Online Chlamydia Test — Australia-wide, no appointment
$39one-off pathology referral fee
Online chlamydia test arranged by a Specialist GP. You receive an SMS referral, walk into any Australian pathology lab, and your result is sent to you by SMS — typically within 24 hours.
Lab fees are covered by Medicare or most overseas student health covers. If anything comes back positive, a follow-up telehealth consult with a Specialist GP is included at no additional cost.
Specialist GP referral — recognised at any Australian pathology lab
Last updated: May 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Ed Skinner, Specialist GP (FRACGP)
How an online chlamydia test in Australia works
Chlamydia is a common bacterial STI in Australia, and most people who have it have no symptoms — which is why testing matters. An online chlamydia test through Clinic365 is a $39 SMS pathology referral from a Specialist GP. You walk into any Australian pathology lab, no appointment needed. Lab fees are covered by Medicare or most overseas student health covers. Most results come back within 24 hours by SMS. If anything is positive, a Specialist GP calls you to discuss treatment, at no additional cost.
What chlamydia is. Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial infection passed through unprotected sex. It commonly infects the genital tract (urethra in men, cervix in women) but it can also infect the throat (from oral sex), the rectum (from receptive anal sex), and the eyes. Around 70 to 80 percent of people who have chlamydia have no symptoms, which is why it can pass between partners for months or years without anyone noticing. When symptoms do appear they are typically mild: discharge, mild burning, occasional spotting between periods. Untreated chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women, epididymitis in men, and infertility in both.
The test itself. The chlamydia test is a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). It looks for the genetic material of the bacterium in a sample from the relevant site. The technology is sensitive and specific — if the bacterium is present at the site sampled, the test will almost always pick it up. The challenge is sampling the right site.
Sites of infection — getting the right sample. A single test from a single site misses infections at other sites. For a comprehensive test, three sites are typically sampled: genital (urine in men, self-collected vaginal swab in women), throat (a swab), and rectum (a swab). Which sites to test depends on what kinds of sex you have had. Penile-vaginal sex alone needs only a genital test. Oral or anal sex add the throat and rectum to the test list. The Specialist GP discusses which sites apply to you at the consult.
Urine vs swab. For genital chlamydia in men, a urine sample is the standard test. The man holds the urine for at least an hour before collecting the first part of the stream — this concentrates any bacteria in the urethra. For women, a self-collected vaginal swab is more sensitive than a urine sample (around 96% vs around 86%). Self-collected vaginal swabs are easy and private: you insert the swab a few centimetres, rotate, and place it in the tube. No clinician needs to be present. Cervical swabs taken by a clinician are equally sensitive but require an examination.
Time before a test is reliable. Chlamydia tests are reliable from 2 weeks after exposure. Some clinicians suggest a 1-week test if symptoms are present, but for screening when there are no symptoms, 2 weeks is the standard waiting time. Testing earlier than this risks a false negative. See when to test after exposure for the full timing guide across all STIs.
Who should test. Current Australian guidelines recommend annual chlamydia testing for sexually active people aged 15 to 29 because of the high prevalence in that age group. People with new or multiple sexual partners benefit from testing more often — usually every 6 to 12 months. A test is also worth doing after a new exposure (about 2 weeks later), if you have symptoms, or if a sexual partner has tested positive. Routine testing is also part of antenatal care for pregnant people.
A positive result. Chlamydia is curable with a course of antibiotics. The Specialist GP calls to discuss the result and the treatment that would suit you. The conversation also covers two important practical points: partner notification (sexual partners from the past 6 months need to know so they can also test and treat), and a retest to confirm clearance at 3 months (to check the infection has cleared and you have not been re-exposed). See chlamydia treatment for what treatment looks like. A new positive chlamydia result is also a reasonable trigger for a broader STI screen if you have not had one recently. Common companion infections are gonorrhoea and mycoplasma genitalium.
A negative result. A negative test taken at the right time (at least 2 weeks after the last possible exposure) is reliable for the sites tested. If only one site was tested and you have had oral or anal sex since the last test, infection at the other site is not ruled out. If a partner has been diagnosed and your result is negative, repeat the test in 2 weeks to be sure.
Partner notification — what it actually involves. If your test is positive, sexual partners from the past 6 months are at risk. They need to know so they can test and be treated — both for their own health and to stop the cycle of reinfection. You can notify partners yourself, ask the Specialist GP for help, or use an anonymous online notification service. The GP can also write a script for a partner-treatment medication if your regular partner is unable to get tested promptly (a practice called expedited partner therapy, used in some Australian settings).
Retest to confirm clearance. A retest is recommended at 3 months after treatment, not earlier — the test can stay positive for several weeks because it detects residual genetic material even after the bacteria are dead. The 3-month retest does two things: it confirms the infection has cleared, and it screens for re-infection (which is common in the months after a chlamydia diagnosis, often from an untreated regular partner). See when to test after exposure for re-test timing on other STIs.
Chlamydia in pregnancy. Chlamydia in pregnancy can cause complications — including preterm birth and conjunctivitis or pneumonia in newborns. Routine chlamydia testing is part of antenatal care in Australia, usually done at the booking visit. Treatment is safe in pregnancy and uses different antibiotics from the standard non-pregnancy regimen. A retest to confirm clearance is recommended later in pregnancy after treatment to confirm clearance. If you are pregnant or planning pregnancy and have any concern about chlamydia exposure, mention this at the consult so the right regimen is used.
