Maid Visa Dubai: Steps, Cost Items, and Documents for Families

Direct answer: To get a maid visa in Dubai, a resident sponsor first obtains a domestic worker work permit from MOHRE, usually through an approved services centre, and then the entry permit is issued so the worker can travel. After arrival, the worker has 60 days to finish the medical report, Emirates ID registration and residence permit before overstay fines of AED 50 a day start. ICP lists a recruitment guarantee of AED 5,000 per year of issuance for a foreign resident sponsor, on top of the centre's package.

This page owns the visa process and the cost items. It does not repeat wages, rest days or contract rights, which the UAE domestic worker hiring guide covers. If you are still choosing between providers, read the Dubai maid agency guide first.

Two limits on what follows. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) sets the income test, the permit fees and the document list on its own service pages at mohre.gov.ae. Those pages could not be opened when this guide was researched on 16 October 2026, so it does not quote their numbers and tells you where to read them. Everything stated below comes from the UAE government portal, the federal authority ICP and the Philippine DMW, each opened on 16 October 2026. Fees change, so confirm them on the page before you pay.

Who can sponsor a domestic worker in Dubai?

The sponsor is a UAE citizen or a resident with a valid residence permit. ICP's visa page says MOHRE approval is required when the visa applicant is classified as a domestic worker. ICP's residence page says the service for domestic workers runs through the Domestic Workers Package for workers sponsored by a UAE national or by a foreign resident. In both cases MOHRE's work permit comes first.

What MOHRE asks of you as an employer sits on its domestic worker permit page: the income and housing proof and the passport and ID copies. Those figures could not be read on a MOHRE page, so this guide does not state them. Articles online give different salary thresholds, some years old, so do not plan from a blog. Ask a MOHRE-approved centre to confirm the current income and housing test in writing, and compare the answer with the MOHRE page.

The worker must be an adult. The UAE government portal lists the employment of anyone under 18 among the practices the domestic worker law prohibits. The job must also match the permit. The portal lists 19 occupations covered by the law, including housemaid, housekeeper, cook, nanny or babysitter, home nurse, gardener and personal driver. A "maid visa" is a work permit for one of those occupations. An employer may not employ a worker without a valid work permit, and may not assign tasks outside the contract.

The employer also owes the worker medical care or health insurance. The portal lists it among the employer's obligations under the law, so budget for a policy at the start.

Hiring through a Tadbeer centre

The UAE government tells employers to use domestic worker services centres approved by MOHRE. People call these Tadbeer centres, and the portal links to the approved list. The law gives recruitment offices set duties. They must tell the worker the type of work and the wage before the worker enters the UAE, prove the worker is fit, and run the medical examinations within 30 days before entry. They must also provide suitable housing for workers in their care, and they may not ask for any commission or payment from the worker, before or after the job starts.

You sign a recruitment contract with the centre. According to the portal, it sets out your requirements, the financial commitments for moving the worker from the home country, the centre's service fee and the time allowed to complete recruitment. If the centre breaks those terms, you may refuse to employ the worker, and the centre must supply a replacement or refund the recruitment fees. You keep the right to claim compensation for damage from the breach.

Before you pay, check the centre's name on the MOHRE approved list, and ask for a written quotation that separates its service fee from government fees. The Dubai maid agency guide shows how to compare packages line by line.

The visa steps in order

The sequence below follows the stages ICP and the government portal describe. Which authority handles each stage and how the steps are bundled differ by emirate and by centre, so confirm the order with your centre.

In Dubai, entry and residence services run through the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. Its services list shows what it offers online. ICP is the federal authority and its pages describe the federal process, so ask your centre which authority handles your file and whether the fees below apply to it.

Keep every receipt and every message from MOHRE and the immigration authority. If a step stalls, the centre that took your fee should chase it. That duty belongs in your recruitment contract.

What does a maid visa cost?

No official page gives one all-in price, and a blog that does is adding its own assumptions. The table lists each cost item, the figure where an official page states one, and where to read the rest. All figures are in UAE dirhams as listed on the ICP and government portal pages on 16 October 2026.

Three points matter more than any single number. First, the ICP fees above are for the federal process. GDRFA publishes its own fees for Dubai services, so do not assume the ICP figures carry over to a Dubai file. Ask the centre which authority prices your file. Second, the law bars an employer from collecting payments from the worker, directly or indirectly, except where the law or the approved contract provides for it. Do not deduct the visa, the centre's fee or the ticket from the wage. Third, the centre may not take money from the worker for the job. If a recruiter tells the worker to pay a placement fee, stop and report it.

A good quotation separates five lines: the centre's service fee, government fees, the guarantee, insurance, and the refund or replacement terms. A quote with one total is hard to compare. The cheapest quote often leaves out insurance, the medical test or the replacement terms.

Document checklist

Use the list below as a starting point and ask the centre for its own version.

1. The worker's passport, with the validity that the immigration authority requires. ICP lists a passport valid for no less than 6 months for residence applications.
2. A recent personal photo of the worker.
3. The worker's medical report, which ICP lists for the work and domestic worker category.
4. The MOHRE work permit for the domestic worker, which ICP lists as a required document for residence.
5. Proof of valid health insurance for the worker.
6. The signed recruitment contract with the centre.
7. The employment contract on MOHRE's approved template, with a copy for the worker.
8. Your own passport, Emirates ID and residence permit, and the income and housing proof that MOHRE asks for. MOHRE lists these on its permit page, so get the current list there.
9. If the worker is already in the UAE: proof that the previous residence was cancelled before the change of status.

The worker keeps the original passport and Emirates ID. The portal lists possession of identification papers among the worker's entitlements, and the Emirates ID page says seizing another person's ID card is against the law. Keep copies only.

