FOMEMA medical check-up: tests, fees, results and appeals explained

What is FOMEMA?

FOMEMA is the company appointed by the Government in 1997 to run the compulsory health screening of legal foreign workers, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. The aim is to make sure workers are fit to work and to stop infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, from spreading.

FOMEMA covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, through about 3,100 panel clinics and 140 laboratories. Foreign worker applications in Sabah and Sarawak are handled under those states’ own arrangements, so check with the state Immigration office there.

Its official website is now fomema2u.com.my, and employers use the FOMEMA portal to register workers and see results.

Who needs a FOMEMA check-up, and when

• Foreign workers on a Temporary Employment Visit Pass (PLKS), in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, plantations, agriculture and services.
• Foreign domestic helpers.
• Not expatriates on employment passes, and not international students, who have a separate medical screening through Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS).

Before December 2023, workers were examined yearly for the first 3 years and then every other year. Since 16 December 2023, the exam is needed every year for all foreign workers. Since 7 September 2026, employers must also confirm the worker’s accommodation address before registration can go ahead.

What the FOMEMA medical examination tests

• Medical history and physical examination by a FOMEMA panel doctor, including blood pressure.
• Chest X-ray, mainly to look for tuberculosis (TB).
• Blood tests for HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis and malaria, and blood group. Hepatitis C and filariasis were added in December 2023.
• Urine tests for drugs (including opiates and cannabis, with methamphetamine added in December 2023), pregnancy in women, and sugar and protein.

Conditions that can make a worker unsuitable include infectious diseases such as TB (including old TB that could become active again), hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis, malaria, filariasis and leprosy, as well as cancer, epilepsy, serious psychiatric illness, drug use and pregnancy. Chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease may also lead to an unsuitable result, or to a monitoring programme.

According to FOMEMA figures cited by the Malaysian Medical Association, in 2023 the screening detected more than 6,400 cases of TB and more than 3,300 cases of hepatitis B among foreign workers, which is why the checks matter for public health. See our guide to a cough that won’t go away for the signs of TB.

FOMEMA fees in 2026

The fees went up from RM190 (male) and RM207 (female) on 16 December 2023, when the new tests were added, and SST was added from 25 May 2026. If a registration is cancelled, RM29.16 (RM27 plus SST) is kept and the rest refunded. These fees apply in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan.

The employer registers the worker and pays the fee through the FOMEMA portal.

Step by step: from registration to results

1. Register and pay: the employer, or a registered agency, registers the worker on the FOMEMA portal and pays the fee.
2. Choose a clinic: the employer picks a FOMEMA panel clinic. Find one on the FOMEMA website under “Find Your Nearest Clinic”, or in our directory below.
3. Attend the exam: the worker brings their passport and registration details. The clinic does the examination and takes blood and urine samples. The chest X-ray is done at a FOMEMA-registered X-ray facility, which may be at the same clinic.
4. Certification: the results are reviewed and sent electronically to the Immigration Department, usually within 7 working days.

A FOMEMA result is valid for 180 days.

How to check FOMEMA results online

Results are checked by the employer:

1. Log in to the FOMEMA portal.
2. Open “Medical Result”.
3. Search by worker code or passport number (up to 10 workers at a time).

The result shows Suitable or Unsuitable. For an unsuitable result, the “Reason” column explains why, and the employer can print an unsuitable letter. There is no official public search for workers, so be careful of unofficial websites asking for passport numbers.

Unsuitable results and appeals

If a worker is found unsuitable, they can’t continue working in Malaysia. The employer must apply to the Immigration Department for a Check Out Memo and send the worker home.

Some results can be appealed. FOMEMA emails the employer if a case is appealable:

• Register the appeal on the FOMEMA portal within 2 weeks of certification, and submit any extra test results within 4 weeks, or the case is closed.
• An appeal committee meets weekly. The process takes about 30 days from payment.
• Some chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, can be cleared under a 6-month monitoring programme. Workers who decline monitoring or miss the final check must be repatriated.
• Since 20 July 2026, syphilis can be appealed, with treatment and a 6-month monitoring programme.

Not appealable: TB confirmed on chest X-ray, malaria, pregnancy, HIV and hepatitis B. A mismatched blood group needs a new registration rather than an appeal.

Tips for employers and workers

• Register early: up to 3 months before the permit expires, so there is time for an appeal if needed.
• Make sure the worker’s passport details match the registration exactly.
• Tell the doctor about any medicines the worker takes, and bring records of known conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
• Workers with a long cough, fever, night sweats or weight loss should see a doctor before the exam, as TB is treatable.
• Only use the official FOMEMA website and portal, and never pay anyone who offers to “guarantee” a result.

Find a FOMEMA panel clinic

Our directory lists clinics that are on the FOMEMA panel, including clinics with FOMEMA X-ray facilities, with opening hours and directions. Panels can change, so check the clinic on the official FOMEMA website before you register.

Browse the clinic directory

Frequently asked questions