Ask ten families what “maid insurance” means in the UAE and you will get two different answers, both partly right. There are, in fact, two separate mandatory insurances attached to a domestic worker, plus a clear list of duties the employer must provide.
This guide is for any UAE employer sponsoring a maid, nanny, cook or driver, whether through Tadbeer or privately. Getting the two insurances straight matters, because paying for the wrong cover, or assuming one policy does the job of the other, is a common and expensive mistake. Below we lay out both insurances and the full employer duties under the domestic workers law for 2026, with the official sources to confirm each.
Insurance one: the worker-rights insurance
When you sponsor a domestic worker, you no longer lodge the old refundable bank deposit of AED 3,000. Since 2018 that is replaced by a low-cost insurance policy that protects the worker’s entitlements. It costs roughly AED 100 to 105 for a term of about 30 months, and it covers, up to AED 20,000 per worker, things like unpaid wages (the last 120 days), unpaid end-of-service, a repatriation ticket, and work-injury medical costs. It even covers the airfare for an absconding worker, but only if you filed a report and she was later found. You can read the official description on the UAE government portal.
This worker-rights insurance does not cover the worker’s medical treatment, and it does not pay you, the employer, for the cost of replacing a worker who absconds. If you have heard of an “employer protection” policy that reimburses you for absconding or replacement, that is a Saudi product; it does not exist in the UAE. Here, your protection against a bad hire is the recruitment agency’s legal refund and replacement guarantee, not an insurance policy.
Insurance two: mandatory health insurance
Completely separate from the above, you must provide your worker with health insurance, and you must pay for it: deducting the premium from her salary is illegal. What is required depends on the emirate.
| Emirate | Minimum plan | Typical cost | Annual cover limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Essential Benefits Plan (DHA) | about AED 600–750/year | AED 150,000 |
| Abu Dhabi | Basic Plan (Daman) | AED 750/year | AED 250,000 |
| Northern Emirates | Federal Basic package | about AED 320/year | AED 150,000 |
Health insurance must be in place before the visa is issued or renewed, so it is not optional in practice, it is a gate. In Dubai the rules sit with the Dubai Health Authority. Note the cover limits (AED 150,000 or 250,000) are for medical treatment and have nothing to do with the AED 20,000 worker-rights figure above. They are two different products for two different purposes; never treat one as covering the other.
The employer duties you must provide
Beyond the two insurances, the domestic workers law (Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022) sets out what every employer owes. Our full explainer on the law goes deeper, and the MOHRE portal is the official source, but the core duties are:
| Duty | What it means |
|---|---|
| Wages | Pay the agreed wage monthly in AED, within 10 working days of the due date |
| Weekly rest | One paid rest day a week; if worked, an alternate day off or pay in lieu |
| Daily rest | At least 12 hours a day, of which at least 8 are continuous |
| Annual leave | At least 30 days paid, plus a home-country flight (commonly every two years) |
| Sick leave | Up to 30 days, with the first 15 on full pay |
| Living needs | Suitable accommodation, food and clothing, plus medical care through health insurance |
| Documents | You may not withhold her passport or personal papers; this carries fines |
The WPS rule most people get wrong
A very common myth is that every maid must now be paid through the Wage Protection System. That is not correct. Since 1 April 2025, WPS is mandatory only for five specific domestic professions: private trainer, private teacher, home caregiver, private PRO, and private agriculturist. Housemaids, nannies, cooks, gardeners and drivers are not required to use WPS, though their wages must still be paid monthly in AED within the deadline. Paying wages late for two months can lead MOHRE to suspend your file.
Keep records regardless of WPS. If a wage dispute ever reaches the authorities, your bank-transfer history is what protects you, and it is also what the worker-rights insurance relies on when assessing an unpaid-wages claim.
How you are actually protected against a bad hire
Since insurance will not reimburse you for a worker who does not work out, your real protection is the licensed agency’s guarantee. Under the domestic workers law, a licensed agency must refund your fees or provide a replacement in defined cases: the worker fails the probation, resigns or leaves without cause, is medically unfit, or the agreed conditions are not met. An absconding-related refund must be processed within 14 days. Hiring through a properly licensed centre is what makes that protection real, which is exactly what our managed visa and hiring service and the Tadbeer centre directory are for. If you are weighing the managed route against a private visa, our Tadbeer versus private sponsorship comparison lays out the trade-offs.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Merging the two insurance limits: the worker-rights cover is AED 20,000, health cover is AED 150,000–250,000. They are different products.
- Assuming an insurance policy pays you back for an absconding maid; that recovery comes from the agency guarantee, not insurance.
- Deducting the health-insurance premium from the worker’s salary, which is not allowed.
- Quoting the old AED 2,000 deposit; it was AED 3,000, now replaced by the ~AED 100 worker-rights insurance.
- Withholding the worker’s passport, one of the strongest prohibitions in the law.
The bottom line
Two insurances, not one: a small worker-rights policy (about AED 100 for 30 months, AED 20,000 cover) and a health-insurance plan you must fund (AED 320 to 750 a year depending on emirate). On top of that, pay on time, give the rest day and leave, provide food and lodging, and never hold the passport. Get those right and you are both compliant and protected. If you are setting up, the contract generator produces a compliant bilingual agreement, and our safety guidelines cover the rest.
