Where to get a chlamydia test, when to take it, how to collect your sample and what to do with the result.
Part of our Chlamydia condition guide.
Get urgent help first. Go to A&E or call 999 for sudden, severe pain in a testicle, or severe pain low in your tummy with a fever, fainting or any chance you could be pregnant. Contact NHS 111 (NHS 24 on 111 in Scotland) or your GP the same day for pelvic pain, pain during sex, bleeding between periods or after sex, or a fever with genital symptoms. Online treatment is not suitable in these situations.
Key fact: Most people with chlamydia have no symptoms, so a test is the only way to know. A urine sample or a self-taken swab is all it takes, it’s reliable from about 2 weeks after sex, and it’s free on the NHS.
Tested Positive for Chlamydia? Get Treated Online
Access Doctor is a GPhC-registered pharmacy (#9011198). If you’ve tested positive for chlamydia, or a sexual partner has, a pharmacist independent prescriber reviews your online consultation and prescribes treatment if it’s suitable for you. Dispensed from our UK pharmacy. Approved before 3pm, Monday to Friday? Dispatched the same day, by Royal Mail Tracked 48, Tracked 24 or Special Delivery guaranteed by 1pm next working day: you choose.
Start Chlamydia Consultation →Adults only online. Access Doctor’s online chlamydia service is for adults aged 18 and over who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. If you’re under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, an NHS sexual health clinic or your GP can test and treat you free and in confidence, and under 25s can also get help from Brook.
2 weeks
After sex, from when a test is reliable
Free
At NHS sexual health clinics, and by post in many areas
2–6 months
When under 25s should retest after treatment (BASHH)
Why testing matters
You can’t diagnose chlamydia from symptoms, because most people who have it feel completely well. Even when symptoms do appear, they’re easy to confuse with a urine infection, thrush or period pain. A laboratory test is the only way to be sure.
Testing matters because untreated chlamydia can spread and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can affect fertility, and because it’s easily passed on to partners. Finding it early and treating it prevents both. Our chlamydia guide explains the infection in more detail.
Who should get tested
- Anyone with symptoms such as unusual discharge, pain when peeing, bleeding after sex or between periods, pelvic pain or testicle pain.
- Anyone whose partner has chlamydia, even if you feel fine. You should be offered treatment at the same time.
- Anyone who’s had sex without a condom with a new partner, or a partner whose status they don’t know.
- Under 25s who are sexually active: every year, and whenever you have a new partner. In England, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme offers free tests to young women and other people with a womb aged under 25.
- Men who have sex with men: at least once a year, and every 3 months if you have sex without a condom with new or casual partners, with urine, throat and rectal samples.
- Before some procedures, such as having a coil fitted or an abortion, if you may be at risk. Your clinic will usually offer this.
- In pregnancy, if you may be at risk. See our chlamydia in pregnancy guide.
How the test works
Chlamydia is diagnosed with a NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), which detects the genetic material of the bacteria in your sample. It’s very accurate, and the same type of test is used whether your sample comes from a home kit or a clinic. Most NHS tests check for gonorrhoea from the same sample.
| Sample | Usually used for | How it’s taken |
|---|---|---|
| Vaginal swab | Women and other people with a vagina | You take it yourself from the lower vagina. It’s as accurate as a swab taken by a nurse, and no internal examination is needed. |
| Urine sample | Men and other people with a penis | The first part of the stream, collected when you haven’t peed for a while (see below). |
| Rectal swab | Anyone who has had anal sex | Self-taken or taken by a nurse. A urine test or vaginal swab won’t pick up infection in the rectum. |
| Throat swab | Anyone who has given oral sex | Self-taken or taken by a nurse, from the back of the throat. |
A urine infection test won’t find chlamydia. The dipstick and urine culture used for cystitis don’t detect it. You need a chlamydia NAAT, which has to be asked for specifically.
Home test kit or sexual health clinic?
