Can You Walk In for an X-Ray?
Walk-In vs. Booking

Yes, you can walk in for an X-ray at Bluewater Imaging. Bring a signed requisition from your healthcare provider and your health card to any of our clinics that offer X-ray, and we’ll fit you in. We still encourage booking ahead, because a booked visit is already in our schedule. Other exams, like ultrasound, need an appointment.

So which should you do? It depends on your day. Here’s how to think about it.

How walk-in X-ray works

A plain X-ray is quick and usually needs no preparation, which is why it suits walk-ins. You come to the front desk with your requisition and health card, check in, and wait to be called. The X-ray itself usually takes about 10 minutes.

Walk-in X-ray is welcome at the clinics that offer X-ray. That’s nine of our ten locations:

• 123 Edward Street, downtown Toronto
• Eglinton Avenue East, near Yonge and Eglinton
• Etobicoke, on Lake Shore Boulevard West
• Keele and Ingram, North York
• Lawrence and Dufferin, North York
• Scarborough, on Neilson Road
• Woodbridge, on Highway 7
• Port Hope
• Belleville

Our University Heights clinic on Finch Avenue West doesn’t list X-ray, so please choose another clinic for a walk-in.

What are the walk-in X-ray hours?

Walk-in hours are the same as each clinic’s regular opening hours, which are on its location page. If you’re planning to come near the end of the day, call 416-462-0064 first.

Walk-in X-ray or booking: which is better for you?

There’s no wrong answer. It comes down to how much flexibility you have.

Walking in makes sense when your requisition is in your hand, your day is flexible, and you’d rather not plan ahead. It’s handy if you’ve just left your doctor’s office and the clinic is on your way home.

Booking ahead makes sense when you have a tight schedule, you’re arranging time off work, someone is driving you, or you’re bringing children. With a booking, your visit is already in our schedule. Walk-in patients are seen as they arrive, so the time you spend waiting can vary with how busy the clinic is.

Booking is kinder to your nerves if you find waiting rooms stressful. If you get anxious in medical settings, tell us when you book. We can suggest a quieter time of day and allow a little extra time so nothing feels rushed. The same goes if you use a wheelchair or need help moving: let us know ahead and we’ll make arrangements.

Booking is also better if you’re having more than one exam. If your requisition lists an X-ray and an ultrasound, we can book them back to back at one clinic so you come in once.

Exams that need an appointment

Walk-ins are for plain X-ray. Plan to book these other exams ahead:

Ultrasound. Many ultrasounds need preparation. An abdominal ultrasound needs an empty stomach, and a pelvic ultrasound needs a full bladder. Booking gives you a set time to prepare for.

Fluoroscopy, such as a barium swallow or upper GI series. These are by appointment, and we send a diet sheet when you book.

Mammography and bone density. Book these ahead too, and check the preparation steps (no deodorant before a mammogram, no calcium supplements for 24 hours before a bone density test).

You’ll find all the details on our preparation instructions page.

What to bring to a walk-in X-ray

You don’t need much:

1. Your signed requisition. We can’t do an X-ray without one. Bluewater accepts requisitions from any licensed Ontario healthcare provider, on any clinic’s form. If yours isn’t signed, we can’t use it, so check before you leave your provider’s office.
2. Your Ontario health card. With a valid card and requisition, a medically needed X-ray is covered by OHIP.
3. A list of your medications, if you have one handy.

A couple of small tips make it quicker. Wear clothes without metal zippers, snaps or buttons near the area being X-rayed, so you may not need to change into a gown. Leave jewellery at home if you can. And tell the technologist if you are or might be pregnant before the X-ray starts.

Not sure whether you need a requisition, or who can write one? Read Do you need a requisition for an X-ray or ultrasound?

Walk-in X-ray without OHIP

If you don’t have a valid Ontario health card, you can still walk in with a requisition. You’ll pay for the exam at your visit. As of October 2026, a chest X-ray is $50 to $85 depending on the number of views, and a knee X-ray of one side is $45 to $90. The full list is in our cash fee schedule (PDF), and our article on X-ray costs without OHIP explains the ranges.

After your X-ray

Once your images are taken, the technologist checks them for quality and you’re free to go. A radiologist reads them and sends a report to the provider who ordered the X-ray. Your provider will go over the results with you. You can also see your images and reports through PocketHealth on our Your Images page.

Book ahead or just come in

If you’d like the certainty of a set time, book your X-ray online or call our call centre at 416-462-0064 (Monday to Thursday 8am to 6pm, Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 4pm). If you’d rather walk in, bring your signed requisition and health card. Read more on our X-ray page. Either way, we’ll take good care of you.