Visa, pre-employment or PEME: which medical do you need?

A recruiter, an HR email or an embassy letter has told you that you need "a medical". Then the booking page offers a visa medical, a pre-employment medical and a PEME, and they all look much the same.

The good news is that the choice is easier than it looks. Each one is completed for a different reader: an embassy or sponsor, a land employer, or a shipping company. Whoever will receive the certificate decides which medical you need, and the letter in your hand usually says who that is.

If your letter is from an embassy or a sponsor abroad, you can book a visa medical at our Harley Street clinic now, or call 0207 499 1991 and we'll check the form with you.

How do I tell which medical I need?

Look at who issued the letter and what it names. That one detail settles it.

Match the wording on your letter to the medical.

Each of these offices files only the certificate it asked for. An embassy wants its own examination, a UK employer wants a fitness-to-work assessment, and a cruise line's medical department wants its maritime forms completed.

If a recruiter has simply said "get a medical", ask them which organisation will receive the certificate, and get the answer in writing. With the destination, the employer form or the seafarer pack in front of them, our reception team can book you in correctly.

What happens at a visa medical?

You need a visa medical when the country you're moving to, or the sponsor sending you there, wants a doctor to complete their examination before deciding on residency, work permission or a long stay. We list thirteen destination packages, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China, Kuwait, Qatar and South Africa, and our sister clinic has its own visa medicals page. If your destination isn't listed, reception can still advise once they've seen the embassy form. Our visa medical checklist covers what to bring on the day.

It's one appointment at Harley Street. The doctor carries out the consultation and examination and arranges the tests. Your chest X-ray is taken at a partner radiology facility about a five-minute walk away, and it's included in the package. The whole visit takes about an hour, Monday to Friday. You can walk in for a basic medical, but it's best to contact us ahead of time, and you can simply email your forms to info@medicalexpressclinic.co.uk.

Bring your original passport, because the identity on the form has to match the document the embassy will see. Email the embassy or sponsor form after you book, so the tests can be confirmed before you arrive. Some destinations ask for more than the listed package, and the form is how we spot that early.

If your letter is about coming into the United Kingdom, it's a different test. Some UK visa applications need a tuberculosis test at a Home Office listed clinic, usually taken in the country you're applying from, and the certificate is valid for six months. It's a separate requirement from a destination-country visa medical, such as a package for Saudi Arabia, China or the UAE.

What happens at a pre-employment medical?

You need a pre-employment medical when a land employer wants to know you're fit for work before you start, or when a contract is renewed. A start-date medical for an office, a warehouse, a school or a hospital in the UK is occupational clearance, even if the same company later sends you abroad.

We offer four packages, or we'll work from your employer's own form if they've issued one. Candidates can book the matching package themselves, and employers can be invoiced, with account management and credit terms by arrangement.

Bring a passport or a driving licence. The appointment starts from 30 minutes and runs longer if extra tests or an outside investigation have been added. Report timing depends on the package, the form and any specialist work, and we confirm it when you book. If your employer's instructions are unclear, email the form before booking and we'll match it to the right package.

What happens at a PEME?

You need a PEME when a cruise line or seafarer employer has sent company medical forms for a doctor to complete before you join a ship. We complete PEME forms for major employers. It's a separate service from the four land packages: a standard PEME is from £450 including certification, with the final price confirmed from your company forms. The appointment takes about an hour, Monday to Friday, and results come back in 3 to 5 working days, or faster on the expedited service for an extra £100.

A seafarer medical has to weigh something an office job never does: how far you'll be from a hospital. That's why the maritime medical department wants its own forms, and why a land package or a visa certificate won't do the same job.

Email the company forms before you come, and bring a valid passport. There's more detail on our PEME examinations for seafarers page.

What if I have two letters?

Some people need two medicals at once. A seafarer joining a ship that docks abroad might hold a company PEME and a destination visa letter. Someone moving from a UK contract to a Gulf posting might hold a land pre-employment form and an embassy pack.

Those are two bookings, because each office files what it asked for. A visa chest X-ray may not be accepted as the employer's film, and a PEME blood panel may not match the tests an embassy named. Tell us about both letters when you get in touch and we'll plan them together.

If you're feeling unwell, that's a separate appointment again. A new cough, fever or chest pain belongs with a GP rather than a planned occupational certificate.

Before you book: a quick checklist

• If your letter is from an embassy or sponsor, bring your original passport, email the form after you book, and put your visa deadline in that message.
• If you're travelling somewhere outside the listed destinations, say so, and send the embassy form so reception can advise.
• If your letter is from a UK employer, match the package to their written instructions, or send their form so we can confirm the tests. Mention your start date if it's close.
• If you're an employer, ask to be invoiced when you get in touch.
• If your letter is a seafarer pack, send the company forms in advance and bring a passport.
• If you hold two letters, tell us about both.

All three medicals run Monday to Friday at 117a Harley Street, and the full details for embassy examinations are on our visa medicals page. You can also call 0207 499 1991.

Related guides: what a pre-employment medical covers and employer healthcare versus individual screening.