This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Getting an STD test in San Antonio is more straightforward than most people expect. The city has a public health walk-in clinic, several free community testing sites, sliding-scale health centers and a free mail-in program from the state. Which one fits depends on your schedule, your insurance and how much privacy you want.

This guide walks through every testing route in the city. It covers what each one offers, what the published costs are, what is usually tested and what a visit looks like. It also covers the Texas rules on privacy and minors, and what usually happens after results. Where a clinic has not published a price or an hour, the guide says so and points you to the phone number.

Testing is a routine part of health care. People of every gender, orientation and relationship status get tested, and clinicians see it as ordinary preventive care.

Key takeaways

Metro Health runs an STI Walk-In Clinic at 512 E. Highland, Suite 150. Its page lists a $15 office visit administrative fee, and other fees vary by service. Photo ID is required and testing there is not anonymous.
San Antonio AIDS Foundation, Alamo Area Resource Center and Kind Clinic each list free testing. BEAT AIDS lists free and confidential testing, with the testing location to be confirmed by phone.
CommuniCare and CentroMed use sliding fee scales based on income. Their pages do not publish a price for individual tests.
Texas DSHS offers free mailed at-home kits for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia to anyone in Texas aged 13 or older.
Under Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003, a minor of any age can consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease. A physician may still tell a parent.
CDC says HIV test timing matters: depending on the test, it can take from 10 days to 90 days after exposure for a result to be reliable. A clinician can help you pick the right test for your situation.

In this guide

Where to get tested in San Antonio
What STD testing costs
What gets tested and what to ask for
What to expect at your visit
Privacy, minors and Texas law
What the local numbers say
After your results: treatment, partners and prevention
Sources

Where to get tested in San Antonio

There are six main routes to an STD test in San Antonio. Some are free, some use a sliding scale and some depend on your insurance. For a quick list of places to start with, see the local testing list. The details are below.

The public health clinic: Metro Health

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) runs the STI Walk-In Clinic at 512 E. Highland, Suite 150, San Antonio, TX 78210. The phone number is 210-207-8830. University Health lists the clinic's services as STI and HIV testing, treatment and counseling.

Metro Health's page gives these hours:

Monday to Thursday: 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the latest check-in at 3 p.m.
Friday: 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with the latest check-in at 10:30 a.m.

The page also says check-in may close early when the clinic is at capacity. Arriving early in the day is the safest plan. Patients take a number when they arrive.

Metro Health says the clinic serves residents of San Antonio and Bexar County, and people with no other means of getting STI services. A current photo ID is required. The clinic does not offer anonymous testing.

Metro Health also runs a PrEP Clinic at the same address (Ste. 150) at 210-207-7292. Its page says walk-ins are accepted and appointments are highly encouraged. It lists a nurse practitioner evaluation, labs in the clinic and a PrEP Navigator for insurance and financial guidance. The page gives no price and says the PrEP team helps regardless of financial situation.

For more on public clinics, see STD clinics in San Antonio: public health, Planned Parenthood and more.

Community and HIV-focused organizations

Four local organizations list free testing. They are especially useful if you want a walk-in visit outside a public clinic's hours.

San Antonio AIDS Foundation (SAAF), 818 E. Grayson Street, San Antonio, TX 78208, (210) 225-4715. SAAF's testing page lists rapid HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia testing, with screening and confirmatory services free and no appointment needed. Its hours are Monday 8:30 to 4:00, Tuesday 12:00 to 8:00, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 to 4:00, Friday 9:00 to 1:00 and Saturday 11:00 to 3:00. It is closed on Sunday. SAAF also lists PrEP and doxy-PEP.
Alamo Area Resource Center (AARC), 303 N. Frio, San Antonio, TX 78207, (210) 625-7200. AARC lists free testing for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, with rapid HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C tests done by fingerstick. Walk-ins are listed Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Wednesday until 8 p.m. AARC also offers PrEP and PEP.
Kind Clinic (Texas Health Action), 730 Isom Road, San Antonio, TX 78216. Kind Clinic lists HIV and STI testing, STI treatment, PrEP, PEP and hepatitis C testing, with walk-in testing. Its blog post announcing the San Antonio walk-in clinic describes the walk-in testing as free. Kind Clinic's locations page lists clinic hours of Monday, Tuesday and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the second and fourth Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The page also says walk-in testing hours differ, so call the general support line at 833-937-5463 before you go. That number is not specific to the San Antonio location. Kind Clinic says doxy-PEP is available to its own patients only.
BEAT AIDS, 210.212.2266. BEAT AIDS lists free and confidential HIV and STD testing, PrEP, and confidential testing and treatment for common STIs. Its site lists several San Antonio locations but does not say which one does testing, so call to confirm where to go and whether walk-ins are accepted.

