Domestic workers in the UAE: rights, employer duties and complaints

Domestic workers in the UAE are covered by their own law, Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 (amended in 2023), not by the general Labour Law. It gives them wages within 10 days of the due date, a paid day off every week, 12 hours of rest a day, at least 30 days of paid annual leave, a ticket home every two years, and the right to keep their own passport and ID.

The worker’s entitlements

What the law forbids

Employing anyone under 18; discrimination by race, colour, gender, religion, nationality or disability; sexual harassment; forced labour or any practice amounting to human trafficking; exposing the worker to physical harm; and giving tasks outside the contract, or work outside the law’s professions, without the Ministry’s approval.

Who counts as a domestic worker

19 professions: housemaid, sailor, guard, shepherd, jockey, animal tamer, falcon carer, worker, housekeeper, cook, nanny, farm worker, gardener, personal trainer, private tutor, home nurse, personal assistant, private agricultural engineer and family driver.

The employer’s duties

• Sign the Ministry’s approved contract with the worker and give them a copy. It states the work, place, duration, wage, payment method, leave, rest periods, probation and termination terms.
• Provide suitable accommodation, meals and clothing, and medical care or health insurance.
• Pay compensation for work injuries and occupational diseases, and the cost of returning the worker home.
• Take no money from the worker except where the law or the approved contract allows it.
• Not make the worker work for others, or in a different profession, except as the law permits and with the worker’s consent.
• If the worker dies in service, pay the heirs that month’s wage and all other dues.

Recruitment offices

An office must tell the worker the type of work and the wage before they travel, carry out the medical examination within 30 days before entry, house and feed the workers in its care, and never take a commission or payment from the worker for a job. If the office breaks its contract with the employer, the employer can refuse the worker, and the office must provide a replacement or refund the recruitment fee.

Disputes

• Either side can complain to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which tries to settle it within two weeks before referring it to court with its recommendation.
• Domestic workers pay no court fees at any stage, and their cases are expedited.
• Claims must be made within three months of the end of employment; after that they are not accepted.

Complaints and services are available on the Ministry’s website and, in Abu Dhabi, through TAMM. Employers’ visa rules for family members are in UAE family visa.

Checked against the UAE government portal (u.ae), content sourced to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, on 26 September 2026. General information, not legal advice. See our editorial policy.