Frequently Asked Questions

ELMeRS is the acronym for the Electronic Licensing Medical Records System. It is serves as the one-stop e-portal for all matters relating to medical fitness certification (termed as Medical Assessment) for Flight Crew or Air Traffic Controller (ATC) licence holders.

A fee is payable to the CAAS on application for a Medical Assessment relating to pilot licence applicants/holders. This is referred to as the 'Fee for Medical Evaluation' in paragraph 12(2)(h) Air Navigation Order, Twelfth Schedule. This fee is to be paid online when you apply for a Medical Assessment via the ELMeRS portal.

You will have to pay your Designated Medical Examiner (DME) separately for the services provided in conducting the medical examinations and investigations for you. The DME's charges are not under the purview of CAAS.

There are 3 MACs. The required MAC for the respective licences are as follows:
1) Class 1 - for Air Transport Pilot Licence, Commercial Pilot Licence, Multi-crew Pilot Licence, Private Pilot Licence (PPL) with Instrument Rating
2) Class 2 - for PPL, Student Pilot Licence & Flight Engineer's Licence
3) Class 3 - for Air Traffic Control Officers & Probationary Air Traffic Control Officers

You may apply for more than 1 MAC if necessary. For more information, you may refer to the information published on the CAAS website under Flight Crew Licensing.

The fee for medical evaluation is a regulatory fee levied on applicants to cover the cost for CAAS to perform the medical evaluation, certification and oversight activities for the issuance, renewal and maintenance of the Medical Assessment applied for.   This fee is set out in Paragraph 12(2)(h) of the Twelfth Schedule of the Air Navigation Order.

The fee for medical evaluation covers the evaluation and certification of the applicant’s fitness (or otherwise) to be issued the class of Medical Assessment applied for.  If the applicant is issued the Medical Assessment, the fee would also cover any follow up monitoring or ad hoc requirement needed by the holder to maintain his/her Medical Assessment during its period of validity.  These requirements include consultations, aeromedical review for clearance to resume duties after a decreased medical fitness period, functional evaluation, Special Board for accredited medical conclusions, and any other necessary interventions undertaken by the Medical Assessors or Aviation Medicine Physician in the Civil Aviation Medical Board.  The fee does not cover any medical or laboratory investigations required for the above listed processes.

You will need to pay the fee for medical evaluation every time you submit an application for Medical Assessment.

The CAAS adopts the Activity Based Costing approach where all costs that are specific to Medical Assessment activity such as medical evaluation, certification and maintenance processes and the oversight of the Medical Assessment system are computed into the fee.  The costs include the implementation and maintenance of the IT system, the Electronic Licensing Medical Records System (ELMeRS), that supports the processes.

The fee for medical evaluation is reviewed at least once every three years in accordance with the Ministry of Finance requirement.  However, the CAAS would only allow an increase in the fee when there is justifiable increase in the cost of supporting the Medical Assessment system.

You are given a window of 45 days before the expiry of your current licence to initiate your Medical Assessment, to ensure it will be processed and issued on time for the licence renewal. You are encouraged to do so as early as possible within the 45-days window.

If you undergo your medical examination more than 45 days before the expiry of your current licence, the validity period of your new certificate will begin on the month preceding the current expiry.

If you undergo your medical examination after the expiry of the current licence, the validity period of your new certificate will begin on the date when the examination is conducted.

Yes, you can renew a lapsed Medical Assessment within 12 months from its expiry by undergoing a 'Renewal' licensing medical examination. However, once the Medical Assessment has expired for more than 12 months, you will need to apply for an 'Initial' grant of Medical Assessment by undergoing an 'Initial' licensing medical examination.

Please be reminded that licence holders shall not exercise the privileges of their licences unless they hold a valid Medical Assessment certificate.

The medical questionnaire in the application for Medical Assessment process is named the Health Event Declaration (HED). If you are uncertain about any part of the HED, please answer them to the best of your knowledge in order to complete your online application. Your DME will review your answers with you as part of the Licensing Medical Examination (LME) process. Please do take that chance to clarify any doubts and seek your DME's guidance before he/she confirms the information declared in the HED for your signing as a legal declaration.

Any Medical Report that is submitted to CAAS forms the legal evidence on which your Medical Assessment is determined. Hence, the CAAS will not accept reports that are lacking in pertinent information for the Medical Assessment. Do communicate the following guidelines to your treating physician to ensure that the report adheres to them:

• If a current/latest medical/investigation report is required, it has to be dated within 90 days prior to submission. Older reports can be submitted for the purpose of providing historical information about your condition.
• Handwritten reports are acceptable only if they are legible and contains proofs of authenticity, e.g. clinic stamp, physician stamp, physician MCR number, clinic address, etc.
• The medical report is to contain adequate details on the following:
  
  • Comprehensive information (clinical and investigations) during presentation of condition, subsequent progress and trend, and latest status of the medical condition.
  • The treatment and/or surgical procedures administered for the condition
  • Current medications, therapy and follow up plan.
  • Comments on prognosis or risk of incapacitating events due to the primary condition
  
  
• The medical report is not to contain any opinion of your aeromedical fitness unless the treating physician is accredited as an Aviation Medicine Physician in the Specialist Registry of the Ministry of Health.

The fee for medical evaluation paid to the CAAS does not cover the professional and investigation fees charged by the DME.  The DME has to collect his/her professional fee as well as any investigation fees from the applicant directly.   

The DME's fees and prices are not determined by the CAAS.

Yes. A softcopy receipt will be generated for you by ELMeRS upon the successful payment of the fee for medical evaluation made online during the application process.  You can find a copy of the receipt in the “Documents” tab within your Profile section in ELMeRS.

Yes, the fee for medical evaluation is refundable if the CAAS has not received your medical examination report from the DME for processing and evaluation.

The reimbursement will depend on the policy of your prospective/current employer. 

No, the CAAS does not levy an additional fee for processing the Aeromedical Review.  However, your DME would be charging a professional fee for conducting the aeromedical review submission for you.

You should visit your DME for a consultation as the DME will be able to advise you accordingly. Meanwhile, you should not exercise the privileges of your licence until you have clarified your doubts with your DME.