If your domestic helper fails her FOMEMA medical check, you have 14 days to appeal. Miss that window, or lose the appeal, and Immigration issues a Check-Out Memo: she’s removed from the system and has to leave Malaysia. That’s the part of FOMEMA maid renewal that keeps employers up at night, so it gets a full section below, not a footnote.
The rest of the process is routine. The medical fee is about RM217, the exam takes an afternoon at a panel clinic, and the result usually lands within a week and a half. What catches employers out is timing. The permit expiry date creeps closer while “book FOMEMA” sits on a to-do list, and a check that used to feel occasional is now required every single year.
We run TopMaidAgency.my, a directory of JTKSM-licensed agencies. We don’t sell renewals, so what follows is just the process: when to book, what it costs, which portal you use, and what to do in the first 48 hours if the result comes back unfit.
What Is FOMEMA, and Why Is the Medical Check Now Every Year?
Since January 2024, every foreign domestic helper in Malaysia must pass a FOMEMA medical check-up every year to renew her work permit, according to licensed maid agencies that handle renewals. FOMEMA, the Foreign Worker Medical Examination Monitoring Agency, is the body appointed by the Malaysian Government to monitor the medical examinations that every foreign worker’s permit depends on, including helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines.
That annual rule is a tightening. Before 2024, a FOMEMA medical checkup for your maid didn’t always come round every year, and plenty of employers still carry that older assumption. If you last dealt with FOMEMA when your helper first arrived and filed it away as a one-off, it’s time to move it into the same mental slot as road tax: a fixed date that comes round every year.
We haven’t found the government circular behind the annual rule, only the licensed agencies that process renewals every week, and they all treat it as mandatory. So should you. The exam itself is easy. Starting it late is what causes trouble.
When Should You Start FOMEMA Maid Renewal? The 90-Day Rule
Start your FOMEMA maid renewal at least 90 days before your helper’s work permit expires. Licensed agencies recommend a three-month lead time, and under FWCMS the window to apply for a PLKS (work permit) extension also opens 90 days before the existing PLKS expires. The medical exam and the permit application therefore line up on the same calendar date.
Here’s the simple rule: the date 90 days before expiry is “book FOMEMA” day, not “start reading about FOMEMA” day. Find the expiry date on her current permit, count back three months, and put a reminder in your phone now. If that date has already passed, book this week. If her permit is within a month of expiry, call a licensed agency today rather than going it alone.
The individual steps add up faster than most employers expect:
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Maid permit renewal window opens (FWCMS) | 90 days before permit expiry |
| FOMEMA employer registration approved | About 2 working days |
| Helper attends panel clinic | Within 72 hours of registering her for the exam |
| FOMEMA result updated | 3 to 7 working days after the exam |
| New permit issued after a successful application | About 7 working days |
| Smooth path, start to new permit | About 3 to 4 weeks |
How Much Does FOMEMA Maid Renewal Cost in 2026?
The FOMEMA medical fee for a female domestic helper is approximately RM217, which covers the check-up including the X-ray, according to licensed agency renewal guides. The total maid permit renewal cost, covering the FOMEMA fee, the Immigration levy and processing, is commonly cited at RM610 to RM811 for Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers, with the exact figure varying by nationality.
| Cost item | Approximate amount | Applies to maids? |
|---|---|---|
| FOMEMA medical fee (female worker, includes X-ray) | RM217 | Yes |
| Total permit renewal (FOMEMA fee, levy and processing) | RM610 to RM811 | Yes, Filipino and Indonesian helpers; varies by nationality |
| General foreign worker permit renewal, 2026 | RM825 to RM2,035 | No. Covers factory, construction and plantation workers |
That third row is there because you’ll probably run into it. One 2026 guide to foreign worker permit renewal quotes fees of RM825 to RM2,035, depending on sector and worker type. That range describes the general foreign worker category, which covers other sectors where the levy is higher. Don’t budget for it as a maid employer.
No verified 2026 breakdown splits the domestic helper renewal into exact line items for the FOMEMA fee, the levy and processing. The RM610 to RM811 figure is an aggregate range reported by agencies, so treat it as approximate and confirm the current levy on FWCMS before you pay.
Nationality moves the number, so if you use an agency for renewals, pick one that handles your helper’s nationality routinely. Our directory lists agencies that place Filipino helpers and Indonesian maid agencies separately.
How Do You Book the FOMEMA Medical Exam?
You book the FOMEMA medical exam through the FOMEMA Employer/Agency Portal at portal.fomema.my and pay the fee online. Employer registration takes about two working days to be approved, according to FOMEMA’s own employer registration guide. Once you register your helper for the exam, she must attend a designated FOMEMA panel clinic within 72 hours. An ordinary GP visit doesn’t count.
To renew your maid’s work permit, the FOMEMA steps come first, in this order:
- Open the portal and click ‘Register’. Go to portal.fomema.my and start an employer registration.
- Fill in your employer details. If your helper is registered under Maid Online (SMO), get her SMO slip from the SMO portal first, because you’ll need it.
- Upload your verification documents. Review everything, submit, and write down your registration ID.
- Wait for approval. This typically takes about two working days.
