1.3 Medical Examination, Chest X-Ray and the Harmonised Medical Examination Report

Medical Examination, Chest X-Ray and the Harmonised Medical Examination Report

After receiving the Approval to Attend Course (ATC) letter, every TDVL applicant must complete a medical check-up and chest X-ray before training can begin. Since February 2026, this step has moved to a fully digital reporting system called the Harmonised Medical Examination Report (HMER), which changed who submits the paperwork and how quickly applicants find out the result.

Where the Examination Happens

Applicants may attend any Singapore-registered clinic staffed by medical practitioners registered under Singapore's Medical Registration Act. This is deliberately flexible — LTA does not require applicants to use a single designated medical centre, so applicants can choose a clinic near home or work. ComfortDelGro's TDVL FAQ page lists a discounted medical check-up and chest X-ray rate of S$35 at partner clinics, which is typically cheaper than a standalone walk-in assessment.

Both a general medical check-up and a chest X-ray are required at the point of initial TDVL application. This is stricter than the requirement at renewal, where a check-up is needed but a fresh chest X-ray is not always required (Section 1.4 covers renewal medical rules in full).

The Harmonised Medical Examination Report (HMER)

Since 2 February 2026, medical results for vocational licence applicants are submitted through the HMER system. The key change is who submits the report: it is the medical practitioner, not the applicant, who submits the completed assessment digitally to LTA on the applicant's behalf, immediately after the check-up and X-ray are completed.

This removes a step that used to fall on applicants — there is no longer a paper form for the applicant to carry to LTA or a training provider. Instead, the applicant receives confirmation electronically by text message (Short Message Service, or SMS).

Why LTA Digitised the Medical Submission Step

Before the HMER system, applicants were responsible for collecting a physical medical report from the clinic and delivering it to LTA or to their training provider themselves — a paper trail that could be lost, delayed, or submitted to the wrong office. Shifting submission responsibility to the medical practitioner removes that risk: the clinic that performed the check-up and X-ray is also the party that files the digital result, cutting out a manual handoff. For applicants, the practical benefit is a faster, trackable confirmation by SMS rather than a paper form that could sit unprocessed on someone's desk.

Two-Stage SMS Confirmation

Applicants can expect two separate SMS text messages after their clinic visit:

1. First SMS — confirms that the medical practitioner has submitted the assessment to LTA.
2. Second SMS — arrives within 3 working days and confirms that LTA has accepted the submission.

The second SMS is the one that matters for registration: applicants must present this confirmation to their training provider when registering for the TDVL course. Showing up with only the first SMS, or assuming submission automatically equals acceptance, will not satisfy a provider's registration checklist.

Transition Period for Older Approval Letters

LTA built in a transition window from 2 February to 31 July 2026, during which clinics may still accept physical medical forms for applicants who received an older-format ATC approval letter issued before the digital system rolled out. Outside that transition window, digital submission through HMER is the standard path. Applicants applying now should expect the fully digital HMER process rather than a paper form, since the transition period was intended for a narrow band of applicants who were already mid-process when the system changed.

Why This Step Cannot Be Skipped or Rushed

TDVL exam questions on this topic tend to probe two misconceptions:

• I feel healthy, so I can skip the medical exam. Incorrect — the medical check-up and chest X-ray are mandatory steps for every applicant, not a discretionary health screen.
• I can register for training as soon as I leave the clinic. Incorrect — a provider needs the accepted confirmation (the second SMS), not just proof of attendance, before registering the applicant for TDVL training.
• Any clinic's medical certificate will do. Incorrect — the check-up must take place at a Singapore-registered clinic staffed by a registered medical practitioner; a report from an unregistered facility does not generate a valid HMER submission to LTA.

HMER Process at a Glance

Because the practitioner — not the applicant — now handles submission, applicants should confirm before leaving the clinic that the practitioner has the correct details on file, since any error in submission delays the second SMS and, in turn, delays training registration.