Want to hire a maid in Dubai? Follow these steps

Steps for sponsoring a maid in Dubai

1 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 Dh6000 a month or Dh5000 + accommodation.
2 Bachelors are not eligible to sponsor a maid.
3 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 and Issue of Domestic Worker Card

Documents Required for Residence Visa:

1 Salary certificate of sponsor in Arabic (for government employee) OR, labour contract of sponsor (for private employee). Your tenancy contract showing minimum
2 bedroom apartment with Ejari attestation. Typed application form from authorised 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 authorised typist and get form filled up for employment entry permit. Pay Dh110 + separate typing fee (which varies from typist to typist). If urgent, pay additional Dh100. If maid is already in the country, additional Dh500 to be paid.
2. Go to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai (GDRFA) and submit all documents after attaching courier sticker for non-urgent visa. For urgent, wait for a few minutes and receive the employment entry permit.
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 authorised typist and pay for either urgent or non-urgent form and go take maid for medical fitness and Emirates ID biometrics.
2. Take your maid for a medical fitness test All new maids will be screened for HIV, pregnancy, Hepatitis B, Syphilis, TB and Leprosy. The Hepatitis B vaccination which costs an additional Dh50 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 Dh325 (Dh260 +Dh50 for Hepatitis B vaccination+ Dh20 for courier and takes 5-7 working days to get the results.
* 48-hour service costs Dh420 (Dh370+Dh 50 for Hepatitis B vaccination). You can collect results in 2 working days.?
* Urgent service costs Dh520 (Dh470+Dh50 for Hepatitis B vaccination). You can collect results after 24 hours.?
* There is also a 4-hour VIP service costing Dh 740 (Dh690+Dh50) but this is only for Al Safa and Knowledge Village employees and dependents.

How to get the medical fitness results

a. Register through authorised typist office or through DHA online service. Also pay Dh140 (plus typing fee of Dh30) for EmiratesID application.
b. If not paid online, go to registration counter/section at medical fitness centre to pay fees, depending on package chosen.
c. Go for blood test, x-ray and/or Hepatitis B vaccination
d. Medical fitness results will be sent to DNRD electronically. SMS notification will be sent to sponsor, or await results by courier.
e. Go to Emirates ID office and submit fingerprints and application. You can do this during your visit for Medical Fitness itself.
f. Go to authorised typist to pay Dh5,200 (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. 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 show residency stamp to the typist to update the application, or call EIDA and give them residency number.
7. Your deposit of Dh2,000 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.

Renewal of maid's visa in Dubai

This needs to be done annually. Either do it online, or go to an authorized typist and get online medical request form issued (free, though some typists charge Dh20) and application for renewal (ordinaryDh5080 + typing charges or urgent Dh5180+typing charges). Take your maid for a medical fitness test. 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.

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 (Dh70+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 Dh100 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.
These are the two ways to go about hiring a full-time maid: Hiring and sponsoring a maid yourself Here's a quick look at the costs you'll have to bear when hiring and sponsoring a live-in maid:
Salary: Monthly salaries may vary a lot from say Dh1,500 to Dh3,500, and will depend on a number of factors such as experience, references, scope of work, etc. You will also have to comply with the minimum wage laws enforced by the embassy of the maid's home country.
Sponsorship fees: You're the legal sponsor of your maid, and will have to apply for her UAE residence visa which will cost you between Dh5,000 and Dh5,500 annually. This is a non-refundable fee payable to the UAE government.
Refundable deposit: The embassy of your maid's home country may also require a refundable security deposit of around Dh3,000 to Dh10,000. This may vary based on her nationality and the embassy rules prevailing at the time.
Other government expenses: There will be separate charges for registration, medical tests and Emirates ID issuance. Health insurance: You will have to provide a health insurance cover for the maid, which is now a mandatory requirement for all sponsors.
Flight ticket: You will also have to provide an annual return flight ticket to your maid.
Basic living expenses: You will be responsible for providing her lodging at your house, food and basic amenities.