UAE Domestic Workers & Maid Sponsor Visa Guide
Current UAE guide to sponsoring a maid, nanny, cook, domestic driver or other covered domestic worker, including sponsor income, housing, worker age, documents, permit durations, current costs and worker rights.
The main federal framework is Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 and its Executive Regulations under Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2022.
Current legal framework
Domestic-worker employment is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 Concerning Domestic Workers, together with its Executive Regulations under Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2022. The current legislation portal marks the 2022 executive regulation as active and states that it cancelled the earlier 2019 regulation.
MoHRE provides the federal work-permit and employment-contract services, and the Ministry maintains an official directory of approved Domestic Workers Recruitment Offices / Service Centres.
“Tadbeer” is widely used for the regulated domestic-worker service network, but an employer should rely on MoHRE's current approved centre directory rather than an unofficial intermediary using the Tadbeer name.
Domestic-worker sponsor eligibility checker
Basic screening conditions are satisfied
The entered information does not reveal an obvious failure against the main current MoHRE screening conditions represented on this page. Final approval still depends on the full government application.
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Screening checklist
Sponsor requirements by category
| Employer route | Income / status test | Important documents / treatment |
|---|---|---|
| UAE citizen | Citizen-specific documentation | Valid original UAE ID and the citizen employer passport documentation requested by MoHRE. |
| Expatriate resident | Family income ≥ AED 25,000 | Salary certificate, housing proof and spouse documents where required. |
| Expatriate investor | Monthly income ≥ AED 25,000 shown by the required bank statement | Three-month bank statement plus housing and identity documentation. |
| Diplomatic employer | Special diplomatic identification route | MoHRE requires the special identification document for diplomatic employees. |
| Golden Visa holder | Current Golden Visa status | MoHRE currently lists an optional one- or two-year permit duration for Golden Visa holders. |
Documents required for an expatriate sponsor
- Employer passport and valid UAE residence/identity documents.
- Recent salary certificate confirming family income of at least AED 25,000.
- Proof of housing through a lease contract or title deed.
- Marriage contract and spouse residence visa where required by the service.
- Domestic worker passport and colour photograph.
- Current worker visa/cancellation and medical/insurance documents where applicable.
Worker-side requirements
- Passport valid for at least three months.
- Worker must generally be 18 or older.
- Current service generally applies an upper age limit of 60, subject to the stated exception.
- Colour photograph.
- Current UAE visa / tourist visa where applicable.
- Previous UAE visa cancellation where required.
Current MoHRE work-permit process
Sign in
Use the MoHRE account or UAE Pass and start the domestic-worker work-permit service.
Insurance
Pay or arrange the insurance-policy fees required on the employer file.
Employer file & permit
Open the employer file and obtain the new work permit / new entry permit through the permitted channel.
Approve contract
Approve the standard-package or direct-recruitment contract electronically.
MoHRE verification
MoHRE verifies compliance and documents and reports any shortfalls for completion.
ICP verification
Once approved, the application is forwarded electronically to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security.
Current domestic-worker permit duration
| Sponsor category | MoHRE service duration |
|---|---|
| UAE citizens | Two years |
| GCC citizens | One or two years, optional |
| Diplomats | One or two years, optional |
| Golden Visa holders | One or two years, optional |
| Ordinary UAE resident employer | One year |
These durations come from the current MoHRE new-work-permit service page. The permit and residence documents must still be completed through the applicable immigration authority.
How much does sponsorship cost?
A single annual price is misleading because the total depends on employer status, emirate, permit duration, immigration processing, insurance, medical fitness and whether the employer uses an approved recruitment/service-centre package.
| Cost area | 2026 treatment |
|---|---|
| MoHRE federal service | Federal charges depend on sponsor category, duration and service. MoHRE's website/app does not add a general service charge beyond applicable government fees. |
| Dubai vs other emirates | Current MoHRE services distinguish Dubai from other emirates for certain domestic-worker transactions. |
| Business/service centre | MoHRE states that business-centre commission is capped at AED 72 for the relevant service process. |
| Medical fitness | Separate medical-fitness charges can apply. |
| Emirates ID / immigration | Federal immigration and identity charges can apply separately. |
| Insurance | The current service requires the domestic worker to be covered by an adequate insurance policy on the employer file. |
| Recruitment package | Approved Domestic Workers Recruitment Offices / Service Centres can quote separate regulated recruitment and employment packages. |
Domestic-worker rights under Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022
| Right | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Daily rest | At least 12 hours of rest each day, including at least 8 consecutive hours. |
| Weekly rest | One weekly rest day agreed between worker and employer; if the worker is required to work that day, an alternative rest day or equivalent compensation applies. |
| Annual leave | At least 30 days of paid annual leave per completed year, with proportional entitlement for qualifying service above six months and below one year. |
| Home-country travel | When the worker chooses to travel to the home country during annual leave, the employer bears the return-ticket cost once every two years under the statutory conditions. |
| Sick leave | Up to 30 days under the statutory medical conditions, with the first 15 days fully paid and the following 15 days half paid. |
| Medical care | The employer bears medical-treatment costs under the applicable health system or provides health insurance where required by applicable legislation. |
| Accommodation | Suitable accommodation must be provided in accordance with the domestic-worker framework. |
| Meals and work clothing | For qualifying full-time employment, meals and appropriate work clothing must be provided unless a lawful alternative arrangement applies. |
| Official documents | The worker has the right to retain official documents, including the passport. |
Passport and official documents
The current domestic-worker framework gives the worker the right to retain official documents, including the passport. An employer should not retain the passport as a condition of employment.
End-of-service gratuity
Article 22 of Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 states that, on the Minister's proposal, the Council of Ministers may approve the systems and mechanisms for calculating and paying domestic worker end-of-service gratuity.
Approved Domestic Workers Service Centres
MoHRE maintains an official directory of approved Domestic Workers Recruitment Offices / Service Centres. The Ministry states that recruitment offices are licensed entities for recruiting domestic workers and encourages customers to use the official list to avoid unlicensed intermediaries.
Recruitment from abroad
Use a licensed and approved domestic-worker recruitment office when the worker is being recruited from outside the UAE.
Worker already in UAE
MoHRE provides an inside-country work-permit route subject to current visa status, cancellation and immigration conditions.
Avoid unofficial agents
Verify the service centre in MoHRE's official directory before paying recruitment or processing charges.
Employers with more than five domestic workers
The current MoHRE new-work-permit service specifically says that employers who employ more than five domestic workers must provide a written explanation setting out the reasons for hiring an additional worker.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Applying the AED 25,000 expatriate-income test automatically to UAE-citizen sponsors.
- Treating a salary figure as sufficient without checking housing and worker-document requirements.
- Using an unofficial recruiter instead of an approved MoHRE domestic-worker service centre.
- Assuming every domestic-worker permit is automatically valid for two years.
- Publishing a universal annual visa cost without checking the exact sponsor and emirate.
- Claiming that every single expat male is federally prohibited from sponsoring a female domestic worker without an official source establishing that rule.
- Using the old 2017 law as the current legal framework.
- Publishing the old 14-days-per-year gratuity formula as a confirmed current statutory rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Current MoHRE work-permit requirements, sponsor documentation, domestic-worker permit durations, approved recruitment/service centres and current Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 / Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2022 were checked for this page.
Government fees and application requirements can change. Always confirm the final amount and document list in the live MoHRE and immigration service before payment or travel.