- Register your helper, choose a panel clinic, and pay online. The fee includes the X-ray. From this moment she has 72 hours to attend the clinic you selected.
A practical tip on step five. Choose the clinic and check her schedule before you register her, not after. Seventy-two hours is generous on a quiet week and tight if you register on a Friday evening before a public holiday.
Malaysian or Expatriate Employer: Which Renewal Path Applies to You?
Since 1 February 2025, Malaysian employers can no longer renew a domestic helper’s work permit through the old ePLKS Immigration portal. Every renewal now goes through FWCMS, the Foreign Workers Centralized Management System, according to a 2026 foreign worker permit renewal guide. Expatriate and MM2H employers follow a separate procedure, so the FWCMS steps below apply to Malaysian citizen employers only.
If you’re a Malaysian citizen employer
The FWCMS maid renewal after FOMEMA is shorter than most employers fear:
- Get a login. If you have no existing FWCMS or ePLKS account, register through MyPass@JIM, formerly known as ePLKS@JIM.
- Log in to FWCMS. Open the ‘ePLKS’ dropdown menu.
- Select ‘PLKS Application’ to start the renewal.
For most domestic helpers, you won’t need to upload documents again. FWCMS already holds her records from the original registration.
If you’re an expatriate or MM2H employer
Sources agree your path is separate, but none we reviewed gave a verified step-by-step for it, so we won’t guess. MM2H households renew the helper’s pass through the MM2H programme rather than the standard citizen route. For the FOMEMA side, contact FOMEMA customer service at cs@fomema.com.my or on WhatsApp at 03-2782 8777 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, excluding national and Selangor public holidays). For the permit itself, confirm the steps with the agency that placed your helper before you start.
How Long Do FOMEMA Results Take?
FOMEMA takes three to seven working days to update the medical result after your helper completes her exam, according to licensed agency renewal guides. A result of “Suitable” clears her as fit for employment, and you then submit the permit renewal to Immigration through FWCMS. New permit issuance typically takes a further seven working days after a successful application.
Put those together and budget two to three weeks from exam day to a new permit. Add the two-day registration approval and the clinic visit, and even a smooth renewal takes three to four weeks.
A failed result eats most of that 90-day buffer, which is why the buffer exists.
What Happens If Your Maid Fails FOMEMA?
If your helper fails her FOMEMA medical check, you have 14 days to file an appeal through the Employer/Agency Portal at portal.fomema.my, according to FOMEMA’s published appeal procedure. If FOMEMA receives no supporting medical documents within four weeks, it closes the case. If the appeal fails or is never filed, the Immigration Department requires a Check-Out Memo, and she must leave Malaysia.
How the appeal works
You register the appeal on the same portal you used to book the exam. Then you submit any additional test results to FOMEMA as soon as possible. The four-week limit on documents is the one that catches people: follow-up tests take time to arrange and time to report, so start them the day you see the result, not day thirteen.
What a Check-Out Memo actually means
A Check-Out Memo (COM) is final. It confirms she has been removed from the Immigration Department’s system and has left Malaysia, which ends her employment with you. Letting the 14-day appeal window pass without filing leads straight to this outcome.
Some employers have heard that failed workers used to stay on anyway. Historically, that was partly true. A CodeBlue analysis found that between 2016 and 2018, only 29.6% of foreign workers who failed FOMEMA screening (12,319 out of 41,607) were actually issued a COM. That figure describes how loosely the process was enforced before the 2024 annual-check rule, and the employers behind it were out of compliance. Don’t plan around it.
Your first 48 hours after an unfit result
- Note the date the result appeared on the portal. Treat the 14-day appeal window as running from that date, and file well inside it.
- Register the appeal on portal.fomema.my immediately, even before you have every document.
- Book any follow-up tests so results can reach FOMEMA well inside four weeks.
- Start a replacement shortlist in parallel. If the appeal fails, you’ll need a new helper, and bringing one in isn’t a same-week job. Our guide to hiring a maid in Malaysia covers what that involves.
That last step is the one most families skip, and it’s the one that decides whether a failed result becomes a month without help. Knowing three licensed agencies you’d trust, before you need them, turns a crisis into a phone call.
Your FOMEMA Maid Renewal Checklist
FOMEMA maid renewal comes down to six steps. Screenshot this list:
- 90 days before expiry: register on portal.fomema.my (approval takes about two working days).
- After approval: register your helper, pick a panel clinic and pay about RM217.
- Within 72 hours: get her to that clinic.
- 3 to 7 working days later: check the result. “Suitable” means go ahead.
- Then: renew in FWCMS under ePLKS > PLKS Application. Budget RM610 to RM811 in total and allow about 7 working days for the new permit.
- If she fails: appeal on the portal within 14 days, send supporting results within four weeks, and start a shortlist of replacement agencies the same day.
Step 6 is the one you don’t want to research under pressure. Every agency on TopMaidAgency.my has been checked against the JTKSM licence register and the MOHA ESIMS blacklist, so you can compare licensed maid agencies across Malaysia now while there’s no deadline. In the Klang Valley, start with the best maid agencies in Kuala Lumpur.