Your time is money, and your energy is the fuel you run on an entire day! Like everyone else on the planet, you also get 24 hours a day and a limited amount of juice in your human battery that runs out before you call your day a day! And you want to spend every second of the day and every joule of your energy as productively as you can. Be it cleaning, laundering, babysitting, cooking, or filling up grocery racks, household chores require a hefty amount of effort and time. With a full-time maid working for you, you can free yourself to do the tasks you always wanted to do.
Most expats in Dubai are money-rich but time-poor and are in dire need of a helping hand to deal with their household chores effectively and efficiently. If you are one of them looking to sponsor a maid, you are in luck, as Dubai brims with people from third-world countries looking for housekeeper and nanny jobs. You can even sponsor a maid or nanny visa for someone in your home country to save a fortune. In this blog, we will guide you through the steps of sponsoring a maid visa while addressing all your doubts regarding the same. So, without much further ado, let’s start with the eligibility criteria and requirements to meet to be able to sponsor a maid in Dubai, UAE.
Things to know before sponsoring a maid visa in Dubai?
Visa Type
Whether it’s a job of a full-time babysitter, a housemaid, a cleaner or a cook, all these jobs fall under the category of domestic help and are regulated by the UAE Domestic Labour Law, set by the UAE Government. Therefore, no matter what kind of domestic help you are looking for, the visa type remains the same. A person is eligible to sponsor a maid in Dubai, UAE if he/she fulfils certain criteria.
Eligibility Criteria
Expatriate residents in the UAE qualify to sponsor home help if they meet certain criteria, according to the UAE Executive Regulation of Federal Law No.10 of 2017 on Domestic Workers. You may figure out your eligibility to sponsor a maid visa after checking out the below-mentioned points.
- Applicants who have permission to sponsor domestic helpers under decisions of the UAE Cabinet
- Bachelors are not qualified to sponsor a maid in Dubai, UAE
- A sponsor should be a UAE resident and head of the family (usually, males are considered the head of the family in the UAE)
- The minimum monthly salary of the individual/or combined income of the family required to sponsor a domestic worker in the UAE is now AED 25,000 according to the latest rule. Previously, it was AED 6,000 and AED 5,000 without and with accommodation respectively
- Patients in the UAE who accredited medical coverage can sponsor a domestic worker provided their family members’ combined monthly income is no less than AED 15,000
- UAE residents who work as consultants of different specialities and legal counsellors are eligible to sponsor a maid
- Special cases approved by a competent minister under the UAE labour regulations
- The age of the maid being sponsored must not be less than 18 years
- Sponsors are allowed to sponsor a maid only from the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The point must be noted that each of these countries has its own regulations regarding minimum salary and age. Look at the following table to learn about the country-specific minimum wages for maids in Dubai. Sponsors can pay more than the minimum wage if they want.
| Country | Minimum Maid Wages (AED) |
|---|---|
| India | 1,100 |
| Indonesia | 800 |
| Bangladesh | 750 |
| Sri Lanka | 825 |
| The Philippines | 1,400 (Age of Filipino maid must be more than 30 but less than 60) |
Entitlements for maids/domestic workers in Dubai
While hiring a maid, both the parties, the sponsor and the dependent, enter a standard contract (to protect workers’ and employers’ rights) detailing about the wages and other perks. Your domestic worker in Dubai is entitled to several stipulated benefits other than the minimum wage, which should be provided by the sponsor. These include:
- The agreed-upon wage payment within 10 days from the day they are due
- At least one paid leave per week
- 12 hours of rest per day, which includes 8 hours consecutive rest
- Paid 30 days’ vacation once in a year
- 30 days of medical leave once in a year
- Health insurance
- A round-trip ticket to their home country once in 2 years
- Accommodation + decent meals at the sponsor’s expense
- Job-specific uniform (if applicable) at the sponsor’s expense
- Possession of their personal identification documents such as passports, IDs, etc.
How can I sponsor a maid visa in Dubai?
Hiring a maid in Dubai is a big responsibility and can cost you the earth. It is important that you first figure out whether you have sufficient funds and are able to meet the other requirements pertaining to maid sponsorship in the UAE. Once you are sure that you are eligible to hire a maid and aware of your obligations to your domestic worker and the UAE rules and regulations laid out by the UAE Government to protect the rights of you both, you may proceed with the maid sponsorship procedures. Here is a primer to help you understand the process of sponsoring a maid in Dubai, UAE.