Home test kit
You take the sample yourself and post it to a lab. Free NHS kits are available online in many areas, and private kits can be bought. Results usually come by text or online. Good if you have no symptoms and just want to check.
Sexual health clinic
Free, confidential and no GP referral needed. Clinics can test for all STIs, examine you, and treat you on the spot. Best if you have symptoms, may have been exposed to several infections, need throat or rectal tests, or want everything in one visit.
Check what your kit covers. Some private kits test only for chlamydia. After sex with a new or casual partner, a check for gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV is a good idea too. NHS clinics offer all of these free.
How to take your sample
Always follow the instructions in your kit, as they vary slightly. A sample taken the wrong way is the commonest reason for a test that can’t be processed or gives a false result.
Vaginal swab
1
Wash your hands
Open the swab without touching the soft tip, and don’t let it touch anything else.
2
Insert and rotate
Gently insert the tip a few centimetres into your vagina, as far as the kit instructions say, and rotate it for the time shown, usually 10 to 30 seconds.
3
Put it straight into the tube
Place the swab in the tube provided, seal it and label it exactly as the kit asks.
4
Post it promptly
Send it back the same day if you can, and check the last posting time in the instructions.
Urine sample
- Don’t pee for at least 1 hour before the sample (some kits say 2 hours), so there’s enough bacteria to detect.
- Collect the first part of the stream, not a midstream sample, filling the pot only to the line shown.
- Seal, label and return it as directed.
When to test after sex
If you have symptoms, don’t wait: get tested and assessed straight away. A clinic may treat you before your result comes back if a partner has chlamydia or your symptoms suggest it. If the sex was in the last 72 hours and there’s a risk of HIV, ask a sexual health clinic or A&E about PEP straight away, rather than waiting for a chlamydia test.
If your result is positive
A positive result means chlamydia was found in your sample, and you need antibiotics. NAAT tests are very accurate, so a false positive is unlikely. A positive result doesn’t tell you how long you’ve had the infection: it may have been there for months, including from before your current relationship.
- Get treated promptly. UK guidance recommends doxycycline 100mg twice a day for 7 days first. If you can’t take doxycycline, azithromycin is the alternative. NHS clinics treat free; our online service is a private option for adults who aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Hold off on sex, including oral sex and sex with a condom, until you and your partner have both finished treatment and any symptoms have gone. With azithromycin, wait until 7 days after your last tablet.
- Tell recent partners so they can be tested and treated (see below).
- Get a full STI check if you haven’t had one, including gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV.
If your result is negative
A negative result means chlamydia wasn’t found in your sample, and in most cases means you don’t have it. Test again if:
- you tested less than 2 weeks after sex;
- you’ve had anal or oral sex but only gave a urine sample or vaginal swab, as infection in the rectum or throat could be missed;
- you still have symptoms: see a sexual health clinic or GP, as something else may be causing them;
- you have sex with a new partner.
Retesting after treatment
- Under 25s: test again 2 to 6 months after treatment. This is to catch a new infection, which is common, not to check the treatment worked (BASHH).
- Test of cure: not needed routinely if you took the full course. You’ll need one if you’re pregnant, if your symptoms don’t settle, or if you missed doses or vomited them. It should be done at least 3 weeks after finishing treatment, because an earlier test can pick up leftover genetic material from bacteria that have already been killed.
Telling your partners
Partners need to know so they can be tested and treated, and so you don’t catch chlamydia straight back. As a rule, tell everyone you’ve had sex with in the last 6 months, or your last partner if that was longer ago. If you have symptoms from the penis, tell partners from the 4 weeks before your symptoms started onwards.
You can tell partners yourself, or a sexual health clinic or SH:24 can tell them for you without giving your name. That’s also an option if telling a partner wouldn’t feel safe. Our partner notification guide explains how.