The page free STD testing in San Antonio goes deeper on every free and sliding-scale option. For HIV in particular, see free and rapid HIV testing in San Antonio.

Community health centers

Two health centers list STD testing on a sliding fee scale.

CommuniCare Apollo Wellness Clinic, 6511 W Loop 1604 N, Ste. 105, San Antonio, TX 78254, (726) 224-3438. CommuniCare's page lists STD and HIV screening, testing and PrEP, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CommuniCare says self-pay patients with family income under 200% of the federal poverty guidelines can get a sliding fee discount.
CentroMed, 210-922-7000. CentroMed lists screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases under its women's health services, with a sliding fee scale based on income and family size. CentroMed says it does not deny care for inability to pay. Its page lists multiple clinics and does not say which one offers STD care, so call to ask.

Neither page says whether walk-ins are accepted, so plan to call first.

Planned Parenthood, urgent care and primary care

Planned Parenthood operates health centers in San Antonio, and many people use them for STD testing. This guide does not list their services or prices because the organization's pages could not be checked when it was written. Call the center or check its site for current services and costs. Our page on San Antonio STD clinics covers what to ask.

Urgent care centers and primary care offices can also order STD tests. Neither type of clinic publishes a standard price across San Antonio, so the cost depends on the practice and on your insurance. Calling ahead helps. Ask whether they test for the specific infections you want, what the visit will cost, and when results come back. A primary care visit can be a good fit if you want testing folded into a regular check-up.

At-home testing

You do not have to visit a clinic to get tested. Several free options exist:

Test for Texas (Texas DSHS) mails free at-home kits for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia to anyone in Texas aged 13 or older, with no insurance needed. You order at testfortexas.org. DSHS says results arrive in a secure portal seven business days after the sample reaches the lab.
Together TakeMeHome, a CDC-funded program, mails free HIV self-tests to anyone 17 or older living in the U.S. A fingerstick option is available for people 18 and older. Each package holds two self-tests, and you can reorder every 90 days.
AARC lists at-home self-test kits alongside its on-site testing. Its page does not say whether kits are mailed or picked up, or who qualifies, so call (210) 625-7200.

For a comparison of home kits and clinic visits, see at-home STD tests vs clinic testing in San Antonio.

You can also use the CDC's national locator at gettested.cdc.gov to find testing sites by ZIP code. It is a good way to check for a clinic closer to your home or work.

What STD testing costs

The honest answer is that cost depends on where you go, and many San Antonio options cost nothing. Here is what the published sources say.

Option	Published cost	Source
Metro Health STI Walk-In Clinic	$15 office visit administrative fee; other fees vary by service	Metro Health
San Antonio AIDS Foundation	Screening and confirmatory services free	SAAF testing page
Alamo Area Resource Center	Free testing	AARC testing page
Kind Clinic	Free walk-in testing; cost of PrEP and other visits not stated	Kind Clinic blog, 2024
BEAT AIDS	Free and confidential testing	BEAT AIDS clinic page
CommuniCare	Sliding fee discount for self-pay patients under 200% of federal poverty guidelines; no test prices listed	CommuniCare
CentroMed	Sliding fee scale by income and family size; no test prices listed	CentroMed
Test for Texas at-home kit	Free for anyone in Texas aged 13 or older	Texas DSHS
Planned Parenthood, urgent care, primary care	Not published here; ask the practice	Call the practice

If you have insurance, the Affordable Care Act requires most plans to cover preventive services that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) rates A or B, without a copay, when you use an in-network provider. The USPSTF recommends screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in sexually active women aged 24 and younger and in older women at increased risk. It also recommends screening for syphilis and HIV in people at increased risk, and HIV screening for everyone aged 15 to 65. Coverage details vary by plan, so check with your insurer. Visit charges that are separate from the test, such as an office fee, may not be covered the same way.

If you are uninsured, the free and sliding-scale options above are usually the best starting point. Our guide to low-cost STD testing in San Antonio without insurance compares them in more detail.

What gets tested and what to ask for

There is no single test that checks for every infection. A clinic builds a panel based on your symptoms, your history and the types of sex you have. Because each clinic sets its own default panel, it helps to say plainly what you want checked.

