UAE Residence Visas | How to Sponsor a Maid or Nanny 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 AED 6000 a month or AED 5000 + accommodation. 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.

Steps: Apply in the following order

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

Documents Required for Residence Visa

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

Procedures

1. Go to authorized typist & get form filled up for employment entry permit. Pay AED 110 + separate typing fee (which varies from typist to typist). If urgent, pay additional AED 100. If maid already in the country, additional AED 500 to be paid.
2. Go to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai (GDRFA) & submit all documents after attaching courier sticker for non-urgent visa. For urgent, wait for a few minutes and receive the employment entry permit. You will have to pay a refundable deposit of AED 2000/- along with the application. (The deposit was reduced from AED 5000 to AED 2,000. See news update)
3. Send either original visa or copy to your maid. If only copy was sent, then deposit original at DNATA Visa Desk at Dubai airport or at DNRD counter.

Applying for a residence visa for your maid

1. 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. Visit an authorized typist & pay for either urgent or non-urgent form & go take maid for medical fitness & Emirates ID biometrics.
2. Take your maid for a medical fitness test (see locations and contact numbers for 14 centres for medical fitness in Dubai). The Medical Fitness Centre at Sonapur is open 24 hours for men and women, though for new visas for women, it is only open from 8 am till 8 pm. Just in front, there is a 24 hours Emirates ID centre, though for women, it is only open from 7 am until 9.30 pm.

All new maids will be screened for HIV, pregnancy, Hepatitis B, Syphilis, TB & Leprosy. The Hepatitis B vaccination which costs an additional AED 50 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.

Costs of Medical Fitness

• Normal fitness test costs AED 325 (AED 260 + AED 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination+AED 20 for courier and takes 5-7 working days to get the results.
• 48 hour service costs AED 420 (AED 370+AED 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination). You can collect results in 2 working days.
• Urgent service costs AED 520 (AED 470+AED 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination). You can collect results after 24 hours.
• There is also a 4 hour VIP service costing AED 740 (AED 690+AED 50) but this is only for Al Safa & Knowledge Village employees and dependents.
  See details of all medical fitness packages on Dubai Health Authority website.

Steps to get the medical fitness results

• Register through authorized typist office or through DHA online service. Also pay AED 140 (plus typing fee of AED 30) for EmiratesID application.
• If not paid online, go to registration counter/section at medical fitness centre to pay fees, depending on package chosen.
• Go for blood test, x-ray and/or Hepatitis B vaccination
• Medical fitness results will be sent to DNRD electronically. SMS notification will be sent to sponsor, or await results by courier.
• Go to Emirates ID office and submit fingerprints and application. You can do this during your visit for Medical Fitness itself.
• Go to authorized typist to pay AED 5,200 (or 5,100 for non-urgent) to apply for residence visa.

3. Submit residence visa application, along with medical fitness report and Emirates ID stamped application to any GDRFA branch. (If you get an SMS from DHA saying 'Your medical fitness result is sent to GDRFA', then you can proceed directly to any GDRFA branch without collecting the medical report, as it will show up in the GDRFA online system).

4. Go to residency section of GDRFA and take token for automated queue system. When your number comes, submit residency visa typed application. Also attach stamped employment entry permit, maid's original passport and photo, sponsor's passport copy, deposit sticker and a salary certificate/labour contract. Do make a copy or note the Emirates ID application number before submission.

It is preferable to take your maid with you to save time. You must declare to the officer what salary you propose to pay your maid, as this will be entered into the contract. You will receive 3 printouts of the unified contract which has to be signed by both sponsor and maid. If your maid is with you, request her to sign. The officer, will counter-sign and return 2 copies to you. (One is for the sponsor, the other for the maid to keep.) A residence stamp valid for one year will then be placed in your maid's passport.

5. The officer will then give you the 'Domestic Worker Identity Card', or if non-urgent, both will come by courier.

6. To get the Emirates ID card (formerly called National ID), show residency stamp to the typist to update the application, or call EIDA and give them residency number.
7. Your deposit of AED 2,000 will only be refunded when your housemaid permanently leaves the country. Preserve the sticker, as you can either use this to get a refund or you can show it to the residency officer as proof of deposit, each time you do your renewal.

