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Get free testing in the comfort of your home in the District of Columbia or at a lab in the DMV area.
Select a test type for more information.
Fill out a request form to receive a free, at-home HIV or STD test kit — or both kits.
Your privacy matters. Everything you tell us is confidential— your name, address, and test results. Test kits will be mailed in an unmarked package.
Both at-home test kits are safe and easy to use.
For at-home HIV testing, Together TakeMeHome uses the OraQuick rapid HIV test: Swab the inside of your mouth and get the result in 20 minutes.
For at-home STD testing, GetCheckedDC lets you choose from several options, including a urine test, an oral swab, and a rectal swab. For more directions on how to test yourself at home, click here.
Our at-home STD test kits can be mailed to DC addresses only. The at-home HIV test kit can be mailed to any U.S. address.
Want to test yourself at home again? You can request another test kit in 90 days, or you can email us at GetCheckedDC@dc.gov.
Follow the instructions in your kit. If you have questions, the DC Health and Wellness Center can help. Staff members are available for telehealth (video or phone) appointments. To schedule a time to connect, call 202-741-7692.
HIV test: You will be able to learn the results right away. OraSure — the manufacturer of the OraQuick at-home HIV test kit — has a 24/7 support center. To be connected to local resources, call 866-436-6527.
STD test: Your kit, which tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea, will include instructions on how to register the kit. Registering will give you access to an online patient portal, where you can view your results seven business days after returning your specimen. The manufacturer, Molecular Testing Labs, is available to answer questions about your kit or specimen collection. To speak with a customer service representative, call 360-693-8850.
For general, non-urgent questions,email us at GetCheckedDC@dc.gov.
No matter what your test shows, we’re here for you.
If the result of your at-home test causes you stress or anxiety or simply worries you, please call the DC HelpLine at 888-7-WE-HELP (888-793-4357).
If your HIV test result is negative …
This means that the test has not found antibodies for HIV. (Antibodies are your body’s way of fighting the virus.) Timing matters, though: The test is accurate for people who may have been exposed to HIV several months ago. But if you think you may have been exposed to HIV more recently — in the past three months — the test is less accurate.
Other tests can find HIV sooner after exposure. Contact your medical provider or visit a community testing site: Find what you need at linkudmv.org, or contact the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692). You can also request another at-home test later.
We have resources to help you stay HIV negative. Have you heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)? This safe, daily pill prevents you from getting HIV. Contact your medical provider or the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to discuss whether PrEP is right for you.
Be sure to take care of yourself by getting another at-home test kit in 90 days or getting tested at one of the many testing locations in DC. Need condoms? We can mail them to you for free! Order here.
If your HIV test result is positive …
Know that people with HIV have long, happy, fulfilling lives. DC has high-quality medical care and other services, and we’re here to support you.
The first thing you’ll need to do is schedule an appointment with your medical provider. We can help you with testing, treatment, and care, or we can refer you to a nearby provider. Call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to get connected with a medical provider in the District. If you prefer to find your own provider, visit linkudmv.org.
DC endorses Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U). Taking HIV medication daily suppresses the virus and means you can't pass it to others. To learn more about U=U, click here.
What happens if your test did not work or you can’t read the results?
Call OraQuick’s 24/7 hotline at 866-436-6527.
No matter what your test shows, we are here for you.
If the result of your at-home test causes you stress or anxiety or simply worries you, please call the DC HelpLine at 888-7-WE-HELP (888-793-4357).
If your STD test is negative …
Be sure to take care of yourself by getting another at-home test kit for both HIV and STDs in three, six, or 12 months, depending on your level of risk, or by getting tested at one of the many testing locations in DC. Need condoms? We can mail them to you for free! Order here.
If your STD test is positive …
Remember that anyone can get an STD. The two STDs you were tested for — chlamydia and gonorrhea — are bacterial infections that can be cured with medication. If you test positive, a member of the DC Health team will contact you. As the prescribers of the kit, we will have your results, keep them confidential, and make sure you understand them. Together, we will discuss treatment options.
