Medical Exam for Abroad: Who Publishes What
Department of Migrant Workers · employment
Quick answer
DMW publishes no medical examination requirement, accredited clinic list or fee for overseas workers on the pages read for this guide. What is published is DFA's rule that a medical certificate for employment needs a DOH stamp per document before it can be apostillised at ₱100.00 regular.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from DMW's official published sources: DFA Authentication Division | Documentary Requirements (https://www.apostille.gov.ph/documentary-requirements/, retrieved 2026-08-31); Department of Migrant Workers | Frequently Asked Questions (https://dmw.gov.ph/faqs, retrieved 2026-08-31); DFA Authentication Division | Schedule of Fees (https://www.apostille.gov.ph/schedule-of-fees-tab/, retrieved 2026-08-31). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with DMW before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-08-31.
This page starts with what is not published, because that is the honest answer to the question.
DMW publishes no medical examination requirement, no accredited clinic list and no fee for overseas workers on the pages read for this guide. Employers and destination countries commonly require a medical, but the rules and prices are theirs, not DMW’s, and none is stated here.
What is published, by DFA, is what happens to the certificate after you have it.
The DOH stamp rule
| Purpose of the medical certificate | What DFA requires before an apostille |
|---|---|
| For employment | A DOH stamp per document |
| For other purposes | A certification issued by DOH with the medical certificate attached |
What the apostille costs
| Processing | Fee | Released after |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | ₱100.00 | 5 working days |
| Expedited | ₱200.00 | 2 working days |
| e-Apostille | ₱200.00 | 1 working day |
| Unclaimed apostilles | Disposed of 3 months from the scheduled release date | - |
The Philippines became a party to the Apostille Convention on 14 May 2019, and the apostille replaced the Authentication Certificate known as the red ribbon. Appointments are required, at appointment.apostille.gov.ph. The apostille guide covers it in full.
The other documents in the same file
DFA publishes 21 document classes with their own pre-apostille requirement. These are the ones an OFW file usually contains.
| Document | Pre-apostille requirement |
|---|---|
| Medical certificate, for employment | DOH stamp per document |
| NBI clearance | Original with dry seal, verifiable online; a personal copy is not accepted |
| PSA birth, marriage, death, CENOMAR | Ordered through PSA Helpline, with QR entries matching |
| Diploma and TOR, private college | Certified true copies plus a CAV from CHED |
| Diploma and TOR, state university | Certified true copies and CAV from the school |
| Technical or vocational certificate | Certified true copies plus a CAV from TESDA |
| PRC documents | Originals, or certified true copies from PRC |
| Certificate of employment or training | A notarised affidavit plus a CANA from the Regional Trial Court |
| Driver’s licence | A certification with receipt from LTO |
| CAAP documents | Certified by CAAP |
| DSWD clearance | Original issued by DSWD |
| Police clearance | Original issued by the PNP |
What the surrounding documents cost
| Document | Published fee | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| Medical certificate | Not published by DMW or DOH on the pages read | This page |
| NBI clearance | ₱160.00 including the e-payment fee | NBI clearance requirements |
| PSA birth certificate, viewable online copy | ₱130.00, valid 60 days | PSA birth certificate |
| PSA marriage certificate | ₱130.00 | PSA marriage certificate |
| PSA CENOMAR | ₱185.00 | PSA CENOMAR |
| Philippine passport, regular | ₱950.00 | New passport |
| Philippine passport, expedite | ₱1,200.00 | Passport renewal |
| DFA apostille, regular | ₱100.00 | Apostille and red ribbon |
| OWWA membership | USD $25.00 | OWWA membership |
| LTO licence certification | ₱100.00 | Driver’s licence renewal |
The one agency that does price medical accreditation
LTO publishes what a clinic pays to be allowed to issue its medical certificates. It is not what you pay, but it shows the shape of the regime.
| Accreditation | Fee | Published total time |
|---|---|---|
| Medical clinic, new | ₱5,000.00 | 17 working days 2 hours 28 minutes |
| Medical clinic, renewal | ₱3,000.00 | 19 working days 3 hours |
| Physician, new | ₱3,000.00 | 11 working days 3 hours 3 minutes |
| Physician, renewal | ₱1,000.00 | 12 working days 2 hours 3 minutes |
Clinic accreditation is described as a yearly authority, granted by the Central Accreditation Committee on Driving Schools and Medical Clinics. LTO does not publish what a clinic charges a driver either. The LTO medical certificate guide covers that gap on the domestic side.