Filipino helpers: what the Philippines requires

If you want a Filipino domestic worker, two sets of rules apply, and the Philippine side often sets the timeline.

The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers publishes a question-and-answer sheet on direct hiring. It states that the Philippine Labor Code prohibits direct hiring of Filipino workers, with exemptions. The listed exempt employers include members of the diplomatic corps, international organisations and senior government officials, plus other employers that the agency allows. The sheet carves out one case on purpose. The exemption for a relative who is a permanent resident abroad does not apply to domestic workers, such as live-in caregivers and household service workers. It points to a separate circular for relatives who want a domestic worker.

For a normal UAE household, the practical result is this. Do not plan on hiring a Filipino household worker directly from the Philippines without checking first. The usual route is a MOHRE-approved UAE centre that works with a licensed Philippine recruitment agency. For a direct hire that does qualify, the sheet describes online processing for a clearance, a contract that the Philippine labour office has verified or the embassy has authenticated, and an Overseas Employment Certificate that is valid for 60 days and can be used once to leave the Philippines.

No current UAE-specific requirements could be confirmed from a DMW or embassy page, and the DMW sheet this guide relies on dates from 2022. Before you promise a start date, ask the centre which Philippine agency it works with, and check that agency's licence with the DMW. Then confirm the contract and clearance steps with the Migrant Workers Office at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the consulate in Dubai. A Filipino worker who is already in the UAE, with a visa cancelled by a previous domestic employer, usually follows the UAE change of status route instead, so ask the centre which applies. Never pay a Philippine recruiter or a UAE centre for a worker's job on the worker's behalf.

Renewal and cancellation basics

Renewing the visa and contract

Start renewal well before the dates on your file run out. ICP's renewal page lists the work category documents as the passport, a personal photo, a medical report, valid health insurance, and the MOHRE work permit for the domestic worker category. ICP also lists a renewal application fee of AED 100, a renewal fee of AED 100 per year and a smart service fee of AED 100. These come from the federal page, so check them against your own authority.

The overstay fine of AED 50 a day applies after a visa has expired or been cancelled. ICP lists grace periods of 30 to 180 days depending on the category, so ask which one covers your worker instead of assuming. Emirates ID can be renewed as early as six months before expiry, and the late fee is AED 20 per day, up to AED 1,000, once one month has passed since expiry.

Cancelling the visa

ICP says the service for cancelling a domestic worker's residence is provided through MOHRE or the Domestic Work Bundle. It covers the fee settlement, the residence and the linked Emirates ID cancellation. Cancel when the worker leaves your employment, whether the worker is inside or outside the country, and keep proof of each cancellation.

The employer pays for the worker's return home under the labour law. Do not cancel a visa to push a worker out. If you want to end the relationship, agree the terms, pay what you owe and keep proof. A dispute can go to MOHRE as a labour complaint, which the portal says MOHRE tries to settle within two weeks.

Moving the worker to a new employer

If a worker in the UAE is moving to another family, ICP lists a change of status request inside the country for AED 500, after the previous residence permit is cancelled. The new employer must hold the MOHRE work permit before the worker starts. Do not let a worker start with you before the paperwork is in your name, because the portal says employers must not employ any worker without a valid work permit.

Mistakes that cost families money

• Treating a blog's all-in price as an official fee. Only the authorities set fees, and each publishes its own.
• Paying a centre that is not on MOHRE's approved list.
• Leaving out the health insurance or medical care you owe the worker.
• Missing the 60-day window after entry, which starts AED 50 daily overstay fines.
• Signing a recruitment contract without refund and replacement terms.
• Charging the worker for the visa or the ticket.
• Applying without the income and housing proof, then paying again when the file comes back.
• Assuming a Filipino worker can start without the Philippine clearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a maid visa cost in Dubai?

There is no single official total. For the residence stage, the federal authority ICP lists an application fee of AED 100, an issuance fee of AED 100 per year, a smart service fee of AED 100 and a recruitment guarantee of AED 5,000 per year for a foreign resident sponsor. Dubai files go through GDRFA, the MOHRE permit, insurance, medical test and centre package are priced separately, so ask for a written breakdown.

What salary do I need to sponsor a maid in Dubai?

MOHRE sets an income and housing test for resident sponsors. Figures quoted online differ and rules can change, so read the current requirement on MOHRE's domestic worker permit page or ask a MOHRE-approved centre to confirm it in writing before you apply.

Do I have to use a Tadbeer centre to hire a maid in Dubai?

The UAE government tells employers to use domestic worker services centres approved by MOHRE, which are commonly called Tadbeer centres. The law requires recruitment offices to be licensed, and a signed contract with the centre sets the fee, the timeline and your right to a replacement or refund.

How long is a maid visa valid and how do I renew it?

Check the permit and residence dates on your own file, because they depend on your sponsor category. Renewal goes through the MOHRE work permit and the residence renewal service of the immigration authority, and ICP charges AED 50 for each day a worker stays after a visa expires or is cancelled.

Can I hire a Filipino maid directly from the Philippines?

Usually not. The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers says direct hiring of Filipino workers is banned except for listed employers, and the relative exemption does not cover household service workers. Most UAE families hire a Filipino domestic worker through a licensed Philippine agency working with a UAE centre.

A practical next step for UAE families

Write down the job, your income proof and your housing documents before you speak to any centre. Ask two MOHRE-approved centres for the same itemised quote, and compare it against the cost table above.

When the role is clear, create a family account to describe the job and meet helpers, and use the UAE market page and the family guides for the next steps. Helpers is a marketplace. It does not file visas, run payroll or act as a recruitment office, so the permit, the contract and the residence steps stay with you and a MOHRE-approved centre.