How to Sponsor a Maid Visa in the UAE: 2026 Guide
Last updated: September 2026
The short answer: to sponsor a maid visa in the UAE you need a valid residence visa, an income that meets the current threshold, and accommodation suitable for a live-in worker. The process runs through a licensed Tadbeer centre or MoHRE approved channel, costs roughly AED 5,000 to 17,000, and takes two to four weeks once the paperwork is in.
Sponsoring a maid visa is not complicated, but it is unforgiving. Get a document wrong and you restart. Hire someone who is still on another sponsor visa and you inherit a problem that is expensive to unwind. This guide walks the process in the order you will actually meet it.
Who can sponsor a maid visa in the UAE
You can sponsor a domestic worker if you hold a valid UAE residence visa, meet the income requirement, and have housing suitable for the worker. Tourists and visit visa holders cannot sponsor anyone.
A few points that come up constantly:
- Women can sponsor in their own name. A female resident who meets the residency, income and accommodation conditions does not need her husband to be the sponsor.
- Married couples normally use one sponsor. Whichever spouse meets the salary threshold applies, and the visa sits under that person.
- One worker per household is the standard. Sponsoring a second domestic worker is possible but needs documented justification, such as a large family, young children or a dependent needing care, and a higher income.
The salary requirement
This is where most articles give you a confident number and most of those numbers are out of date. In 2026 the figure most commonly applied is around AED 25,000 per month, though guidance notes that a lower salary combined with suitable accommodation may still qualify depending on your category and emirate.
Do not budget your household around a salary threshold you read in a blog post, including this one. MoHRE and the ICP revise these figures, and application of them varies. Confirm your specific case with a licensed Tadbeer centre or the ICP before you make commitments to a candidate.
What the visa covers: the job titles
Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 governs domestic workers in the UAE. The categories it covers include housemaids, nannies, drivers, cooks, gardeners, private tutors and watchmen. If the role you are hiring for falls outside these, you are looking at a different permit entirely.
The job title on the visa matters. A worker sponsored as a housemaid who is actually employed as a driver is working outside her permit, and that is a problem for you, not only for her.
The step by step process
- Find your candidate first. The visa is tied to a specific person, so there is nothing to apply for until you have agreed terms with someone. Settle the salary, the days off and the start date before any paperwork begins.
- Check her current status. If she is already in the UAE on another sponsor visa, that visa has to be cancelled or transferred before yours can be issued. Ask to see her current visa page and her passport. If she cannot show you, stop.
- Go through a licensed channel. Sponsorship must run through a Tadbeer centre or a MoHRE licensed agency. Tadbeer centres replaced the old recruitment agency model and handle the permit, orientation and paperwork as a package.
- Submit your documents. Typically your passport and Emirates ID, your residence visa, salary certificate or proof of income, tenancy contract or title deed, and the worker passport and photographs. The centre will confirm the exact list for your emirate.
- Entry permit or status change. If she is overseas, an entry permit is issued and she travels on it. If she is already in the country, her status is changed in place.
- Medical fitness test. Standard screening at an approved centre. Results usually come back in two to five working days.
- Emirates ID and biometrics. Fingerprints and photograph captured, card issued.
- Medical insurance. Mandatory for the full duration of employment. You pay for it.
- Residence visa stamped. Once stamped, she is legally working for you and the contract clock starts.
Two to four weeks end to end is normal if nothing is missing. Missing documents are the usual cause of delay, not processing time.
What it costs
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|
| Full Tadbeer sponsorship package | AED 5,000 to 17,000 |
| Medical insurance, annual | AED 700 to 1,600 |
| Agency placement fee, if you use one | AED 5,000 to 15,000 |
The package normally bundles the entry permit, medical screening, Emirates ID, insurance and processing. The wide range reflects how much is bundled and which emirate you are in.
The placement fee is separate and avoidable. It is what you pay an agency for introducing you to a candidate. Find the candidate yourself and it does not arise.
