Why Choose a MOHRE-Licensed Centre for Maid Visa Sponsorship?

In the UAE, the licence comes from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), and you can check any provider against MOHRE’s list of approved domestic workers services centres before you pay.

This guide explains what a MOHRE-licensed centre for maid visa sponsorship is, how it differs from an unlicensed provider, how to check a centre’s licence and which services a licensed centre can offer.

What is a MOHRE-licensed centre?

Under the UAE’s Domestic Workers Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022), a business needs a MOHRE licence to recruit domestic workers or to employ them on a temporary basis for families. MOHRE calls these approved domestic workers services centres. Many families know them as Tadbeer centres, and Expat Maids is a Tadbeer centre in Dubai.

Licensed centres can offer two different arrangements:

• Recruitment (mediation): the centre helps your family find a domestic worker, and you employ and sponsor her yourself.

• Company sponsorship (temporary employment): the centre employs and sponsors the domestic worker, who works in your household.

The difference matters. With company sponsorship, the centre is her legal employer and holds her visa. With recruitment, your family becomes her employer and sponsor. Expat Maids is licensed for both, because its trade licence covers domestic workers mediation and temporary employment services.

If you plan to employ and sponsor her yourself, our guide to how to hire a maid in Dubai through a licensed centre explains the recruitment process step by step.

What does a licensed centre do that an unlicensed provider doesn’t?

A licensed centre works within MOHRE’s rules and can be held to account under them. An unlicensed provider works outside that system, so you cannot rely on the same protections.

Using an unlicensed provider also carries legal risk for your family. Unlicensed providers sometimes place workers who are sponsored by someone else or who do not hold a valid work permit. MOHRE does not allow families to employ a domestic worker sponsored by someone else without the required authorisation, and fines of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000 apply to related offences, such as employing a domestic worker without a valid work permit. Make sure the employment arrangement is lawful before she starts work.

How do I check if a maid agency is MOHRE-licensed?

Check the licence before you share documents, sign a contract or pay any fees. It takes four steps:

1. Open MOHRE’s list of approved domestic workers services centres on the MOHRE website.

2. Search for the centre’s registered legal name, not just its brand name. Expat Maids is listed by MOHRE as Expat Maids Workers Services Center, facility number 1521199.

3. Check that the registered name matches the name on the contract, invoice and licence documents you are given. Small differences, such as “L.L.C” at the end of the name, are normal.

4. Confirm the licence is current. MOHRE licences must be renewed, so ask to see a valid licence if you are unsure.

If anything does not match, ask the provider to explain before you pay. Be cautious of offers on social media or messaging apps from providers you cannot find on MOHRE’s list. You can call MOHRE on 600590000 to check a provider or report a suspected unlicensed one.

Which services can a licensed centre offer?

Services differ from centre to centre. As a maid visa sponsorship company and recruitment centre, Expat Maids offers four services.

When Expat Maids sponsors a domestic worker, she is employed by Expat Maids. We hold her visa and employee file and handle everything shown below, so you have one point of contact. This applies to full-time maid services and maid visa sponsorship.

• Full-time maid services: a domestic worker employed and sponsored by Expat Maids, working in your home. On an annual contract, live-in packages start from AED 2,500 a month and live-out packages from AED 3,700 a month, excluding 5% VAT.

• Maid visa sponsorship: Expat Maids sponsors a domestic worker you already know on a 2-year residence visa, usually within 3–4 weeks. Packages are AED 10,999 paid once, or AED 8,499 upfront plus AED 150 a month, excluding 5% VAT.

• Recruitment: we help you find and interview a domestic worker whom you then employ and sponsor yourself. See how to hire a maid in Dubai through a licensed centre for the full process.

• Typing services: if you sponsor her yourself, we handle the government typing for her visa, renewals and cancellation.

Check each service page for current inclusions and offers. For the rules that apply to each route, see our guide to maid visa sponsorship rules and MOHRE centres in Dubai.

Summary: choosing a licensed centre

A MOHRE-licensed centre works within the ministry’s regulated system, with registered contracts, required checks and a route for complaints. Before choosing one, find its legal name on MOHRE’s list, confirm the licence is current and check that the name matches your paperwork. Then ask exactly what the centre will manage and get the terms in writing.

Already have a maid you trust? As a licensed Tadbeer centre in Dubai, we can sponsor her on a 2-year visa from AED 8,499 plus AED 150 a month. Looking for a full-time maid instead? Live-in packages start from AED 2,500 a month. More than 2,000 families across the UAE already use Expat Maids.