Filipina maids in Abu Dhabi

Start with the Philippines' current position: its official signals were mixed in 2026. DMW said on 8 April 2026, as reported by the Philippine News Agency, that there was 'no ban imposed for those bound for the Middle East'. But DMW's Advisory No. 10 of 2026, dated 6 March 2026, on strengthened monitoring and welfare measures for overseas Filipino workers in nine Middle East countries including the UAE, was still listed as active on 29 September 2026. Confirm the position with DMW or MWO Dubai, or in Abu Dhabi with the Philippine Embassy, before you recruit from the Philippines.

POEA is the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. MWO Dubai's hiring page says processing of individual employment contracts may begin only once the Tadbeer centre's accreditation is registered in the POEA system, and that employers must now also submit a Contingency and Evacuation Plan. A 2006 resolution of the POEA's Governing Board prohibits collecting a placement fee from household workers, whether before their deployment or on-site through salary deductions.

A Filipina who already lives in the UAE can move to your employment through MOHRE. If another family employs her now, our guide to hiring a maid already in the UAE explains whose consent the move needs.

Then plan her next trip home with care. MWO Dubai's page says DMW's Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) exemption for returning Filipino workers is only for a worker going back to the same employer, with the same company name or sponsor, jobsite and position, and that a worker whose details differ is redirected to set an appointment. Once she works for you, her employer has changed, so ask MWO Dubai (in Abu Dhabi, the Philippine Embassy) what she needs before she travels.

Our guide to hiring a Filipino helper covers the Philippine rules in full, and our guide to which nationalities can work as maids compares the other home countries.

The federal rules for every domestic worker, and two official statements on her health insurance. The first is from MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which issues her work permit: MOHRE's renewal service says that in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, employers are required to provide adequate medical insurance to their domestic workers.

The second is the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022. 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 doesn't say what adequate cover means, and we found no official page that gives the price of a plan for a domestic worker in Abu Dhabi, so ask insurers for written quotes. Our guide to maid health insurance compares all seven emirates.

Residence permits sit with ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, and the government's portal shows where Abu Dhabi fits. 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.

For a contract MWO Dubai verifies, yes. 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. The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers, the International Labour Organization's May 2024 summary of UAE rules says, so the Philippine floor applies only to contracts verified through the Philippine system.

If you live in Abu Dhabi, check the requirement with the Philippine Embassy. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile, and when 10 or more of the helpers counted above have an asking salary, their median and middle range appear above too.