What DMW does publish for a departing worker
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| OEC validity | 2 months or 60 days, single exit |
| Licensed recruitment agencies | 3,794, with Valid License or Expired status, updated every 2 hours |
| Approved job orders | 134,072 |
| Direct hire processing fee | USD 100 in peso equivalent, plus USD 25 OWWA and ₱600.00 HDMF |
| Manual OEC through a landbased agency | ₱200.00, plus USD 25 OWWA and ₱600.00 HDMF |
| Balik-Manggagawa OEC at a regional office | Total standard fee None |
| PDOS | Published at 1 day |
| CPDEP | Published at 16 days |
The OEC guide, the recruitment agencies guide and the PDOS guide cover those.
Who to ask instead
| Question | Ask |
|---|---|
| Which medical tests does my destination require? | The destination country’s embassy |
| Which clinic does my employer accept? | Your licensed recruitment agency |
| Is my agency licensed? | DMW’s directory, updated every 2 hours |
| How do I get the certificate accepted abroad? | The apostille route, after a DOH stamp |
| Where do I get help abroad? | A Migrant Workers Office, presenting your OWWA eCard |
What this page does not cover
DMW does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, a medical examination requirement for overseas workers, a list of accredited medical facilities, the tests involved, the validity period of a medical certificate, or its price. None of those are stated here, and this page does not guess at them.
Related
The work visa requirements guide covers the same division between what DMW controls and what the destination country does. The apostille guide covers the DOH stamp rule, and the PDOS guide the pre-departure seminar.
Frequently asked questions
- Does DMW require a medical examination?
- DMW does not publish a medical examination requirement, an accredited clinic list, or a fee on the pages read for this guide. Employers and destination countries commonly require one, but nothing about DMW's own rules on it is stated here.
- What is published about a medical certificate?
- DFA's authentication rules. For a medical certificate used for employment, DFA requires a DOH stamp per document before it will apostillise it. For other purposes, DFA requires a certification issued by DOH with the medical certificate attached.
- How much does the apostille cost?
- ₱100.00 for regular processing released after 5 working days, ₱200.00 for expedited processing released after 2 working days, and ₱200.00 for an e-Apostille released after 1 working day.
- Why does the apostille matter for a medical certificate?
- Because a foreign employer or immigration office in an Apostille Convention country will usually accept a Philippine document only with an apostille. The Philippines joined the Convention on 14 May 2019, and the apostille replaced the Authentication Certificate known as the red ribbon.
- Is there a Philippine agency that does publish medical clinic fees?
- LTO publishes what a clinic pays to be accredited to issue its medical certificates: ₱5,000.00 for a new accreditation at 17 working days 2 hours 28 minutes, and ₱3,000.00 for a renewal at 19 working days 3 hours. A physician's own accreditation is ₱3,000.00 new and ₱1,000.00 on renewal. LTO does not publish what the clinic charges a driver.
- Where does the medical certificate sit in the pre-departure sequence?
- This site cannot say, because DMW does not publish a sequence that includes it. What DMW does publish is e-registration, the OEC valid 60 days for a single exit, POPS-BaM for returning workers and POPS-Direct for direct hires.
- Who should I ask?
- Your licensed recruitment agency, and the destination country's embassy. DMW publishes a directory of 3,794 licensed agencies with a status of Valid License or Expired, updated every 2 hours.
- What else needs a stamp before an apostille?
- DFA publishes 21 document classes with their own pre-apostille requirement, including an NBI clearance original with dry seal, PSA documents ordered through PSA Helpline, school records with a CAV from DepEd, TESDA or CHED, PRC documents, CAAP documents, an LTO certification for a driver's licence, and a CANA from the Regional Trial Court for notarised private documents.