Hiring a Nanny or Housekeeper in Dubai: The Rules and the Right Order

Start with the role, not the person

Before you look at a single profile, write down what the role actually involves. Live-in or live-out. Working hours and the weekly rest day. Childcare, cleaning, cooking, driving or a mix. Languages needed at home. Travel with the family. Who the person reports to when you are away.

This matters legally as well as practically. Under UAE law, a domestic worker may not be assigned tasks outside the contract, so the description you write now becomes the basis of the agreement.

Rules and fees change. Confirm the current position with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) or a licensed centre before you commit.

The legal framework

Domestic work in the UAE is regulated by Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 Concerning Domestic Workers, amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023. According to the UAE Government portal, the law covers nineteen occupations, including housemaid, housekeeper, cook, nanny, gardener, private tutor, home nurse, personal assistant and family driver. It prohibits employing anyone under eighteen, forced labour, harassment, discrimination and assigning tasks not covered by the contract. Workers are entitled to:

• Wages paid as set out in the contract, within ten days of the due date
• One paid rest day per week
• Twelve hours of rest per day, including at least eight consecutive hours
• At least thirty days of paid annual leave
• A return ticket home every two years
• The right to keep their own passport and identity documents

What employers must provide

Employers must use the MoHRE-approved contract, give the worker a copy, provide suitable accommodation, meals and medical care or health insurance, and must not employ anyone without a valid work permit.

Two ways to employ

Sponsoring the worker yourself. You hold the residence and work permit on your own file. This gives you the most direct relationship, but it comes with eligibility requirements. In 2020, The National reported that residents needed a monthly income of at least AED 25,000 to sponsor a domestic worker, and that the requirement applied to household income. Confirm the current threshold and documents with MoHRE or a Tadbeer centre before you plan around it.

Employing through a licensed centre. Tadbeer centres are MoHRE-approved domestic worker service centres, and licensed recruitment agencies operate under MoHRE rules. Depending on the package, the centre may remain the legal sponsor while the worker lives or works with your family. This can suit families who are new to the UAE, who do not yet meet the sponsorship requirements, or who want the centre to handle the paperwork.

Whichever route you choose, a recruitment office may not charge the worker any commission or fee for being employed. If an agency asks a candidate to pay, walk away.

The contract

The approved contract must include, among other terms, the names of both parties, the place of work, the start date, the type of work, the contract duration, the salary and method of payment, leave entitlements, any probation period, rest periods and the conditions for termination. Read it with the candidate, in a language they understand, before anyone signs.

Some domestic professions are also covered by the Wages Protection System, which pays salaries through an approved channel. Ask MoHRE or your centre whether it applies to the role you are filling.

Interviewing and checking references

For childcare roles especially, take your time.

• Interview by video first, then in person where possible
• Ask for situations, not adjectives: "Tell me about a time a child in your care was unwell"
• Speak to at least two previous employers directly
• Use the probation period in the contract as a genuine trial, with clear goals agreed on day one
• Discuss confidentiality openly: photos of the children, the home and guests stay private

Onboarding: the first two weeks

Most problems in the first months come from unclear expectations, not bad intentions. Write a short house guide: daily routine, the children's schedules and allergies, emergency numbers, which rooms and items need special care, and how you prefer to communicate. Walk through it together, then review it after two weeks.

Agree from the start how the rest day works, how leave is requested, and how and when salary is paid. Keep a record of every payment.

If it does not work out

Either side can raise a labour complaint with MoHRE, which tries to resolve disputes amicably within two weeks before referring them to court. Under the law, domestic workers are exempt from litigation fees. Follow the contract's termination terms and the employer obligations, including the cost of the worker's return to their home country where the law requires it.

How SETTRA helps

We do not employ, sponsor or recruit home staff, and we do not process visas. Where paperwork is needed, we coordinate it with licensed partners. What we do is everything around the hire: writing the role, organising interviews and reference checks, preparing the house guide, briefing new staff on routines and standards, and supervising the team day to day so the household runs smoothly when you are busy or away. Supervision of existing home staff is part of our Priority plan and our home and residence management.

Read also what a house manager does, moving to Dubai with children and our relocation and settling-in support. We work in English, Russian, Turkish and Azerbaijani.

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