Not every match works out. If a maid is genuinely unsuitable, the good news is that you are often better protected than you think, but exactly what you can do depends entirely on how you hired her in the first place. So before the guarantee details, let us make sure you are in the right section.
First, which situation are you in?
There are two common ways to bring on a maid in the UAE, and they lead to very different options if things go wrong:
- Hired through a Tadbeer centre (managed): the centre handles the visa, insurance and contract as a package. This route comes with a legal refund-and-replacement guarantee, which is what most of this guide is about.
- Sponsored privately (your own visa): you hold the maid’s visa directly. This is a direct relationship with no agency guarantee, so to change worker you cancel the visa and re-hire (covered near the end).
If you are not sure which applies, or you are only now weighing the two routes, start with our Tadbeer versus private sponsorship comparison, the Hiring Route Finder, and the real cost of hiring a maid breakdown. Getting the route clear first saves you chasing a guarantee that does not apply to your situation.
The two-year guarantee (Tadbeer route)
For a maid hired through a licensed Tadbeer centre, the authorities extended the guarantee period from six months to the entire two-year contract. The rules sit with MOHRE, and what you are entitled to depends on when the problem arises:
| When the issue arises | What you are entitled to |
|---|---|
| First 6 months (probation) | A full refund of the hiring fee, or a free replacement, your choice |
| After 6 months to end of the 2-year contract | A pro-rata (partial) refund for the remaining months, or a replacement |
The pro-rata part is simpler than it sounds. Say you paid AED 15,000 for a two-year (24-month) contract, and the worker leaves after 15 months. You are owed a refund for the 9 unused months, which works out to about AED 5,625. The centre must process the refund within one month of you returning the worker or reporting her absence.
One important exception: if you specifically named or requested that particular worker for recruitment, the automatic refund and replacement guarantee may not apply. The guarantee is designed for a centre’s standard placement, not a worker you insisted on by name.
This is not a paper promise. In the first half of 2026 the authorities issued 135 fines to 42 recruitment offices, most of them for failing to refund fees within the required period, so the guarantee is actively enforced.
How to request a replacement or refund
- Contact the original Tadbeer centre that placed the worker; the guarantee sits with them, not with a different centre.
- Return the worker to the centre, or file the absence report if she has left, which starts the one-month refund clock.
- Choose your remedy: a free replacement (within the first six months) or the applicable refund.
- If the centre stalls, escalate to MOHRE; refund failures are exactly what the 2026 fines targeted.
A two-year Tadbeer package is typically quoted at around AED 10,000 to 30,000 depending on nationality and package, plus the monthly salary and a second-year insurance renewal, so the guarantee is worth protecting. The Tadbeer centre directory helps you deal with the right office. Switching to a different centre is possible, but the guarantee stays with the original contracting centre, so leaving it can mean forfeiting your refund leverage.
If you sponsored the maid privately
If you did not go through Tadbeer and instead hold the maid’s visa yourself, there is no replacement guarantee, because there is no agency in the middle; it is a direct relationship. To change worker you cancel the current visa and re-hire. Our guide to cancelling a maid visa covers the cancellation through MOHRE and GDRFA, including the grace period for the worker to transfer or exit. It is a bigger reason many families now prefer a managed placement: the private route is cheaper up front but carries none of this protection.
Whichever route you are on, the statutory probation for a domestic worker is up to six months, which is the same window that anchors the strongest part of the Tadbeer guarantee. If you are re-hiring, our
Common mistakes to avoid
- Chasing a refund on a privately sponsored maid; there is no agency guarantee on that route.
- Leaving the original centre before your refund is settled, which forfeits your leverage.
- Requesting a specific worker by name, then expecting the automatic guarantee, which may not apply.
- Letting the one-month refund clock lapse; return the worker or file the absence report promptly.
- Assuming the guarantee is only six months; it now runs the full two-year contract.
The bottom line
First place yourself: Tadbeer-managed means a full refund or replacement in the first six months and a pro-rata refund after, up to the two-year mark. Private sponsorship means cancel-and-re-hire, with no guarantee. Go back to the original centre, start the one-month clock, and hold the office to the guarantee. When you are ready to find the right person, browse verified maids and nannies.
