating doctor completes Part 2. Your final submission must reach Emirates at least 48 hours before departure, and the airline makes the clearance decision.
Send the form and flight details before requesting a medical report assessment. The doctor needs to confirm suitability, records and any examination or tests required before you proceed.
What is a MEDIF, and when does Emirates require one?
MEDIF is the standard medical information form used across the airline industry for passengers whose health might affect their fitness to fly. Emirates publishes exactly when it asks for one: when a passenger has a medical condition that may require oxygen, a stretcher, a medical escort or other special arrangements; that may need medical equipment on board; that could deteriorate during the flight or be affected by the cabin environment; that prevents the passenger caring for themselves independently; or that could pose a direct threat to health or safety during the flight. A MEDIF is also required whenever fitness to travel is uncertain because of recent illness, treatment, surgery or medical instability.
Emirates also publishes when a MEDIF is generally not required. Its list includes passengers who need wheelchair assistance only, where no medical assessment, special medical assistance or medical equipment is required; stable, well-controlled conditions that are not expected to be affected by the cabin environment and are not expected to need medical assistance during the journey; and the carriage or use of an approved CPAP device or an approved portable oxygen concentrator, provided no medical clearance is otherwise required. Whether any of this applies to you is ultimately the airline's call - if Emirates has told you clearance is needed, the MEDIF is the route, and if you are unsure, ask the airline before assuming either way.
The point worth understanding before you start is who reads the form. Emirates Medical Services - the airline's own medical team, not the check-in desk - assesses the MEDIF, and the information supplied needs to be accurate and relevant to your journey. The airline may contact you or your treating doctor for clarification before deciding, and it requires the completed form at least 48 hours before the flight.
Who completes Part 1 and Part 2
The Emirates MEDIF has two parts. Part 1 is completed by you, the passenger - your details, itinerary, the medical information relevant to your fitness to fly, and any assistance or special arrangements you need. Emirates asks only for medical information relevant to the journey, not your full history. Part 2 must be completed by your treating physician: the clinical assessment the airline's medical team will rely on.
The sequence Emirates publishes is this: download the MEDIF PDF from the Emirates website and complete Part 1; your doctor completes Part 2 and sends the completed form to Emirates' dedicated MEDIF address, accessibletravelassist@emirates.com; Emirates then forwards the final submission back to you; and you review it and submit it to the airline for checking. Emirates asks that this final submission is completed at least 48 hours before departure, and that the form reflects your condition within one month of the date travel begins. If your condition changes before you fly, Emirates must be told immediately.
That last point matters clinically: the doctor completing Part 2 is certifying your state close to departure. A form completed months early, or one that no longer matches your condition, is not what the airline is asking for.
What does the airline's medical team assess?
Emirates publishes the physiological reasoning its assessors apply, and it is the same reasoning your doctor should work through in Part 2. At cruising altitude, cabin pressure is lower than at sea level, and trapped gases in the body expand - relevant after recent surgery and for conditions involving the ears, sinuses, lungs or gut. Cabin altitude is typically equivalent to about 6,000 to 8,000 feet, which Emirates explains means oxygen availability roughly 20 to 25 per cent lower than at sea level - relevant to anyone with cardiac, respiratory or blood disorders.
Emirates asks the treating physician to assess and document the diagnosis and current clinical status, the stability of the condition and response to treatment, the likelihood of deterioration during travel, the ability to tolerate the cabin environment, mobility and the ability to sit upright and manage essential self-care, and any need for support such as supplemental oxygen, medical equipment, a wheelchair or an escort. A consultation that works through exactly those points gives the doctor what Part 2 actually asks for.
The airline also lists conditions generally considered unsuitable for air travel until stabilised or resolved - among them severe anaemia or significant hypoxaemia, unstable angina or uncontrolled heart failure, recent heart attack or stroke where the condition remains unstable, severe respiratory disease or a recent collapsed lung, gastrointestinal conditions with bleeding or obstruction risk, and uncontrolled seizures. If any of these apply, the honest sequence is treatment first and the form after, and your doctor should say so plainly.
How is a MEDIF different from a fit-to-fly letter?
A fit-to-fly letter is a short doctor's statement that, in their opinion, you are fit to travel by air - appropriate for straightforward situations such as stable conditions or later pregnancy within the airline's permitted window. A MEDIF is the structured clearance process for situations beyond that. If Emirates has asked you for a MEDIF, a letter does not substitute for it, so check the exact requirement rather than sending a different document. If your situation is straightforward, a standard fit-to-fly letter may be the document the airline requires - the airline's own guidance, or a quick check with them, settles which applies.