UK safety, support and free NHS options
Doxycycline and azithromycin are prescription-only medicines in the UK. Before anything is prescribed, a GPhC-registered pharmacist independent prescriber reviews your consultation, including your allergies and the other medicines you take. Always read the patient information leaflet in the pack. Never share antibiotics with anyone else, even a partner with the same infection, and don’t keep leftovers for another time: return unused tablets to a pharmacy.
If you think you’ve had a side effect from a medicine, tell your pharmacist or doctor. You can also report it to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme, which helps keep medicines safe for everyone.
NHS sexual health clinics test and treat chlamydia free of charge across the UK, and you don’t need a GP referral: use the NHS website in England, NHS inform in Scotland, Sexual Health Wales in Wales and nidirect in Northern Ireland to find one. Our private chlamydia treatment online service is an alternative for adults aged 18 and over.
If anything about how you got this infection doesn’t feel right, for example if sex wasn’t your choice or a partner pressures or controls you, you can talk to someone in confidence. See support, if you need it for free, confidential helplines. If you’re in immediate danger, call 999.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are home chlamydia tests as accurate as clinic tests?
Yes, when the sample is taken correctly. Home kits and clinics use the same type of laboratory test, and a self-taken vaginal swab is as accurate as one taken by a nurse. The most common problem with home tests is a sample that’s too small or taken the wrong way, so follow the kit instructions closely.
How long do chlamydia test results take?
Results from home kits usually arrive within a few days to a week of the lab receiving your sample, by text, email or online. Some sexual health clinics can give results faster. If you have symptoms or a partner has chlamydia, a clinic may treat you without waiting for the result.
Can I get a free chlamydia test?
Yes. NHS sexual health clinics test for free across the UK, with no GP referral needed, and many areas offer free home kits online. In England, the National Chlamydia Screening Programme offers free tests to young women and other people with a womb aged under 25, and some pharmacies and GP surgeries also test.
Should I test for chlamydia if I feel fine?
Yes, if you’ve had sex without a condom with a new partner, if a partner has chlamydia, or if you’re under 25 and sexually active. Most people with chlamydia feel completely well, so feeling fine doesn’t mean you don’t have it.
Can a urine infection test detect chlamydia?
No. The dipstick and urine culture used for urine infections don’t detect chlamydia. You need a specific chlamydia test (a NAAT) on the first part of your urine stream or a swab. If cystitis-type symptoms keep coming back, or don’t clear with antibiotics, ask for a chlamydia test.
Is chlamydia testing confidential?
Yes. NHS sexual health clinics are confidential and won’t tell your GP without your permission. You don’t have to give your real name at a clinic. If you test positive, staff will talk to you about telling partners, and can do it for you anonymously.
How soon after sex can I test for chlamydia?
Tests are reliable from about 2 weeks after sex. If you test before then, a negative result may be wrong, so test again once 2 weeks have passed. If you have symptoms, get tested and seen straight away rather than waiting.
Chlamydia treatment from Access Doctor
If you’ve tested positive for chlamydia, or a sexual partner has, and you’re 18 or over and not pregnant or breastfeeding, our pharmacist independent prescribers can assess you online.
Antibiotic · Rx · usual first choice
Doxycycline 100mg capsules
7-day course: one capsule twice a day. Prescribed after an online consultation.
View product →Antibiotic · Rx · if you can’t take doxycycline
Azithromycin 500mg tablets
3-day course for people allergic to, or unable to take, doxycycline. Prescribed after an online consultation.
View product →References
- NHS. Chlamydia. nhs.uk
- British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH). UK national guideline for the management of infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, 2026 (Saunders J, et al.). doi.org
- NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Chlamydia – uncomplicated genital. cks.nice.org.uk
- UK Health Security Agency. National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). gov.uk
- NICE. Reducing sexually transmitted infections (NG221), 2022, recommendations 1.3.1 to 1.3.6 on partner notification. nice.org.uk
- SH:24. Partner notification. sh24.org.uk
Medical disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment. In a medical emergency, call 999.