What if you don’t understand your results?
Call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692).
If your STD test is negative but you are still experiencing STD symptoms …
You should go to your medical provider for additional testing and treatment. If you do not have a provider or would rather receive testing and treatment elsewhere, call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to speak with our staff and schedule an appointment.
Take our questionnaire!
About two weeks after receiving your STD test kit, you will receive an email from the DC Department of Health asking you to complete a questionnaire about your home testing experience. Please complete the questionnaire so that we can improve our home-based testing program.
Looking for free, fast, convenient lab testing for HIV, STDs, or hepatitis? We can help — even if your insurance doesn’t cover lab testing services.
With GetCheckedDC, any DC resident can walk into a Labcorp patient service center in the DMV area, with or without an appointment, and get tested for free. Results are posted to our patient portal in about a week.
If you have concerns about getting tested or other sexual health matters, consider speaking with a counselor from a community agency before requesting your test: Find what you need at linkudmv.org. You can also schedule an online or in-person appointment with the DC Health and Wellness Center to get support.
If you think you have been exposed to HIV recently, we have ways to support you. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can lower your chances of getting HIV. PEP must be taken within 72 hours (three days) of exposure to HIV, but the sooner you start it, the better. If you think you need PEP, call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7962). They’ll help you find the best solution.
Do not request a test kit if you are experiencing STD symptoms or if you had sex with someone who has tested positive for an STD. Instead, call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7962) or a medical provider of your choice for treatment.
To learn more about your sexual health, including facts about HIV and STDs, visit sexualbeing.org.
Youth: For sexual health information that’s especially for you, visit sexisdc.org.
Any DC resident 13 and older can be tested at a Labcorp patient service center in the District, Maryland, and Northern Virginia area.
Labcorp patient service centers offer tests for many health conditions. Giving a urine sample and getting a blood draw are two free and easy ways to stay fully informed. The urine sample will test for gonorrhea and chlamydia, and the blood draw will test for hepatitis B, hepatitis C,HIV, and syphilis. Simply check those tests on the request form.
Request a test. No appointments are needed — although making one might save you time — but you do need to request a test. Click here to submit your information confidentially to the DC Health and Wellness Center.
You will need an ID at the lab, so when you make your online request for a test, make sure the name you enter matches the ID that you will show staff.
Within 24 hours, you will receive a confirmation text message and email from the DC Health and Wellness Center. Using that confirmation, you can walk into a lab or make an appointment on the Labcorp website (often for the same day).
Know that privacy matters: Everything you tell us is confidential.
Get your results: The email confirmation you receive includes a link that lets you create a DC Health and Wellness Center patient portal account. Your test results will be posted about a week after you visit the Labcorp patient service center.
We encourage you to create a DC Health and Wellness Center patient portal account, which you can access for your results. If you do not create an account, we will inform you of your results by phone, but only if your test result is positive.
There are several Labcorp patient service centers in the District, as well as in Maryland and NorthernVirginia. Get tested at the most convenient location for you.
Click here to find a location near you by entering your ZIP code and selecting “routine labwork.”
You will not have to pay. The DC Department of Health will cover the cost of your lab visit and tests. You do not need health insurance to receive walk-in testing through this program.
If you are a dependent, you will not need to provide information about your guardians’ or parents’ insurance. Your visit stays confidential.
You do not need to provide credit card information, even if you are asked for it. If you are asked to provide insurance or payment information, tell the Labcorp representative that you are “opting out.”
If you make an appointment online, you will be asked, “How will this visit be covered?” Select the fourth option: “I have already paid or someone else is responsible.”
Questions? Call the phone numbers provided in your confirmation email.
Identification: The test and results are confidential, but you will need to show staff a government-issued photo ID card so Labcorp can match you with your results. The name on the ID must match the name you used in your online request.
If the names differ, make sure you bring your testing order number (provided in your text-messaged confirmation) to Labcorp so that staff members can verify your identity.
