How to hire a maid in the UAE: the routes, costs and timeline

There are three main legal routes: a package from a licensed recruitment office (or agency) such as a Tadbeer centre, sponsoring a helper yourself from abroad, or sponsoring a helper who is already in the UAE. On every route she needs a MOHRE work permit before she starts. We found no official total cost or end-to-end timeline.

Two federal bodies and one law come up throughout. MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues domestic workers' work permits: you apply on its website or app (signing in with UAE PASS), at a Tawseel centre or at a domestic worker service centre. ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, handles residence: its general residence page describes the steps, and says that for domestic workers its service is provided through the Domestic Workers Package. 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. The law is Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, the Domestic Workers Decree-Law.

Which route suits your family?

It depends on who you want to be your helper's sponsor, and where she is now. In a Traditional package, and whenever you sponsor her yourself, she is on your own file and you are her sponsor. In a Temporary package, the recruitment office sponsors her instead, and in a Flexible package it holds her visa.

Recruitment office packages

MOHRE recognises three packages from licensed recruitment offices: Traditional, where the worker is on the family's own file and lives with the family; Temporary, where a worker registered with the office works for the family; and Flexible, where a worker registered with the office works for the family by the hour, day, week, month, six months or year. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a family that recruits through an agency signs a MOHRE standard contract with the agency covering the worker requirements, the worker's rights, the costs the family pays and the recruitment timeline.

MOHRE's employer guide says its approved recruitment offices offer recruitment prices determined by the Ministry. Under MOHRE's operations manual for recruitment agencies, an agency must use MOHRE-approved package prices, display them, and not charge anything extra. We found no official page that publishes the prices themselves, so ask each office for its package price in writing. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a recruitment agency may not take any commission or expenses from a domestic worker. The ILO's May 2024 summary adds that recruitment costs fall on the employer.

A domestic worker's probation may not last more than six months from the start of employment. In a Traditional package, MOHRE sets out what the office owes you. During probation, a recruitment agency must replace the worker or refund the family if the worker is professionally or behaviourally unsuitable, is medically unfit, or ends the contract or refuses to work without a legitimate reason, or if the agency did not meet the recruitment conditions agreed with the family.

When a refund is due, a recruitment agency repays the full recruitment fee in the first month, the full fee plus government fees if the worker is medically unfit during probation, and otherwise a pro-rata share for the months left on the contract. In a Temporary package, if the worker is returned, you are refunded for the time she did not work. Our guide to probation, replacement and refunds goes into the detail.

MOHRE's rules also give an office a deadline to deliver a worker it recruits from abroad (see the time limits below). Before you pay anything, check that the office is licensed: MOHRE publishes its list of approved domestic worker service centres (opens in a new tab). 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. Our guides to Tadbeer centres and to choosing between an agency and a direct hire go further.

Sponsoring a helper yourself from abroad

MOHRE's permit service lets you recruit without an office: it is for employers recruiting a domestic worker 'from inside or outside the country', and you can apply yourself through any of its channels. But her home country may restrict direct hiring from abroad, so check its rules before you commit.

For a helper who is abroad, MOHRE's work permit doubles as her entry permit. After she arrives, you apply for her Emirates ID biometrics and her medical fitness test, then complete her residence permit within ICP's deadline (see the time limits below).

Take the Philippines. Its Migrant Workers Office in Dubai (MWO Dubai) serves Dubai and the northern emirates, and its Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) sets the exemptions: MWO Dubai processes direct (name) hiring of Filipino domestic workers only under DMW's exemptions; otherwise, a worker newly recruited from the Philippines goes through an accredited Tadbeer service centre and a DMW-licensed Philippine recruitment agency. If you live in Abu Dhabi, check the requirements with the Philippine Embassy. For any nationality, check the current rules with the worker's embassy or labour office, and see which nationalities can work as maids for the countries that restrict recruitment.

