How to check a helper's references and documents

See her original documents, confirm her visa status with her current or last sponsor, and call at least one previous employer. As of September 2026, MOHRE's work permit application asks for a copy of her passport and a colour photograph, plus her tourist visa or the cancellation of her previous visa if she is in the UAE.

MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues domestic workers' work permits. We also cite the International Labour Organization (ILO), which summarised UAE rules in May 2024. Most helpers listed on MaidMatch are already in the UAE and ready to work, so this guide focuses on checking a helper who is already here. Where no official page answers a question, we say so and tell you who to ask.

What documents should you ask a helper for?

Ask for the documents MOHRE needs for her work permit, and look at the originals with her. As of 29 September 2026, MOHRE's service card for a new domestic worker work permit lists a copy of the worker's passport and a colour photograph of the worker among the required documents. When the worker is already inside the UAE, MOHRE asks for the worker's tourist visa, if they are on one, or for the cancellation of their previous visa.

MOHRE also sets conditions for the worker. For a new domestic worker work permit, MOHRE requires that the worker does not already hold a valid work permit and has a passport valid for at least three months. A domestic worker must be at least 18, and MOHRE applies an upper age limit of 60 for a new work permit. MOHRE can exempt a domestic worker who is already in the UAE from its upper age limit if their domestic-worker residence was cancelled no more than three months earlier.

You attach the documents to the permit application itself: MOHRE's card says you enter the request's details, attach the required documents and pay the fees, and that it tells you if anything else is needed. MOHRE's service page (opens in a new tab) has the full list, including your own documents as the sponsor. Our guide to who can sponsor a maid explains those.

Who keeps her passport?

She does. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker has the right to keep all their official documents, including their passport and ID, and an employer may not hold them.

So look at the original with her, keep the copy the application needs, and hand the original straight back. Share the copies only with whoever files the application. If someone else is holding her passport, ask why before you go any further.

How can you check a maid's visa status?

Ask her, see her papers, and confirm with her sponsor. We found no official page that lets a family look up a helper's visa or work permit status, so start with which visa she holds and who sponsors her, and ask MOHRE on 600 590000 if anything is unclear.

If another family sponsors her now, start with them. The ILO's May 2024 brief on UAE rules, citing Ministerial Resolution No. 674 of 2022, says a domestic worker's move to a new employer during the contract term needs the current employer's written consent.

While they sponsor her, she may not work for you. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker may not work for anyone other than their employer, except as its Executive Regulations or MOHRE decisions allow. We found no official page that lists those exceptions.

If she is on a tourist visa, MOHRE asks for it with your application, but she can't work for you on it. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker may be employed only with a MOHRE work permit. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit for that job is punishable by a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000.

If she says she has her own visa, find out exactly which visa it is and who sponsors it before you agree anything. Our guide to own-visa, visit-visa and part-time help explains what is legal.

An Emirates ID card doesn't settle the question on its own. ICP is the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security. ICP's cancellation page says a domestic worker's residence is cancelled through MOHRE or the Domestic Work Bundle, including fee settlement and the cancellation of the residence and the linked Emirates ID. So if she shows you a card, still ask for the cancellation, or confirm with her sponsor. The government's Work Bundle portal sends Dubai employers to the DubaiNow app for domestic-worker services, and links the other emirates to ICP's smart services.

Our guide to hiring a helper who is already in the UAE covers the transfer step by step. If she is outside the UAE, the in-country papers don't apply: our maid visa process guide covers that route.

Can you find out if a helper has an absconding report?

We found no official page that lets a family check. An absconding report is an employer's report to MOHRE that a worker has abandoned her job. If your own helper has stopped coming to work, our guide to what to do when a helper stops coming covers your side.

Under MOHRE's operations manual for recruitment agencies, an agency may not offer or place workers who have absconding reports or who are sponsored by someone else. If you hire her yourself, ask her and her last sponsor how her last job ended, and call MOHRE on 600 590000 before you apply if the answers don't match.

