Maids and nannies in Fujairah

Fujairah is covered by the health insurance scheme for the northern emirates, as well as the federal rules. MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, gives the rule on its page about the scheme: 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.

For the residence permit that follows the work permit, families deal with ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security. 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 maid health insurance shows how Fujairah's scheme compares with Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

From MOHRE, before she starts work for you. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit for that job is punishable by a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000.

MOHRE's card isn't specific to Fujairah: its conditions and processing time are the same for every emirate. Among the conditions it sets for the worker:

• 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 service card for a new domestic worker work permit states a processing time of 2 working days; the card gives that one figure for every emirate. That is the time for MOHRE to process the application, not for the whole hire: the medical test, her residence and, for a helper from abroad, her travel all come on top. Our guide to how long it takes to hire a maid sets out each stage.