Sponsoring a helper who is already in the UAE

MOHRE's permit service also covers workers who are already in the country. If another family employs her and her contract is still running, the ILO's May 2024 summary of UAE rules says their written consent is needed first. 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. So if another employer sponsors her now, that visa is cancelled before your application goes in, and MOHRE also requires that she doesn't already hold a valid work permit.

ICP's cancellation page sets grace periods by category but doesn't say which covers a domestic worker, so confirm you qualify as a sponsor, and agree the dates, before her visa is cancelled. ICP's fee for a status adjustment (changing status inside the UAE) is AED 500. Our guide to hiring a helper who is already in the UAE covers every step. Most helpers listed on MaidMatch are already in the UAE and ready to work.

Who can sponsor a maid?

MOHRE issues domestic worker permits to UAE citizens, GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) citizens, expatriate residents, investors, diplomats and Golden Visa holders. As of 28 September 2026, its service card lists these conditions, the first two for expatriate sponsors and the others for the worker:

• To sponsor a domestic worker, an expatriate resident needs a recent salary certificate showing a family income of at least AED 25,000.
• An expatriate sponsor must submit a marriage contract, the spouse's UAE residence visa and proof of housing (a tenancy contract or title deed).
• 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.
• 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.

MOHRE's list for expatriate sponsors includes a marriage contract and the spouse's residence visa, and it doesn't say whether a single, divorced or widowed resident can sponsor. If that is your situation, check with MOHRE on 600 590000 or at a Tadbeer centre before you start. Lower income thresholds quoted on other websites have no official support that we could find.

MOHRE issues a domestic worker's permit for one year when the sponsor is an expatriate resident without a Golden Visa. If an agency advertises a two-year visa, ask who will sponsor her: MOHRE issues a new domestic worker permit for up to two years when the sponsor is a UAE citizen. Our guide to who can sponsor a maid covers income, housing and family situations in more detail.

What are the steps to hire a maid?

The official steps are MOHRE's work permit service, then the residence process. Here they are in order, with MOHRE's and ICP's steps as their pages listed them in September 2026:

1. Check you can sponsor and gather your documents (see above). You sign in to MOHRE's services with UAE PASS.
2. Choose your helper. Browse available helpers, make a shortlist, and use our interview questions to compare them. If you are unsure which role you need, see maid, nanny, caregiver or housekeeper.
3. Buy the domestic worker insurance policy. Before a work permit is issued, the employer must buy a domestic worker insurance policy that covers the worker's unpaid dues up to AED 20,000.
4. Apply for the work permit. Log in with UAE PASS, submit the request with the required information and documents, and pay the fees.
5. Receive the permit. MOHRE's service card for a new domestic worker work permit states a processing time of 2 working days. MOHRE issues the permit once the request is complete and tells you if anything else is needed. For a helper abroad, the permit doubles as her entry permit.
6. Arrange her health insurance. In Dubai and the northern emirates, you need the policy for her residence permit. For Abu Dhabi, see what MOHRE says in the costs section below.
7. Complete her residence. A helper coming from abroad has her Emirates ID biometrics and medical fitness test after she arrives, then her residence permit. A helper who is already in the UAE has her status changed inside the country. ICP's general residence page ends with the Emirates ID card, delivered by courier, and has no passport-stamping step.

The employment contract must be on MOHRE's standard form, in Arabic with a translation into a language she understands, and she gets a signed copy. If the two versions differ, the Arabic one prevails. MOHRE's own process has four steps, steps 4 and 5 here: MOHRE's service page (opens in a new tab) has them in full, and our maid visa process guide covers each stage.

What does it cost to hire a maid?

Expect government charges, insurance and her salary, plus a package price if you use an office. We found no official page that gives a single total: as of 28 September 2026, MOHRE's new permit card lists fee categories but no amounts. The main charges, and what is published about each:

• ICP charges foreign-resident sponsors AED 5,000 for each year of residence issued to a domestic worker, listed as a guarantee for the recruitment of domestic workers. ICP doesn't say whether it is refundable.
• The domestic worker insurance policy (step 3 above). Its premium isn't published on the official pages we checked.
• ICP's fee for a status adjustment (changing status inside the UAE) is AED 500, if she is already in the UAE.
• Health insurance, which depends on your emirate (see below).
• A recruitment office's package price, if you use one. MOHRE sets price ceilings, but we found no published amounts.