Your legal obligations once you are the sponsor
The day the visa is stamped you take on a set of duties written into law. These are the ones people most often do not realise they have signed up to:
| Obligation | What the law requires |
|---|
| Wages | Paid monthly, within 10 days of the due date |
| Daily rest | 12 hours of rest in every 24, including at least 8 continuous hours |
| Weekly rest | One paid rest day per week |
| Annual leave | 30 days paid per year of service |
| Sick leave | 30 days paid per year |
| End of service gratuity | 14 days of pay per year of service, capped at 6 months of pay |
| Medical insurance | Mandatory for the whole period of employment |
| Recruitment costs | Borne by the employer. Agencies may not take any fee or commission from the worker. |
The eight continuous hours of rest is the clause families breach most often without meaning to. A nanny who is expected to get up for a baby through the night is not getting eight continuous hours. If your household genuinely needs overnight cover, staff it as a night shift and pay for it, or rotate it.
Mistakes that cost people money
- Hiring someone on a visit visa while the paperwork goes through. She is working illegally from day one, and you are the one employing her.
- Paying cash with no record. If a wage dispute reaches MoHRE, the burden of showing she was paid falls on you. Keep proof of every payment.
- Not cancelling properly when she leaves. The visa stays your responsibility until it is formally cancelled. Fines accrue against you.
- Verbal agreements on days off. Write the rest day into the contract. Almost every dispute between a family and a domestic worker starts with time off, not money.
- Paying an agency before meeting the candidate. No legitimate process requires you to pay a placement fee for a person you have not spoken to.
Sponsoring versus part time help
Sponsorship makes sense when you need someone full time for a year or more. If your need is a few hours a day or a few days a week, it does not.
| Factor | Sponsor your own | Part time through a licensed company |
|---|
| Upfront cost | AED 5,000 to 17,000 | None |
| Ongoing | Salary plus insurance, flights, gratuity | AED 25 to 50 per hour |
| Legal responsibility | Yours entirely | The company |
| Continuity of carer | High, same person daily | Varies by provider |
| Best for | Full-time childcare, long term | Cleaning, occasional childcare, short term |
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary to sponsor a maid visa in the UAE?
The figure most commonly applied in 2026 guidance is around AED 25,000 per month, though a lower salary combined with suitable accommodation may qualify in some categories. Thresholds are set by MoHRE and the ICP and are revised periodically, so confirm your own case with a licensed Tadbeer centre.
Can a woman sponsor a maid visa in her own name in the UAE?
Yes. A woman who holds a valid UAE residence visa and meets the income and accommodation conditions can sponsor a domestic worker in her own name. She does not need to apply through her husband.
How long does a maid visa take in the UAE?
Two to four weeks from submission to a stamped residence visa, assuming your documents are complete. Delays are almost always caused by missing paperwork or by an uncancelled previous visa, not by processing time.
How many maids can one person sponsor?
One is the standard for a household. A second is possible with documented justification such as a large family, young children or a dependent requiring care, and typically a higher income threshold.
Can I sponsor a maid while on a tourist or visit visa?
No. Only holders of a valid UAE residence visa can sponsor a domestic worker.
Who pays the recruitment costs, me or the worker?
You do. Under UAE law recruitment agencies may not solicit or accept any commission or fee from the worker. If a candidate says she paid to be placed with you, that is a red flag about the agency involved.
Find your candidate before you start the paperwork. Browse profiles of nannies and maids already in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with nationality, experience, visa status, languages and salary expectation listed. You contact them directly, agree terms, then sponsor. No placement fee and no commission on salaries.
Browse available candidates, read the hiring FAQ or see what a nanny really costs in Dubai.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Visa rules, fees and salary thresholds are set by MoHRE, the ICP and the GDRFA and change periodically. Confirm current requirements with a licensed Tadbeer centre before acting.