No matter what your test shows, we’re here for you.
If the result of your at-home test causes you stress or anxiety or simply worries you, please call the DC HelpLine at 888-7-WE-HELP (888-793-4357).
If your HIV test result is negative …
We have resources to help you stay HIV negative. Have you heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)? This safe, daily pill prevents you from getting HIV. Contact your medical provider or the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to discuss whether PrEP is right for you.
Be sure to take care of yourself by getting an at-home test kit in 90 days or getting tested again at one of the many testing locations in DC. Need condoms? We can mail them to you for free! Order here.
If your HIV test is positive …
People with HIV have long, happy, fulfilling lives, and DC has high-quality medical care and other services. We are here to support you.
If your test results are positive, you will be contacted by our DC Health and Wellness Center staff about receiving the appropriate treatment. You can choose to receive treatment at the DC Health and Wellness Center or from your medical provider.
DC endorses Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U). Taking HIV medication daily suppresses the virus and means you can't pass it to others. To learn more about U=U, click here.
No matter what your test shows, we’re here for you.
If the result of your at-home test causes you stress or anxiety or simply worries you, please call the DC HelpLine at 888-7-WE-HELP (888-793-4357).
If your STD test is negative …
Be sure to get tested every few months — by ordering an at-home test kit or by getting tested at one of the many testing locations in DC. Need condoms? We can mail them to you for free! Order here.
If your STD test is positive …
Remember that anyone can get an STD. Different STDs require different types of treatment. Some STDs are curable, and others can be managed with medication.
If you have a positive STD test result, someone from the DC Health team will contact you to talk about treatment options.
If your STD test is negative but you’re still experiencing STD symptoms …
You should go to your medical provider for additional testing and treatment.
If you do not have a provider or would rather receive testing and treatment elsewhere, call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to speak with our staff and schedule an appointment.
If your test for hepatitis B or C is positive, call your medical provider or the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to discuss next steps and treatment options.
For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Click here for information about hepatitis B testing and treatment, and click here for information about hepatitis C testing and treatment.
Contact us if you have any questions about HIV or STD testing in DC. The DC Health and Wellness Center offers sexual healthcare for free. Call 202-741-7692 for an appointment. Our office is located at 77 P St. NE, Washington, DC. Current hours for all testing and treatment are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m; and on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Testing is also available through our Express Clinic on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays — in and out in 20 minutes! We also have in-person and telehealth appointments available.
You can also find health and related services in the DMV area at linkudmv.org.
If you are feeling stress, anxiety, or trauma after receiving the test results, please call the DC HelpLine at 888-7-WE-HELP (888-793-4357).
For walk-in testing, the DC Health and Wellness Center has partnered with Labcorp. The DC Health and Wellness Center serves as the ordering provider. That means that our medical staff will act as your provider in ordering the test.
Labcorp is a nationwide network of laboratories. It is not directly affiliated with the DC Department of Health. But for this program, we are using Labcorp’s patient service centers in the DMV area for hepatitis, HIV, and STD lab testing.
If you have concerns about getting tested or about other sexual health matters, consider speaking with a counselor from a community agency before you order your test: Find what you need at linkudmv.org. To get support, you can also call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7692) to schedule a telehealth (video or phone) appointment or in-person appointment.
If you think you have been exposed to HIV recently, the DC Health and Wellness Center has ways to support you. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can lower your chances of getting HIV. PEP must be taken within 72 hours (three days) of exposure to HIV, but the sooner you start it, the better. If you think you need PEP, call the DC Health PEP Hotline (202-299-3737) which operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Do not request a test kit if you are experiencing STD symptoms or if you had sex with someone who has tested positive for an STD. Instead, call the DC Health and Wellness Center (202-741-7962) or a provider of your choice for treatment.
To learn more about your sexual health, visit sexualbeing.org. If you’re 13 or older, visit sexisdc.org for sexual health information that’s especially for you!