Health insurance rules differ by emirate, and our health insurance guide goes through each one:

• Dubai. Health insurance is required, and you pay. In Dubai, employers must enrol their employees in health insurance, and sponsors must enrol the people they sponsor who have no employer cover; employers and sponsors pay the cost, may not charge it to the insured person, and must produce the policy when a residence permit is issued or renewed.
• Northern emirates. In Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, health insurance for domestic workers has been mandatory since 1 January 2025, paid by the employer; the basic package costs AED 320 a year.
• Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, as in every emirate, the employer must pay for a domestic worker's medical care under the UAE health system or provide health insurance under the applicable health laws. MOHRE's renewal service says that in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, employers are required to provide adequate medical insurance to their domestic workers.

The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers. Any salary floor comes from her home country and applies only to contracts verified through that country's system. For contract verification, MWO Dubai requires a Filipino domestic worker's contract to set a basic wage of at least AED 1,500 a month; MWO Dubai covers Dubai and the northern emirates, so in Abu Dhabi check with the Philippine Embassy. Our guide to minimum salaries by nationality covers other countries, and our salary guide shows what helpers ask for. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile.

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 that period covers. Our partners page has the details and the current price, and our maid visa cost guide breaks down the government fees.

How long does it take to hire a maid?

It varies, and we found no official page that gives an end-to-end time. Finding the right person and gathering documents take time of their own. What the official pages do give are times and limits for individual steps:

• MOHRE's service card for a new domestic worker work permit states a processing time of 2 working days.
• ICP requires a foreign national who enters the UAE to complete the residence issuance procedures within 60 days of entry.
• Under MOHRE's operations manual for recruitment agencies, if an agency does not deliver a worker recruited from abroad within the agreed time, or within 30 days of getting the entry permit, the family may cancel and reclaim the recruitment and government costs.

For a helper already in the UAE, MOHRE lists documents for a worker inside the country, and ICP charges a fee to change her status there. For the stages in detail, see our guide to how long it takes to hire a maid.

What do you owe your helper once she starts?

The Decree-Law sets her minimum rights: a contract can give her more, but any term that gives her less is void. The main ones:

• A domestic worker's wages must be paid monthly in UAE dirhams, within 10 days of the due date.
• A domestic worker is entitled to one paid day off a week.
• A domestic worker is entitled to at least 30 days' paid annual leave for each year of service.
• If a domestic worker spends annual leave in their home country, the employer pays for a return ticket once every two years.
• She keeps her own passport and identity documents: an employer may not hold them.
• You provide suitable accommodation and, for a full-time helper, meals and work clothing unless you agree otherwise.
• You pay for her medical care or provide health insurance under the health rules that apply (see above).

Our employer's checklist to the domestic worker law covers the rest, including daily rest, sick leave and ending a contract.

Which shortcuts break the law?

Any arrangement where she works for you without a MOHRE work permit for that job. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit for that job is punishable by a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000. The common shortcuts:

• A visit or tourist visa. She may not start work on one.
• Another family's helper, on her day off or for extra hours. 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. Part-time help is legal through a licensed office's Flexible package.
• An unlicensed recruiter. MOHRE warns that hiring from unauthorised sources can make a family liable for employing and illegally sheltering a worker who is in breach of the rules.

Our guide to own-visa, visit-visa and part-time help explains what is legal.

Where does MaidMatch fit in?

At the start: MaidMatch is where you find a helper, and we can connect you with a visa partner for the rest. 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.

How MaidMatch works shows the three steps from browsing to contacting a helper, and the costs section above explains our visa partner.