Since past few years, we have seen a steadily increasing rise in demand for servants and commercial cleaning services in the UAE as well as the GCC area. Working expatriates with kids and even busy locals employ house-maid cleaning services in Dubai. Currently, for those intending to hire a part-time maid or wish to sponsor professional residential cleaning services, there are some guidelines and rules that need to be followed. There are also some restrictions on who can sponsor and who should be responsible for the maid.

Hiring a Maid in Dubai

Another important step to bring you closer to answering the question of how to bring a maid/nanny to Dubai is making a decision on whether you want to complete the process on your own or hire an external agency to help. Both ways are fairly straightforward, however, each method has its own set of costs and duration, which must be taken into consideration.

Hiring on your own

If you have already identified a candidate you want to hire, the entire process can be done without an agency, but you will need to do most of the legwork yourself. This includes issuing the visa, booking the tickets and facilitating any other formalities.

Getting the right kind of house-help is a crucial choice to make for many families in the UAE. Employing a maid or nanny in Dubai can be a complicated and prolonged task without the right tools. Here is a helpful guide to sponsor a nanny/maid in Dubai that can explain some of the procedure specifics. This article explains the different ways a maid could be sponsored in Dubai, the paperwork needed and the conditions for securing a maid visa in the UAE.

Hiring via an agency

Maid recruiting agencies offer a quick solution for hiring maids in Dubai. From issuing the visa to booking flight tickets, these maid recruitment agencies can facilitate the entire process. It is important to note that some of the agencies only apply for a tourist visa for the maid and as a sponsor, you would then need to re-apply for the maids’ residency visa yourself at an additional cost. To avoid this extra cost, you can opt to apply for a maids UAE residence visa yourself while the agency handles the other procedures like booking flight tickets and drafting contracts.

Sponsoring a Maid in Dubai

A maid’s visa can be obtained by the head of the family (called sponsor, and usually the male), whose salary is not less than Dh6000 a month or Dh5000 + accommodation. Also, Bachelors are not eligible to sponsor a maid. You can only sponsor a maid from the following countries: India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

Other rules for issuing housemaid visa in Dubai state that maids hired must be over the age of 18 and can only be sponsored from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. However, it’s important to note that each of these countries has its own regulations regarding minimum salary and age.

Minimum Wages for Maids

Here is a breakdown of the country-specific minimum wages for maids in Dubai. Sponsors can pay more than the minimum wage if they desire to do so.

• India – AED 1,100
• Sri Lanka – AED 825
• The Philippines – AED 1,400 (and must be older than 30, but not over 60)
• Bangladesh – AED 750
• Indonesia – AED 800

Steps for Maid’s Visa in Dubai

Below steps are needed before and after Maid arrival in Dubai:

1.  Before Maid Arrival in Dubai

When you and your new maid reach an agreement, you can initiate the application process the maid’s employment permit so that he or she can legally enter the UAE.

The sponsor needs to apply for the below things in the following order:

1. Residence Visa (employment permit to enter a country)
2. Medical Fitness Report (after maid enters)
3. Residence Stamp on Maid’s Passport, Emirates ID application, and Issue of Domestic Worker Card

Documents Required for Residence Visa

• Salary certificate of sponsor in Arabic (for government employee) OR, labor contract of sponsor (for private employee).
• Your tenancy contract showing a minimum 2-bedroom apartment with attestation.
• Typed application form from authorized typing office Sponsor’s passport
• Copy of maid’s passport
• Passport photos of a maid (minimum 3 required)
• An affidavit from embassy/consulate certifying non-relationship (if maid from the same country)

2.  After the Maid’s Arrival in Dubai

In not more than 30 days of your new employee’s arrival in Dubai, you must apply for their residence visa, Emirates ID, and medical fitness screening.

• Applying for a residence visa for your maid
• Apply for a residence visa, Emirates ID and medical fitness report within 30 days of the arrival of your maid’s entry into the country. You have to take the maid for medical fitness and Emirates ID biometrics.
• Take your maid for a medical fitness test. All new maids will be screened for HIV, pregnancy, Hepatitis B, Syphilis, TB and Leprosy. The Hepatitis B vaccination which costs an additional Dh50 is given in 3 doses – immediately, booster after 1 month and booster after 6 months. If you keep the yellow certificate as proof of all three doses, then when renewing your maid’s visa, you do not need to re-do this, as the vaccination and certificate is valid for 10 years.
• Submit residence visa application, along with medical fitness report and Emirates ID stamped application

Renewal of maid’s visa in Dubai

This needs to be done annually. Take your maid for a medical fitness test. If you show proof of Hepatitis B vaccination done (yellow certificate showing all three injections done), then you do not have to pay again as the vaccination is valid for 10 years.

Cancellation of maid’s visa in Dubai

This can either be done at the airport or in advance.

Cost of hiring and sponsoring a live-in maid

Here’s a quick look at the costs you’ll have to bear when hiring and sponsoring a live-in maid:

Salary: Monthly salaries may vary a lot from Dh1,500 to Dh3,500, and will depend on a number of factors such as experience, references, the scope of work, etc. You will also have to comply with the minimum wage laws enforced by the embassy of the maid’s home country.

Sponsorship fees: You’re the legal sponsor of your maid and will have to apply for her UAE residence visa which will cost you between Dh5,000 and Dh5,500 annually. This is a non-refundable fee payable to the UAE government.

Refundable deposit: The embassy of your maid’s home country may also require a refundable security deposit of around Dh3,000 to Dh10,000. This may vary based on her nationality and the embassy rules prevailing at the time.

Other government expenses: There will be separate charges for registration, medical tests, and Emirates ID issuance. Health insurance: You will have to provide a health insurance cover for the maid, which is now a mandatory requirement for all sponsors.

Flight ticket: You will also have to provide an annual return flight ticket to your maid.

Basic living expenses: You will be responsible for providing her lodging at your house, food, and basic amenities.

Other entitlements for maids in Dubai

Along with the minimum wage, when hiring a maid in Dubai, the sponsor will be responsible for providing other stipulated benefits such as:

Reasons for Maid’s Visa Rejection

While it is mainly a rather simple and regular process, there are some cases when the visa may be rejected. Below are the most common reasons:

• If the maid held a residence visa previously and left the country without canceling the UAE visa.
• Handwritten passports inevitably get rejected by the UAE Immigration.
• Visa applicants charged with previous criminal offense, fraud, or misconduct committed in the UAE.
• Maid previously applied for a tourist visa but did not enter the UAE.
• Applicants who applied for employment visa via a company but did not enter the UAE.
• Visa application typos in name, passport number, and profession code face delays in getting approval or result in rejection of the passport.
• Unclear or blurred passport or photocopies in the online UAE immigration system might get delayed or rejected.

Thousands and even millions of professionals come to Dubai and the UAE from every corner of the world every year. Both as a tourist or as immigrants willing to settle in the country as an ex-pat. Hence the number of visa applications received by the Emirati institutions every year is phenomenal.

What We Can Do

The procedure and expense of sponsoring a maid in Dubai may first sound a little overwhelming, it’s worth getting the extra support around the home. We at Riz & Mona Consultancy provide different types of Visa Services in Dubai and can manage the whole process for you. If you need more guidance regarding the specific procedures to sponsor a maid in Dubai, simply contact us!