# Maid Insurance and Employer Duties in the UAE: What You Must Provide (2026)

> There are two very different insurances tied to a maid in the UAE, and families constantly confuse them. A clear guide to the mandatory worker-rights insurance, the mandatory health insurance, and the full list of employer duties under the domestic workers law, including the WPS rule most people get wrong.

_Author: Safae Fikri · Published: 2026-07-30 · 12 min read · Source: https://www.rufy.ae/blog/maid-insurance-employer-duties-uae-2026_

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](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/domestic-workers).

> 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 |

*Mandatory health insurance for a domestic worker by emirate (2026)*

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](https://www.dha.gov.ae/en). 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](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/uae-domestic-worker-law-decree-9-2022) goes deeper, and the [MOHRE](https://www.mohre.gov.ae/en) 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 |

*Core employer duties for a domestic worker in the UAE*

## 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](https://www.rufy.ae/visa-services) and the [Tadbeer centre directory](https://www.rufy.ae/tools/uae-tadbeer-centres) are for. If you are weighing the managed route against a private visa, our [Tadbeer versus private sponsorship comparison](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/tadbeer-vs-private-sponsorship-maid-visa-first-month-uae-2026) 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.

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## 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](https://www.rufy.ae/tools/contract-generator) produces a compliant bilingual agreement, and our [safety guidelines](https://www.rufy.ae/safety) cover the rest.

## FAQ

### How much is maid insurance in the UAE?

There are two policies. The mandatory worker-rights insurance (which replaced the old AED 3,000 deposit) costs about AED 100 to 105 for roughly 30 months and covers up to AED 20,000 in labour entitlements. Separately, mandatory health insurance costs about AED 320 to 750 a year depending on the emirate, and the employer must pay for it.

### Do I have to pay a maid’s salary through WPS in the UAE?

Not for most maids. Since April 2025, WPS is mandatory only for five domestic professions: private trainer, private teacher, home caregiver, private PRO and private agriculturist. Housemaids, nannies, cooks and drivers are not required to use WPS, but wages must still be paid monthly in AED and it is wise to keep proof.

### Is health insurance the same as the worker-rights insurance?

No. They are two different mandatory products. The worker-rights insurance (AED 20,000 cover) protects labour entitlements like unpaid wages and end-of-service. Health insurance (AED 150,000 to 250,000 cover) pays for medical treatment. One never covers the other, and the employer must fund both.

### Who pays for a maid’s health insurance in the UAE?

The employer. It is a legal duty and the premium cannot be deducted from the worker’s salary. Health insurance must also be active before the visa is issued or renewed, so it is effectively a requirement, not a choice.

### Does the UAE have employer-protection insurance for absconding maids?

No. There is no UAE policy that pays the employer for an absconding or replacement. That is a Saudi product, often misattributed to the UAE. Your protection is the licensed recruitment agency’s legal refund or replacement guarantee, which must be honoured in defined cases.