Additional Notes:

Country specific requirements for minimum wages
Do keep in mind that each country has its own regulations regarding minimum salary, age etc and you will have to check with the respective consulate embassy for these details. A maid from India or Philippines must be older than 30, but not over 60. Even recommended minimum salaries differ, with Indian maids to be paid from AED 1,100 onwards (see update), as advised by the Indian Embassy, while new regulations from the Philippines say the minimum salary should be AED 1,400. As per the Sri Lankan embassy, the minimum salary for Sri Lankan maids is AED 825. See update. The minimum salary for Indonesian maids is AED 800 and from Bangladesh, it is AED 750. Please note that these are minimum recommendations from governments, but there's nothing stopping you from paying more than the minimum wage.

GDRFA Approval

Maids from the sponsor’s country are subject to approval by GDRFA. In addition, an affidavit from your country's embassy/consulate certifying that the maid is not related to you may be required. If you need more than one maid for a large family, GDRFA has the right to decide, but much will depend on sponsor’s salary and size of the family. Always carry copies and original documents, including labour contracts, salary certificates and passports. You may be asked to show your accommodation contract and are advised to carry this. Illegal hiring of maids without GDRFA approval may result in fines of upto AED 70,000 as well as imprisonment for one month followed by deportation of employer.

Renewal of Maid's Visa in Dubai

This needs to be done annually. Either do it online, or go to an authorized typist & get online medical request form issued (free, though some typists charge AED 20) and application for renewal (ordinary AED 5080 + typing charges or urgent AED 5180+typing charges).

Take your maid for a medical fitness test. (See locations and contact numbers for 14 centres for medical fitness in Dubai). 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.

Costs of Medical Fitness

Normal fitness test costs AED 325 (AED 260 + AED 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination+AED 15 for courier and takes 5-7 working days to get the results.
48 hour service costs AED 420 (AED 370+AED 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination). You can collect results in 2 working days.
Urgent service costs AED 520 (AED 470+AED 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination). You can collect results after 24 hours.
There is also a 4 hour VIP service costing AED 740 (AED 690+AED 50) but this is only for Al Safa & Knowledge Village employees and dependents.
Submit renewal application, along with medical fitness to any GDRFA branch. (If you get an SMS from DNRD saying 'Your medical fitness result is sent to GDRFA', before you can collect the medical fitness report, then you can proceed directly to any GDRFA branch without collecting the medical report, as it will show up in the GDRFA system). If you go to GDRFA main office, go to residency section and take a token for automated queue system.
If you are doing a renewal after the third year, you will have to show proof that you made a deposit in the first year. Prior to November 2009, deposit amounts were AED 5,000, which was reduced to AED 2,000.

GDRFA will issue you with 3 printouts of the unified contract that you and your maid have to sign (advisable to take your maid, to get immediate signature). If your renewal application was ordinary, your maid's visa & Domestic Worker Card will be sent to you by courier, while urgent applications are done immediately.

Cancellation of maid's visa in Dubai

This can either be done at the airport or in advance through GDRFA. If you wish to do it in advance, you need to get the 'residence cancel' form typed (AED 70+typing fees) and submit to GDRFA Residency Section along with maid's passport and labour card. You will receive two cancellation receipts. Give one to your maid to submit to Immigration at airport. Take maid to airport and do normal boarding and departure, during which the cancellation of visa will automatically happen during immigration clearance. Use other cancellation receipt to collect your deposit from GDRFA.

Or you can take your maid to the airport, obtain boarding pass and go to the GDRFA office near Customs and Immigration counter. Pay about AED 100 and get the residence cancelled. Try and go at least one hour earlier than the recommended 3 hours international flight time in case there is a line for cancellation. Remember to give one copy of the cancelled form to your maid to submit to Customs/Immigration and use the other to submit to GDRFA to obtain your deposit.