Common infections and how they are tested

Chlamydia and gonorrhea. These are usually tested with a urine sample or a swab. Depending on the kinds of sex you have had, a clinician may swab the throat, rectum or genitals. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend testing at each site of exposure, because an infection in one body site can be missed by a test at another.
Syphilis. This is a blood test. SAAF and AARC list rapid syphilis testing.
HIV. Tests use a blood sample from a vein, a fingerstick or an oral swab for self-tests. The CDC recommends that everyone aged 13 to 64 be tested for HIV at least once, and more often for people at higher likelihood of exposure.
Hepatitis B and C. The CDC recommends hepatitis C testing at least once for adults. AARC and Kind Clinic list hepatitis C testing.
Trichomoniasis. This is tested with a swab or urine sample. It is curable with treatment from a clinician.
Herpes and HPV. The CDC does not recommend routine herpes blood testing for people without symptoms. If you have a sore or a symptom, a clinician can swab it. For HPV, the USPSTF recommends cervical cancer screening for people with a cervix aged 21 to 65. There is no routine HPV test for people without a cervix.

What to ask for

These questions help you get the right panel:

Which infections are in your standard panel?
Can you test the throat or rectum if that fits my history?
Do you offer a hepatitis C test?
Are the results from this clinic shared with anyone?
How will I get results, and how long will they take?

Many STDs cause no symptoms, as the CDC notes. That is why screening is based on your history and on recommended schedules, not just on how you feel. If you do have symptoms, tell the clinician.

How often people are tested

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend yearly chlamydia and gonorrhea screening for sexually active women under 25 and for older women with risk factors. They also recommend at least yearly screening for syphilis, HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, with testing every three to six months for those at higher risk. Everyone who is pregnant should be screened for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B, and for chlamydia and gonorrhea when risk factors apply. Your own schedule is something a clinician can set with you.

Window periods

The window period is the time between an exposure and when a test can reliably detect an infection. The CDC gives these windows for HIV:

Nucleic acid tests (NAT): 10 to 33 days after exposure.
Antigen/antibody lab tests on blood from a vein: 18 to 45 days.
Antigen/antibody tests by fingerstick: 18 to 90 days.
Antibody tests and self-tests: 23 to 90 days.

For other infections, the right timing depends on the test. A clinician can tell you when testing makes sense and whether a repeat test is a good idea. If you think you were exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, the CDC says post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) works best when started as soon as possible, within that window. AARC and Kind Clinic both list PEP. Call them or a clinician right away.

What to expect at your visit

Knowing the steps takes most of the nervousness out of a first visit. For a longer walk-through, see what happens at an STD test.

Before you go

Check the hours. Several clinics close check-in well before closing time.
Bring photo ID if you are going to Metro Health.
If you use insurance, bring your card.
Note the date of any exposure, any symptoms, and your most recent test, if you had one.

At the clinic

You will check in, fill out a short form and talk with a nurse or clinician. They will ask about symptoms, recent partners and the kinds of sex you have had. These questions are routine. They exist so the clinician can choose the right tests and sample sites. Answering honestly is the most useful thing you can do, and nothing you say is judged.

The sample collection is quick. You might give a urine sample, a swab or a small blood draw or fingerstick. A swab of the throat or rectum is quick and can be done by the clinician or sometimes by you.

Getting results

Timing depends on the test:

Rapid tests, such as rapid HIV and syphilis at SAAF and AARC, produce results during the visit. See same-day STD testing in San Antonio for more on speed.
SAAF says gonorrhea and chlamydia results take 7 to 10 days through the DSHS lab.
Test for Texas says results are available in a secure portal seven business days after the sample reaches the lab.

Other clinics set their own timelines, so ask when you check in. Ask how you will be contacted and whether it is safe to leave a voicemail or text.

Privacy, minors and Texas law

Confidential versus anonymous

Confidential means the clinic keeps your results in a medical record and protects them under privacy law. Anonymous means the clinic does not record who you are. Not every site offers both. Metro Health says it does not test anonymously and requires photo ID. BEAT AIDS lists confidential testing. Our page on anonymous and confidential STD testing in San Antonio explains the difference in more detail.

Reporting to the state

Texas DSHS lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, chancroid, HIV and AIDS as notifiable conditions in its Texas Notifiable Conditions 2026 list. That means clinicians and labs report positive results to public health authorities. DSHS sets the timeframes. Syphilis in its primary and secondary stages and acute HIV are reported within one work day. Chlamydia, gonorrhea and the other listed conditions are reported within one week. Public health uses these reports to track trends and to offer follow-up services. Reports go to health departments, not to employers or family.

Minors

Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003(a)(3) lets a minor of any age consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious, contagious or communicable disease. The statute says parent or guardian consent is not necessary. The Texas DSHS publication 'HIV and Texas Law' says this includes HIV.

One detail matters. Under Sec. 32.003(d), a physician may tell a parent or guardian about the treatment, with or without the minor's consent. The law permits it and does not require it. A teen who is worried about this can ask the clinic about its practice before the visit begins.

