Medical Tourism Companies in Lagos: How to Choose in 2026
Planning treatment abroad from Lagos? Here’s what to look for when choosing a medical tourism company in 2026.
Published on 23 September 20269m
TMTC Team
Team of medical writers creating research-based articles, reviewed by healthcare professionals.
Lagos has a wide field of medical travel companies, and the choice becomes manageable once you know which claims can be checked independently and where. Three checks matter particularly here: where the company is registered, who will handle your case day to day, and its experience of the paper visa route Nigerian patients use. TMTC's
partner hospitals
include Fortis, Medanta, Artemis, MAX and Apollo, all JCI or NABH accredited. This guide sets out the questions to put to any company, including the ones about who holds your medical records.Key takeaways
- Establish who will handle your case day to day, where that person sits and how you reach them when a date changes.
- Request the registered company name and registration number in writing, then look them up yourself on the public register for the country it is registered in. For a Nigerian company that is the Corporate Affairs Commission.
- Nigeria is not on India's e-Visa eligibility list, so cases run on paper through the Consulate General in Lagos or the High Commission in Abuja, and the application rests on an invitation letter the Indian hospital sends to the mission from its own verifiable domain email address.
- Your medical records are yours. Settle before you send anything who holds them, who they are shared with, and how you get them back if you decide not to proceed.
What these companies do, and what sits elsewhere
A medical travel company coordinates the parts around your treatment: reviewing your records, arranging a consultation with the treating specialist in India, producing a written plan and price, preparing the visa file, booking travel, and organising the handover to your doctor at home.
The clinical work sits with the hospital and the treating consultant in India, and the visa decision sits with the mission. Have a company set out in writing which parts of the journey it carries and which it does not, since that is the document you will refer back to if something changes.
The checks to run in Lagos
| What to check | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Your point of contact | Who will handle my case day to day, where are they based, and how do I reach them outside office hours? |
| Company registration | Where are you registered, and what is the registration number? Then look it up on that country's public register |
| Who employs your coordinator | Is my coordinator employed by you, or a freelance agent paid per referral? |
| Hospital relationship | Which Indian hospitals do you hold a formal arrangement with? Then put the same question to that hospital's international desk |
| Visa experience | How many paper medical visa applications did you support last year, and who prepares the file? |
| Records handling | Who holds my scans and reports, who else sees them, and how do I retrieve or delete them? |
| Payment route | Does payment go to you or to the Indian hospital? Get the answer in writing |
| After you return | What happens if a complication develops in Lagos, and where is that written down? |
None of these questions requires medical knowledge, and each has an answer that can be put in writing.
Key point: Two of these you can settle yourself without any company's help. A Nigerian registration is on the Corporate Affairs Commission'scompany search, a company registered elsewhere on the equivalent register in that country, and a hospital's accreditation on the JCI and NABH registries. All are public and each takes minutes.
Who actually handles your case
Companies are set up in different ways. Some work through a local team, some through a coordinator who deals with you directly, and some through both. What matters is knowing which applies before you commit, so establish who your point of contact is, where they sit, how you reach them when a date changes, and who covers for them.
Treatment itself is planned in India, by the hospital coordinator and the treating consultant, so find out how your contact connects to them, and get that arrangement in writing.
Where your money goes, and where your records go
On money, find out whether you pay the company or the hospital, and what the company earns either way. A facilitator paid a commission by a hospital and one paid a fee by you have different incentives, and knowing which applies helps you read a recommendation. Establish too what happens to a deposit if you decide not to proceed, and get that answer before you pay.
On records, your scans, reports and pathology are personal medical data. Before you upload anything, find out who inside the company can see them, which Indian hospitals they are sent to, whether they go to more than one for competing quotes, and how they are deleted if you walk away. Request the records policy in writing.