Step 1: Acquire adequate knowledge about maid visa sponsorship in Dubai, UAE
This is the step you have already taken. This page will help you determine your eligibility and familiarise yourself with the rules and requirements to sponsor a maid in Dubai, which is imperative to start the process.
Step 2: Decide on the method to apply for the maid visa
Decide whether you want to complete the maid visa process by yourself or through a licenced agency or maid visa service provider in the UAE, such as Adam Global. No matter what way you go, you should know that the process remains the same, however, each method has its own set of costs and duration. If you choose the former option, Tadbeer center near you is the best, easiest and cheapest route. These are government-approved service centres designated to help UAE citizens and residents hire domestic and household workers in Dubai and the other emirates of the UAE. The center offers different packages. You may pick any that suits you the best.
Step 3: Gather and arrange all the documents required to sponsor a maid in the UAE
Prepare and submit the relevant documents to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA) to obtain a UAE residency permit for your maid. You must be ready with the paperwork to sponsor a housemaid in Dubai as per the list given below:
- A properly filled-in visa application form typed through an accredited typing office
- Photocopies of passport and visa of both the sponsor and the maid
- 3 passport size photos of the sponsor and the maid with white background
- An affidavit from the embassy or consulate of non-relationship provided in case the maid is from the same country
- Dewa Bill of the sponsor
- Medical insurance card copy
- Marriage certificate copy of the sponsor (attested in home country and in UAE)
- Sponsor’s 3 months’ bank statements (Not required for visa renewal)
- Photocopy of the sponsor’s labour contract
- Photocopy of the sponsor’s health insurance card
- Photocopy of the sponsor’s tenancy contract of a minimum two-bedroom unit
- Sponsor’s salary certificate
- Maid’s Medical Fitness Certificate issued in her country
- Work permit contract (will be obtained while getting the Visa)
- File opening receipt
Note: The above list of documents can vary depending on the type of sponsors. To know more about that, you may refer to the GDRFA website.
Step 4: Complete the process of bringing the maid to Dubai
Once you’ve found the right candidate to be your maid, and you have prepared all the sponsorship documents, initiate the process to migrate them from their country to Dubai. You may visit any of the Tasheel Centers near you in Dubai or the GDRFA website to complete the procedure.
- First, apply for the maid’s work permit to enter the country: For employment permit, you are required to approach an authorised typist in the UAE to populate the employment entry permit form. Then submit this form along with all the above-listed documents to the GDRFA. At this stage, you have to pay the UAE maid visa cost (non-refundable) (or stamping fee of AED 5,200) and a warranty deposit of AED 2,000 (refundable when the maid leaves your job and exits the country). Other charges include typing fee and AED 100 if you want to expedite the services. Once you receive the permit, you can either send the original or a copy of that to your maid. Be informed that you must deposit the original at DNATA Visa Desk at Dubai airport or at DNRD counter in case you choose the latter option. In the end, you have to book the flight tickets for her.
- Obtain her Medical Fitness Report and register for the Emirates ID: Once the maid completes 30 days in the UAE, you must acquire a Medical Fitness Report for the maid from a medical fitness center to register for their Emirates ID. A medical test in Dubai can cost you anywhere from AED 325 to AED 420 (for delivery within 48 hours) and AED 520 (for urgent delivery). Emirates ID registration can be done at the medical fitness center itself.
- Send the maid’s passport for residence stamp: The next step is visa stamping for which you have to take the medical fitness report and the stamped Emirates ID application received in the previous step to a GDRFA branch near you. Before reaching here make sure you have the duly filled-in maid residence visa application, the stamped employment entry permit, their original passport and photo, your passport copy, deposit sticker and your salary certificate/labour contract. At the GDRFA branch, a contract will be drafted, which you and your maid have to sign. After signing, the maid’s passport will be stamped with a one-year residence visa.
- Acquire the Domestic Worker Card for yourself: After getting the maid’s visa stamped, you will be granted a ‘Domestic Worker Identity Card’.
Step 5: Get the Emirates ID for the maid: The process of sponsoring a maid in Dubai completes after you get the Emirates ID card for your maid. You may obtain it through any authorised typist or any of the official government portals.
What is the cost of sponsoring a maid in Dubai, UAE?