Partners

According to the CDC's page on the legal status of expedited partner therapy (EPT) in Texas, Texas has no EPT statute, but administrative rules allow it. Under those rules, a physician may prescribe medication for the partners of an established patient without a separate patient relationship. Advanced practice nurses may do the same, and pharmacists may fill those prescriptions without the partner's name on the label. If you are diagnosed with a bacterial STI, ask the clinician whether this applies to your situation.

Pregnancy

The Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 81.090 requires syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B testing at the first prenatal visit. It also requires syphilis and HIV testing in the third trimester, not earlier than the 28th week, and syphilis and hepatitis B testing on admission for delivery. A pregnant person may object to the HIV tests but not to the syphilis tests. Metro Health's page says syphilis testing for pregnant women is available at its walk-in and mobile clinics. If you are pregnant or planning to be, tell your prenatal provider about any past exposure.

What the local numbers say

The numbers below are context, not a reason for alarm. They show why regular screening is an ordinary part of health care in this region.

Gonorrhea. The Texas DSHS STD Surveillance Report for 2022 counted 5,983 gonorrhea cases in Bexar County, a rate of 290.5 per 100,000 people. The Texas rate that year was 207.0 per 100,000.
Chlamydia. The same DSHS report counted 12,305 chlamydia cases in Bexar County in 2022. The report does not print a Bexar County chlamydia rate.
Syphilis. DSHS reported 500 primary and secondary syphilis cases in Bexar County in 2022, a rate of 24.3 per 100,000. The Texas rate was 15.5. Bexar County had 2,602 syphilis cases across all stages that year.
HIV. The CDC's 2024 HIV Surveillance Data Release Tables count 373 new HIV diagnoses in Bexar County, a rate of 21.1 per 100,000 people aged 13 and older. For people 13 and older in Texas, the CDC rate was 19.4.
Congenital syphilis. The CDC's 2023 surveillance tables count 930 congenital syphilis cases in Texas, which is 238.6 per 100,000 live births. This is one reason prenatal syphilis testing is part of Texas law.

DSHS notes that prior-year numbers can shift slightly as data are cleaned. These counts are people who tested and were reported, so the true numbers may be higher. The practical takeaway is simple: testing is common, treatable and worth doing on a regular schedule.

After your results: treatment, partners and prevention

If a test is negative

A negative result means the test did not detect that infection at that time. Depending on how recent your exposure was, a clinician may suggest a repeat test. If you have ongoing exposure, a regular schedule works better than a single test.

If a test is positive

A positive result is manageable. Here is what the CDC says about the main infections:

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis are curable with treatment from a clinician.
HIV, herpes and HPV are not curable, but they are treatable or manageable. For HIV, treatment prescribed by a clinician can keep the virus at a level where it cannot be passed on during sex.

The medicine and the course depend on your situation, and a clinician decides both. Metro Health, Kind Clinic, BEAT AIDS and CentroMed list treatment for STIs. SAAF lists HIV medical care through its Care Clinic.

Telling partners

Telling a partner can feel difficult. A clinic can help you plan the conversation. Some health departments also offer to notify partners without naming you. Ask the clinic what is available. The EPT rules described above may also let a partner get treatment without a separate visit.

Prevention tools

PrEP. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is medicine a clinician prescribes to lower the chance of getting HIV. Metro Health's PrEP Clinic, SAAF, AARC, Kind Clinic, BEAT AIDS and CommuniCare all list PrEP. Texas DSHS also keeps a PrEP prescriber directory at dshs.texas.gov/hivstd/prep/providers and says PrEP is free for many insured people.
Doxy-PEP. In 2024, the CDC issued guidance that a clinician may consider doxycycline after sex to lower the chance of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea for some groups. The guidance applies to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and to transgender women, who had a bacterial STI in the past year. It is a clinician's decision, and not a substitute for regular testing. SAAF lists doxy-PEP, and Kind Clinic offers it to its own patients.
Vaccines. The CDC recommends vaccines for hepatitis B and HPV. Ask your clinician whether you are up to date.
Condoms and barrier methods. The CDC notes these lower the chance of many infections when used correctly.

A simple plan

Pick a route from the list above, based on your schedule and budget.
Call or check the clinic's page for current hours.
Ask which infections are in the panel, and request any that are missing.
Ask how and when you will get results.
If a result is positive, ask about treatment, partners and retesting.

If you are not sure where to begin, use the CDC locator at gettested.cdc.gov, or start with free testing at SAAF, AARC or the Metro Health walk-in clinic. Asking for a test is a responsible, ordinary thing to do.

STD Testing in San Antonio: Where to Get Tested, What It Costs and What to Expect