If she left another family without their knowledge, ask MOHRE about her position before you take her on. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, helping a worker abandon her employer, or sheltering her in order to employ her illegally, is punishable with the same range of fines as employing a worker without a permit.

MOHRE also warns that families who hire from unauthorised sources can be held liable for employing and illegally sheltering a worker who is in breach of the rules.

How do you check a maid's references?

Call her previous employers yourself, with her agreement, and ask specific questions about the work she did. A letter or a forwarded message is a start, but a conversation lets you check that the referee is real and hear how the job ended.

1. Ask for two or three referees. Get their names, phone numbers and the dates she worked for each, starting with her most recent employer.
2. Ask her agreement before you call. It's her work history, and asking openly sets a fair tone for the rest of the hire.
3. Call them, and check they are real. Ask the referee to describe the household and her place in it: who lived there, the children's ages and what she did each day. Vague answers are a reason to ask more.
4. Ask about the work, not just her character. Her duties, childcare, cooking and cleaning, how she handled a problem, and anything they wish she had done differently.
5. Ask how the job ended. Whether she finished her contract, whether her visa was cancelled and when, and whether they would employ her again.
6. If the referee sponsors her now, ask about the move. Ask whether her contract is still running and, if it is, whether they agree in writing to her leaving.
7. Compare what you hear. The dates, the duties and the reason she left should fit what she told you at interview, her video CV and, roughly, the experience on her card in the results.

If she has no referees in the UAE, ask for referees from earlier jobs and rely more on a careful interview. Once she works for you under her permit, the probation period at the start of her contract is the time to see how it goes. A domestic worker's probation may not last more than six months from the start of employment.

A good reference doesn't replace the legal checks: her documents and her visa status still decide whether you can hire her. Our interview questions guide covers what to ask her directly, and our guide to probation, replacement and refunds covers the first months.

Which warning signs should make you stop?

Stop and ask more questions when her papers, her story and her references don't match, or when anyone suggests a shortcut around the work permit. Watch for these:

• An offer to start straight away, or to work a trial day first. She can't work for you until her MOHRE work permit for the job is issued. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit for that job is punishable by a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000.
• Her current employer doesn't know she is leaving. If her contract is still running, the ILO's summary says their written consent comes first, and she may not work for you while they sponsor her.
• Someone else is holding her passport. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker has the right to keep all their official documents, including their passport and ID, and an employer may not hold them. Ask why before you go further.
• She has been asked to pay for the job. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a recruitment agency may not take any commission or expenses from a domestic worker.
• A go-between wants a fee to find or place her. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, recruiting domestic workers or placing them temporarily requires a MOHRE licence, and doing either without one is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of AED 200,000 to AED 1,000,000, or both. Check the office on MOHRE's list of approved domestic worker service centres (opens in a new tab), or ask MOHRE on 600 590000.
• Referees you can't reach, or dates that don't add up. Ask her about the gap before you go further.
• A passport close to expiry. Check it against MOHRE's conditions above: she may need to renew it before you apply.

Our guide to avoiding maid-hiring scams covers fake offices and other traps in more detail.

How can MaidMatch help?

By letting you meet a helper before you start the checks, and by connecting you with a visa partner once they're done. MaidMatch is a free platform for families: they can browse every profile at no cost, with no registration or subscription required. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile, and you can watch her video CV on her card in the results, so you can see and hear her before you ask for documents.

MaidMatch regularly checks in with every helper on the platform to confirm she is still available and actively looking for work, and if a helper does not respond, her profile is automatically hidden from search results. That is a check of her availability, so make the document and reference checks in this guide yourself.

Sponsorship is the employer's responsibility; families can manage the visa themselves or ask MaidMatch to connect them with its visa partners. MaidMatch's visa partner offers a two-year employment visa, with the visa, medical test, Emirates ID and insurance handled end to end. Ask the partner who sponsors her on that visa, and what the two years cover. Our partners page has the details and the current price, or you can browse helpers: filter by nationality, live-in or live-out and skills such as cooking or driving, and sort by salary.