Finding and hiring professional cleaners and maids in Dubai can be daunting and expensive. While some expats save on visa costs by hiring live-in maids or nannies in the UAE, who have their own visas, there are others who have their own good reasons to hire maids from their native countries. Whatever way you opt for, you must be ready to cough up around AED 20,000 initially while following the UAE maid sponsorship guidelines. The below-drawn table will give you a ballpark figure you should be ready to spend
| Cost Elements | Part-time or Live-out Maid/Nanny (holding their own visa) | Full-time or Live-in Maid/Nanny |
| Monthly Salary | Live-out option: AED 1,000 – AED 3,000 Part-time option: Calculated as per the average hourly payment that ranges between AED 20 – AED 50 | AED 1,500 – AED 5,000 (+additional perks such as food, accommodation, tickets, etc.) |
| Accommodation | Cheapest yearly rental of a studio can be about AED12,000 in areas like Al Baraha, Deira. No conditions on the type and size of house to hire a part-time maid. | Minimum accommodation requirement for a live-in maid/nanny is 2 BHK apartment / Villa under the tenancy contract. Yearly rental starts at AED 29,000 in areas such as Muhaisnah 4 and Al Quasis. |
| Health Insurance | Optional | AED 5,000 – AED 10,000 annually (The Essential Benefits Plan generally costs between AED 550 and AED 720 per year.) |
| Sponsorship Fees | N/A | AED 5,000 – AED 5,500 per year |
| Sponsor’s Household Income | AED 5,000 – AED 6,000 | At least AED 25,000 (Combined) |
| Agency Fees (if hired any) | N/A | AED 5,000 to AED 15,000 (One-time) |
| Refundable Security Deposit | N/A | AED 3,000 – AED 10,000 |
| Non-refundable Sponsorship fees | N/A | AED 5,000 – AED 5,500 per year |
| Government Expenses + Admin. Costs | N/A | Costs toward document preparation, typing, medical tests, registration, and Emirates ID |
| Other costs associated with stipulated benefits | Depends on both the parties | Accommodation, flight tickets, attire, basic amenities, etc. |
| Maid’s Monthly Salary | AED 1000 – AED 3,000 | AED 3,000 – AED 5,000 |
What is the average monthly salary of a maid in Dubai, UAE?
Depending on a variety of factors such as experience, live-in or live-out option, responsibilities, references, nationality, skills, etc., the monthly salary of a maid/nanny in Dubai can swing between AED 1,000 (+ other perks) – AED 5,000. It is of utmost importance that you adhere to the minimum wage laws enforced by her home country’s embassy in the UAE when deciding on her salary package.
Where can I hire a domestic worker from?
Domestic workers’ recruitment agencies are being closed in the UAE, in an effort to protect the workers’ and employers’ rights. Both UAE citizens and residents must hire domestic workers from Tadbeer centers only, starting March 2021. Launched to offer all services required to employers looking to employ domestic help, these centers operate under a public-private partnership (PPP) model and have set a new standard for the provision of services to blue-collar employees, protect their rights, enable access to better information and training, and ensure that working conditions and accommodation are adhered to. In addition to services such as visa issuance, Emirates identity (ID) card, medical documents and dropping the domestic help to his/her employer, the centers also furnish pertinent help depending on the requirements of the employer or sponsor.
How can I renew the maid visa in Dubai, UAE?
The process of maid visa renewal requires you to submit an application for renewal along with the online medical request form, which can be attained from an authorised typist. You may also visit any GDRFA office near you with your maid for visa renewal. Submit all the required documents and pay the fees to the officer there. You will be asked for your maid’s salary.
How can I cancel the maid visa in Dubai, UAE?
Cancellation of the maid visa in the UAE can be done in two ways – either at the airport or through GDRFA (in advance). You may approach a typing center to complete the cancellation application on your behalf and process it online through the respective GDRFA.
Is it worth hiring a maid or nanny in Dubai?
We all want a work-life balance! And only way to achieve the same is – work smart, not hard! Hiring a maid in Dubai is what the doctor ordered if you are not able to strike a balance between your personal and professional life. This way, you are not just making your life easier and happier by spending quality time with your loved ones or upskilling yourself to grow in your career or pursuing your hobbies, but also others’ by creating a job opportunity. Win-Win for you both!
Meet Adam Global for maid visa assistance in the UAE
Despite being a straightforward process, sponsoring a maid in the UAE requires you to jump through hoops. Most people hate to do paperwork, mainly because they are afraid of making errors. However, outsourcing the task to one of the best and most experienced maid visa service providers in Dubai such as Adam Global can be a smart move, saving the valuable resources that we talked about at the very beginning of the article. Get in touch with one of our maid visa experts in Dubai, share your requirements and free yourself from stress. And yes, your first consultancy is on the house!
