Life in Dubai is fast-paced and it can be hard to put aside time each day to maintain your home, especially if you work long hours or have children to care for. Many residents of Dubai choose to hire a full-time maid to help keep their homes clean and tidy. The process to hire a full time maid in Dubai has recently been simplified and you no longer need to do multiple trips between the immigration department and the typing center! The experts at ServiceMarket have put together the following guide to explain the steps required to hire a full-time maid in Dubai.
There are two main ways to find a full-time maid in Dubai:
Recruitment agency: The most popular way is to use a maid recruitment agency. A reputable agency would provide you with a list of options for you to shortlist and select the most appropriate maid from. They usually go through a thorough background check before adding a maid to their database, so it’s a good way to find experienced maids easily. Agencies usually offer to help with the sponsorship process too, taking away most of the hassle. However, they do usually charge a one-off recruitment fee, which is typically between AED 12-15k.
Local Adverts: The other way is to find a maid yourself by looking at local advertisements. You will often find maids looking for jobs on supermarket notice boards, on adverts in classified sections of newspapers, or on websites like Dubizzle. It’s important to always ask for references to make sure that the person has the right experience and is well-suited to your family’s requirements.
How to sponsor a maid:
To sponsor a maid, you will need to go through the following steps:
Step One: The Entry Permit
Process:
The first step is to get an entry permit for the maid. To do this you would need to visit a registered typing center with the required documents and fees. Once the maid has an entry permit she will be able to enter the country.
Documents required:
From the maid:
- Passport photo with white background
- Passport copy
From the sponsor:
- Original Emirates ID card
- Passport copy
- Visa copy
- Attested marriage certificate
- Salary certificate
- Ejari certificate or title deed
- Dewa bill copy
- IBAN number of sponsor’s bank account
Cost:
For a maid inside the country on a resident visa, you will need to pay around AED 1200 for the entry permit and AED 580 for the status change (for which you will need their passport & entry permit with the old employment visa copy or arrival number). If the maid is in Dubai on a tourist visa she would have to exit the country first. For a maid currently outside of the UAE, the entry permit charge is around AED 400.
You would also need to pay a security deposit of AED 2000. The deposit is refundable after the maid leaves the UAE at the end of her employment with you.
Step Two: The Medical
Process:
Once she has the entry permit, she will need to take a medical test. The typing center would do the application for you and the maid would then need to visit one of the registered medical centers in the UAE to get a blood test and chest x-ray done.
Documents required:
- 2 passport photos with white background
- Maid’s original passport with entry permit
- Copy of the status change document if the maid was originally in the UAE and is transferring sponsorship.
Cost:
There are three options. For the normal service, the cost is AED 370, for a 48-hour service the cost is AED 470 and the 24-hour service is AED 570.
Step Three: Emirates ID Application
Process:
After the medical, you will need to apply for an Emirates ID card for the maid. The typing center would submit the application and the maid would then need to take the form to the Emirates ID center, where they will take their fingerprints, eye scan, and photo.
Documents required:
- Maid’s original passport with entry permit
- Old Emirates ID copy (if available)
Cost:
The cost for the Emirates ID application is AED 170.
Step Four: Visa Stamping
Process:
The final step is to get the passport stamped with the residence visa, which can be taken care of by the Typing Center.
Documents required:
From the maid:
- 2 passport photos with white background
- Maid’s original passport and visa paper
- Original medical report
- Emirates ID form
From the Sponsor:
- Passport copy (if male, the wife’s passport and visa copy will also be required)
- Visa copy
- Emirates ID copy
- Salary certificate copy
- Ejari certificate or title deed copy
- Dewa bill copy
- Security deposit slip copy
- Employment contract (for renewals)
Cost:
The cost for the visa is around AED 5600 per year.
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