What a comprehensive STI screen covers. Many people choose to screen for several infections at once rather than just chlamydia. A typical comprehensive screen covers chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B. Some screens also include mycoplasma genitalium when there are symptoms or a specific reason. The samples needed depend on what is being tested. A urine or self-collected vaginal swab covers chlamydia and gonorrhoea genital sites. A throat and rectal swab adds those sites. A blood test covers syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B. The Specialist GP can discuss which combination makes sense for your situation. See comprehensive STI screen for what we typically include.
Throat and rectal chlamydia — commonly missed. Throat and rectal chlamydia are easy to miss because most people focus on genital testing. Yet these sites are reservoirs of infection that can pass to partners through subsequent oral or anal sex. Both sites are also far more likely to be symptom-free than genital sites — throat infections almost never cause a sore throat, and rectal infections are usually painless. If you have had oral or anal sex in the testing window, mention this at the consult so the swab list reflects what you actually need.
Confidentiality. All STI testing in Australia is confidential. Test referrals go to your phone or email, results return to the ordering clinician, and nothing is sent to your regular GP, your workplace, or anyone else without your consent. Chlamydia is a notifiable infection in Australia — this means the lab reports the case to the state public health authority for surveillance purposes, but the report does not include your name or contact details.
Want to discuss your situation? A Specialist GP phone consult can talk through which sites you should test, what the right window is for your situation, and the next steps if the result is positive. See the hero section above for booking details. For Melbourne residents, see chlamydia testing in Melbourne for local access information. For pathology centre locations across Australia, see pathology collection centres.
Frequently asked questions about online chlamydia testing in Australia
Not sure what you have? Compare symptoms side by side in our STI Comparison Guide — plain English, no jargon.
Not sure when to test? See our When to Get an STI Test guide — how long after exposure to test, testing frequency, and what to do after exposure.
At least 2 weeks. Chlamydia tests look for the genetic material of the bacterium, and it takes about 14 days after exposure for the bacterium to reach detectable levels at the infected site. Testing earlier can produce a false negative even if you are infected. If you have symptoms that started before 2 weeks, testing earlier can be reasonable — symptomatic infections usually have higher bacterial loads. For screening when you have no symptoms, 2 weeks is the standard wait.
Yes, but the relevant test is a throat swab rather than a urine sample. Throat chlamydia is real, often symptom-free, and missed if only genital testing is done. A urine test alone will miss it. The Specialist GP discusses which sites apply to you based on what kinds of sex you have had. For oral-only exposure, a throat swab is the appropriate test.
Yes. Around 70 to 80 percent of chlamydia infections cause no symptoms at all. The infection can pass between partners for months or years without anyone noticing, and untreated chlamydia can cause longer-term problems — pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy. Annual screening is recommended for sexually active people aged 15 to 29, and 6 to 12 monthly testing is reasonable for people with new or multiple partners.
Repeat the test 2 weeks after your last sexual contact with them. A negative result early in the window can become positive once the infection has had time to develop. If you are still within the 2-week window of your last contact, the result is unreliable. Some couples choose to be treated together based on the partner diagnosis without waiting for retest, which is a reasonable approach particularly if you have symptoms or are due to be away from medical care.
Two reasons. First, the test detects genetic material of the bacterium, which can persist for several weeks after the bacteria themselves have been killed by antibiotics. A test done at 4 weeks can come back positive even though the infection has cleared. Second, the 3-month retest is the right interval to catch re-infection, which is common — often from an untreated regular partner. The 3-month retest serves both purposes.
Yes. Multiple studies have shown self-collected vaginal swabs are as sensitive as clinician-collected samples for chlamydia testing, and both are more sensitive than urine testing in women. The bacteria are present throughout the vaginal canal in chlamydia infection, so a swab inserted just a few centimetres in and rotated will pick up an adequate sample. You do not need to swab the cervix specifically — standard vaginal sampling is enough.
Pathology lab fees for chlamydia testing have a Medicare item number. Different providers charge differently for the consult and the lab work. See our fees page for current Clinic365 fees and what is included. International students, visitors, and other people without Medicare have different fee arrangements. The Specialist GP can confirm what applies to your specific situation at the time of booking.
Pathology results can flow to My Health Record by default unless the request is marked otherwise. If you would prefer the result not to appear, mention this at the consult and the Specialist GP can mark the pathology request accordingly. Some people prefer to opt out of My Health Record altogether before testing — this is done through your myGov account. Chlamydia is a notifiable infection in Australia, but notification is to a state surveillance system and does not include your identifying information.
The most common cause of repeat positive tests is re-infection from an untreated regular partner. If your partner has not been tested and treated, treating you does nothing about the source of infection. Other patterns: incomplete treatment (missed doses, vomiting soon after taking it), antibiotic resistance (very rare for chlamydia), or new exposures from other partners. A Specialist GP can help work through which situation applies. Partner notification and treatment usually resolves repeat-positive patterns.
Expedited partner therapy is when the GP writes a prescription for treatment for your sexual partner without that partner needing to come in for their own consult. It is used in specific situations — when getting the partner in for a consult is difficult or would delay treatment. It is available in Australia, although less commonly used than partner-comes-in testing. The Specialist GP can discuss whether it suits your situation. Most clinicians prefer partners to be tested as well, since they may have other infections that need different treatment.