The paperwork, and what it rests on
Nigeria does not appear on the Government of India's
e-Visa eligibility list
, so cases run as paper medical visa applications on the counter, with attendants applying separately under the attendant category. Where you apply depends on where you live: the Consulate General in Lagos
covers residents of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers, and the High Commission in Abuja covers the rest.The document that governs your timeline is the invitation letter from the Indian hospital, naming you and your attendants, specifying the treatment along with its start and end dates, and sent to the mission from the hospital's own verifiable domain email address rather than forwarded by you. The
Abuja mission's published requirements
also ask for a typed referral letter on letterhead from a well reputed Nigerian hospital, issued from that hospital's verifiable domain email address, along with a certified bank statement or a sponsor's affidavit covering medical and living costs, and your medical records. On vaccination, the mission asks for yellow fever cover for all except infants under six months, and oral polio or IPV for residents, with the polio certificate valid for a year from the date it is administered.Three questions follow for any company. Who obtains the invitation letter, and how quickly. What happens if the letter omits an attendant or carries dates that have since moved. And what the plan is if recovery runs past the visa validity. A facilitator prepares and sequences the file. The application is yours, and the mission decides both the outcome and the duration granted.
Patient tip: Speak to the person who will coordinate your case rather than the person selling it, and have them walk you through a recent Nigerian case from first enquiry to arrival home, with the dates, the documents and who did what.
How TMTC works
Here is how the same questions are answered for
TMTC
.The sequence starts with a free initial consultation and record review, followed by an online consultation with the treating Indian specialist before any commitment, and a fixed itemised quote naming the hospital and the consultant. Treatment is at accredited partner hospitals, and you can review the
specialists
before deciding on an institution. Recovery runs at the aftercare centre
, with a doctor and nurse on site around the clock and daily physiotherapy, until a clinician certifies you fit to fly.The limits are worth stating as plainly. The
post-treatment insurance
included in the package covers a flight back to India and treatment in India if a complication arises, rather than treatment in Lagos, so read the policy for what it covers where you live. And the visa file is prepared and sequenced rather than obtained on your behalf, since the decision rests with the mission. You return with a discharge summary and imaging handover, and coordination with your own Nigerian doctor. Every recommendation is reviewed by TMTC's Medical Director of Primary Care, a UK-registered GP, giving the plan an additional layer of independent UK clinical oversight.Check First, Commit Later
The order matters more than the shortlist. Look up the registration yourself. Look up the hospital's accreditation yourself. Get the fee structure, records policy and deposit terms in writing before anything is paid. Speak to the coordinator who will handle your case. Each is easier before money moves than after. If you would like to start with a records review and a specialist consultation, a
free consultation
is where that begins.Frequently asked questions
How do I check whether a Lagos medical tourism company is registered?
Request the place of registration and the registration number in writing, then look them up on that country's public register. For a Nigerian company that is the Corporate Affairs Commission's public search. Separately, check any hospital it names on the JCI and NABH registries.
Should I pay the company or the hospital directly?
Either arrangement can work, and what matters is knowing which one applies and holding it in writing before you pay. Establish what the company earns and from whom, and what happens to a deposit if you decide not to proceed after the specialist consultation.
Can a Lagos agency speed up my Indian medical visa?
A facilitator prepares and sequences the file, briefs the Indian hospital on the invitation letter and checks the documents, which saves time. The application itself is yours, and the mission decides the outcome and the duration granted. Nigerian cases run on paper rather than through the e-Visa route.
Who should hold my medical records?
You should, and you should know who else has them. Before uploading scans or reports, find out which staff can see them, which Indian hospitals they are sent to, whether they go to several for competing quotes, and how they are deleted if you decide not to proceed.
What happens if something goes wrong after I return to Lagos?
Get the answer in writing before you commit, since arrangements differ between companies. TMTC's included post-treatment insurance covers a return flight to India and treatment there rather than treatment in Nigeria, and you return with a discharge summary and imaging so your Lagos doctor can act immediately.
Sources referenced for this guide: Government of India e-Visa portal, eligibility list; High Commission of India, Abuja, medical visa requirements; Consulate General of India, Lagos, visa services and jurisdiction; Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria, public company search; Joint Commission International and National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers accreditation registries; The Medical Travel Company published service pages.
Please note: Visa requirements, fees and arrangements change from time to time. Confirm the current position with the relevant mission or official portal before booking travel or committing to treatment.
Disclaimer. This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. It does not replace consultation with a qualified doctor. Treatments, risks, recovery and outcomes vary by individual and depend on your personal circumstances; speak to a registered clinician before making any treatment decision. Insurance cover, including any post-treatment cover, is subject to the full terms, limits and exclusions of the policy document, which is provided before you book.
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