The CDA walk-up site at O'Hare is accessible by public transportation, by foot and by car. The CDA drive-up site is accessible by car only. The testing sites are open daily. Visit the booking page to view the most updated hours of operation and available appointment times. Scheduling online in advance is REQUIRED. Same day appointments are usually available.
Test Types: Rapid & PCR
Both test sites at O'Hare are providing
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid antigen screening. Many international destinations require a negative PCR test result—please see your airline carrier and destination city/country for specific requirements.
BD Rapid Antigen Test:
- 5-minute test done onsite
- Results delivered within 20 minutes after specimen collected
- Cost $120.00 USD
RT-PCR Test:
- 5-minute test with specimen sent offsite to a high complexity lab
- Results delivered within 72 hours after specimen collected
- Cost $145.00 USD
Three Steps To Get Tested
1 Schedule Your COVID Test Appointment.
Schedule your test online and view the hours of availability using the booking link for either Travelers or for Airport Employees. Select location, date, and 5-minute time slot. Same day appointments are usually available. Airport passengers will be required to provide flight and ticket information in the online form. Airport employees will be required to provide employer information. You will pay as you book your appointment. Secure payment must be made online by credit card. Secure payment must be made online by credit card at the time of booking.
2 Complete Your Paperwork IN ADVANCE.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. It will include a link to a consent form and other required documents, including a government-issued ID. You must complete your paperwork in advance for everyone's safety.
3 Complete Your Visit & Receive Your Results.
Arrive to the site at the confirmed time. The specimen will be collected from the car or at a walk-up depending on the site. After collection, please immediately leave the site. Within the specified timeframe, results will be provided by email.
Test Costs & Payment
These testing options are provided at a fee of $120.00 USD (BD Rapid Antigen Test) and $145.00 USD (RT-PCR Test). Online payment in advance by credit card is required to book an appointment.
By choosing this test at O'Hare, you are selecting a private provider that is using a rapid and RT-PCR testing COVID-19 methodology for a fee, specifically for travel. Unfortunately, DTC is not equipped to bill insurance providers at the O'Hare testing site. Travelers may want to try submitting their own claim to their insurance company for reimbursement.
Requirements for Passengers & Employees
The new testing sites will be limited to travelers and airport employees to provide safety to the traveling public. Airport testing sites are reserved for:
- O'Hare passengers with a flight scheduled in the next 72 hours (connecting or departing)
- O'Hare passengers who have traveled in the last 5 days (connecting or arriving)
- O'Hare employees with a valid badge or proof of airport employment
For Chicago area testing sites open to the general public, visit chicago.gov/covid. For passengers looking for Midway testing sites offered by the Chicago Department of Aviation, visit flychicago.com/MDWtest.
Learn more at
flychicago.com/covid and find details about the City of Chicago Emergency Travel Order (quarantine and testing requirements) at
chi.gov/eto.
FAQ - Responses by Doctors Test Centers
- O'Hare passengers with a flight scheduled in the next 72 hours (connecting or departing)
- O'Hare passengers who have traveled in the last 5 days (connecting or arriving)
- O'Hare employees with a valid badge or proof of airport employment
- Passenger or employee does not need to be a U.S. Citizen
You can book your appointment online or walk in (pending availability).
For the O'Hare Airport sites, we offer two different types of tests. For rapid testing, we use the BD Rapid Antigen tests. These are two of only a few rapid tests approved by the FDA via EUA for COVID-19 Antigen testing. For RT-PCR testing, the samples are sent offsite to a high complexity lab.
No. This is the test to look for the virus itself — an active infection.
You need to check with your destination as requirements change. If it says PCR is required, then book a RT-PCR testing appointment and ensure that you book within our result return timeframe (give yourself as close to 72 hours as possible). If your destination accepts rapid testing, you can book a rapid testing appointment and you will have your results within one hour. We recommend allowing three hours before the flight is scheduled to depart. Make sure to follow all testing timeline guidelines of your destination.
Children over the age of two are administered the test.
Arrive to the site at the confirmed time. For safety and capacity reasons, we do not recommend you arrive earlier than your 5-minute time slot. Note that it is possible you might wait in line. Please schedule accordingly if you have a departing flight. For rapid tests, we recommend allowing three hours before the flight is scheduled to depart.
Please be prepared to provide the phone number you entered at registration. You will be asked to present your government-issued ID such as a, passport, driver’s license or state ID.
Depending on the site, you may walk up or we may swab you in your car. The rapid and PCR test both require a nasal swab. We will be performing Anterior nasal (nares) sampling, which is less invasive and generally results in less patient discomfort than sampling from other upper respiratory anatomical sites. Collection of anterior nasal specimens can also decrease the risk of exposure to healthcare providers by reducing the duration of the procedure, and reducing coughing and sneezing induced by specimen collection.
You will receive your rapid test results within 20 minutes of specimen collection. If you did not receive your rapid results within one hour of specimen collection, call 866-865-7400. For PCR tests, you will receive your results within 72 hours from when your specimen was collected. If you have not received them, call 866-865-7400.
After collection, please immediately leave the test site. If you have a departing flight, do not check bags, attempt to pass through a TSA security checkpoint, or board a plane before receiving your test result. You should continue to follow recommended physical (social) distancing practices, staying at least 6 feet away from others, wear a face covering in the airport, and wash your hands often.
If informed of a positive test result, you must immediately vacate airport property and also direct any traveling companions to do so. The refusal to leave may result in intervention by law enforcement. Visit
chicago.gov/covid for additional guidance.
Test results are reported to public health agencies and your airline, as indicated in the consent forms patients must sign at registration.
Notification of test results arrives via email and 2-factor authentication is required to access results online. You may save the page as a PDF or JPG for later reference. Please see your airline carrier and destination city/country for any specific requirements such as printed hard copies.
The COVID-19 tests will tell you if you have COVID-19. Remember, there is a possibility of false negatives and positives so additional testing may be required and test results will be considered in conjunction with clinical evaluation. For rapid testing, the test works best for patients who are symptomatic between 2-5 days from the onset of symptoms. If you are outside these parameters, the results may not be as accurate. And remember, a negative test NEVER means you can assume that you are not infected as the virus has up to a 14 day incubation period. This means that if we test you in your incubation period when your viral load is not so high, the test may be negative because you do not have enough viral load to test positive yet. Alternatively, if you wait too long to get tested your viral load may drop below the level of detection. For this reason, all negative tests must not decrease your vigilance and you must continue the precautions you are using to stay safe (mask, socially distance, and wash your hands).
We ask that you cancel 12 hours before your appointment. This is because we need to staff the site and prepare for your appointment which requires medical review and preparation before you even arrive. After hours booking of appointments require expedited chart review so our 12-hour policy applies to all appointments booked. You must call 866-865-7400 and submit a form online to cancel your appointment within the timeframe.
DTC is a physician group that consists of surgeons and aligned providers. They came together during the COVID-19 crisis with the goal of providing trauma services in a non-hospital environment to save hospital resources. Testing was such a challenge across specialties, they decided to organize as a provider community to help remove barriers and to get ready to scale.
The providers are located in Illinois and Florida. They are licensed in the state in which you are being tested.
DTC understands that this is often a requirement for travel. Yes, labs used by DTC are CLIA regulated labs and the certificate numbers will be listed on your medical results note to show your destination.