What if you fly regularly
Passengers who fly frequently with an ongoing condition can apply for Emirates' Frequent Traveller Medical Card (FREMEC), which is an option to ask the airline about if you travel frequently with an ongoing condition. A MEDIF must be completed for the FREMEC application itself, using the PDF form. For passengers who travel between London and the Gulf several times a year, it is worth asking about, but ask Emirates which documents it needs for your circumstances.
Oxygen and medical equipment on board
If you need oxygen or medical equipment in flight, the MEDIF is where that is assessed - it is one of the explicit triggers for the form. Emirates distinguishes between passengers who need in-flight oxygen or other special arrangements, which require clearance, and passengers travelling with their own approved CPAP device or portable oxygen concentrator, which generally do not require a MEDIF on their own but must meet the equipment requirements and conditions of carriage Emirates publishes. If equipment is any part of your situation, raise it at the start of the consultation: the form asks for specifics, and the airline assesses the request against the aircraft and route.
What does the GP need from you?
Part 2 asks for diagnosis, stability, recent treatment, medicines, functional capacity and any in-flight support needs. To complete it accurately the doctor needs the MEDIF PDF with your Part 1 completed; your discharge summary or clinic letters if the condition is recent - for post-operative cases the operation note or discharge paperwork usually answers much of the form; your exact current medicine list; and your flight details: dates, route, cabin and whether you are travelling with anyone.
For conditions where oxygenation is in question, the responsible route is assessment before the form goes in. Emirates' own guidance makes clear the cabin environment imposes a real physiological load, and the medical team will ask about oxygen requirements directly; recent observations - oxygen saturation readings, for example - support a considered answer.
What does it cost, and when should you start?
The fee depends on what the work involves. A repeat MEDIF for an unchanged condition is simpler than a first application, where records may need reviewing or an examination may be required; the fee is confirmed before booking, never after.
On timing: because the form must reflect your condition within one month of travel and reach Emirates at least 48 hours before departure, starting the process two to four weeks before you fly can leave more time - early enough for the airline's medical team to review and respond, recent enough for the certification to be valid. Download the form as soon as Emirates tells you clearance is needed, then ask about an appropriate assessment. Share the form and your travel date with the team before booking. Do not leave the form to the final days: the airline's 48-hour rule is a processing minimum, not a target.
Frequently asked questions
Emirates asked me for medical clearance. Is that the MEDIF?
Yes. When Emirates requires medical clearance, the MEDIF is the document its medical team assesses. Part 1 is yours to complete; Part 2 must be completed by a doctor. A doctor's letter alone does not meet the requirement.
How long before my flight does the form need to be with Emirates?
Emirates asks that your final submission of both parts is completed at least 48 hours before the flight, and that the form reflects your condition within one month of travel commencing. In practice, starting two to four weeks before departure leaves room for the airline's review.
Who sends the form to Emirates - me or the doctor?
Both, in the sequence Emirates publishes. The doctor completes Part 2 and the completed form goes to Emirates' dedicated MEDIF address; Emirates forwards the final submission back to you; you review it and submit it to the airline for checking at least 48 hours before your flight.
Can Part 2 be completed after a video consultation?
A video GP service is available, but it is not suitable for every MEDIF assessment. Send the actual form and recent records before booking so the doctor can confirm suitability and whether an examination or tests are needed. Do not assume a remote appointment includes clearance or a completed form.
What if Emirates' medical team asks for more information?
That is a normal part of the process, not a refusal. Emirates states it may contact you or your treating doctor for clarification before deciding. Queries are answered from the original assessment, which is one reason the form should be completed by a doctor who has actually assessed you.
My condition is stable and well controlled. Might I not need a MEDIF?
Possibly. Emirates publishes a list of situations where a MEDIF is generally not required, including stable, well-controlled conditions unaffected by the cabin environment that need no assistance during the journey, wheelchair-only assistance, and approved CPAP or portable oxygen concentrator use where no other clearance is needed. Whether that applies to you is the airline's decision - check with Emirates rather than assuming either way.
I fly this route several times a year. Is there a simpler route?
Ask Emirates about the Frequent Traveller Medical Card (FREMEC). Emirates requires a MEDIF using the PDF form for the FREMEC application itself. Ask the airline about eligibility, how the card works for your journeys and any further documentation it needs.
What does a MEDIF completion cost?
The fee depends on the work involved - a repeat form for an unchanged condition is simpler than a first application - and is confirmed before booking, never after.
Ask about a MEDIF assessment
Send the MEDIF PDF with your Part 1 completed and your flight details before booking, so the doctor can confirm whether the medical report service is suitable. The full fee and expected turnaround are confirmed before you proceed. Request an appointment on WhatsApp, call 020 3951 3429, or email team@thewellnesslondon.com. Tell the team what you need and ask about the next available appointment. Availability is confirmed before you book.
GP medical reports
Read about the medical report assessment service and send the recipient's requirements before booking.