At a glance: the three UAE hiring routes side by side
If you've already read our complete UAE Tadbeer guide, you know the legal framework. This piece is for the next decision: of the three routes the law actually offers, which one fits your family? The headline trade-off across all three is who carries the visa and how much paperwork ends up on your side — the route you pick shapes your cost, your timeline, and how locked-in you are.
| Dimension | Tadbeer 2-year | Tadbeer monthly | Private sponsorship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | AED 8,500–11,000 one-time | None | AED 7,000–20,000 |
| Monthly cost (all-in) | ~AED 150 admin + worker salary | AED 2,420–4,900 (salary included) | Worker salary only |
| Who sponsors the visa | You, after centre transfer | The Tadbeer centre | You, from day one |
| Time to start | 4–8 weeks | 1–5 days | 4–8 weeks |
| Eligibility hurdle | AED 25k income + family household | Lighter — Emirates ID + IBAN | AED 25k income + family household |
| Worker replacement | You arrange a new contract | Unlimited free swaps (same nationality) | You restart recruitment |
| Best for | Long-term commitment, full sponsorship | Trial, short stays, bachelors, low paperwork | A specific candidate you found abroad |
Route 1 — Tadbeer 2-year package
The original Tadbeer model. The centre handles recruitment from abroad, runs the visa process, completes medical and Emirates ID, and then transfers the residency to your name. From that point you are the sponsor for the rest of the 2-year visa cycle, and you pay the worker's salary directly each month.
What the package includes
- Recruitment from the worker's home country, including CV pre-screening and shortlisting
- MOHRE work permit, entry permit, status change inside the UAE, and the 2-year residence visa
- Medical fitness exam and Emirates ID issuance
- Mandatory health insurance for the worker
- Some centres include a return flight ticket; many bundle a probation-period worker replacement
What it costs in 2026
The one-time fee typically lands between AED 8,500 and AED 11,000, varying with the worker's nationality and the centre's structure. Some centres list packages from around AED 8,500 with a small monthly admin fee (AED 150); others offer flat-rate options at roughly AED 10,900 with no monthly admin. On top of that you pay the worker's salary directly — typically AED 1,800–2,500 per month depending on nationality and experience.
Who this fits
A family making a long-term commitment to in-house help — typically with young children, multi-year stay in the UAE, and the financial bandwidth to handle an upfront five-figure outlay. You get the lowest overall cost over two years, full sponsorship control once the visa transfers, and a worker who's recruited for your household rather than rotated in. The downside is the commitment and the upfront cash.
Route 2 — Tadbeer monthly package
The newer, subscription-style flavour of Tadbeer. The centre keeps the visa in its name, and you pay one all-in monthly fee that bundles everything — the worker's salary, the visa, insurance, medical, Emirates ID. Cancellable any month. The model was designed to lower the barrier for families who need help without the upfront commitment of a 2-year package.
What's in the monthly fee
- The worker's salary — paid by the centre to the worker
- Visa, insurance, medical fitness, Emirates ID — all handled and paid by the centre
- Recruitment and travel fees from the home country
- Unlimited free replacement with another worker of the same nationality if you're not happy — one of the most underrated practical benefits of the route
- What you handle at home: food and basic necessities for the worker, and the day-to-day of running your household
What it costs in 2026
Centres operate under MOHRE's unified Tadbeer pricing framework. The worker's salary is anchored in the AED 2,250–2,500 range by nationality — AED 2,500 is the long-standing bilateral floor for Filipino and Indonesian workers, AED 2,250 is the entry point for several African and Asian nationalities. On top of that salary, the centre's package fee covers the visa, insurance, medical and Emirates ID, so total all-in monthly quotes from Tadbeer centres typically land between AED 3,500 and AED 4,500 per month. Specific centres vary, and there is no published 2026 government tariff to anchor against — get a written quote from two or three centres before committing.
Part-time and hourly arrangements are billed separately by Tadbeer-affiliated cleaning brands — rates aren't published as a government tariff and vary meaningfully between providers. Request a written rate from the specific centre for your needs (number of visits per week, hours per visit, deep-clean vs maintenance).
Cancelling, swapping, and other flexibility
This is the route's superpower. The contract is monthly, the visa is centre-held, and you can stop, change worker, or convert to a 2-year package at almost any point. The eligibility hurdle is also dramatically lower — you only need a valid Emirates ID and an IBAN to subscribe. That makes it the practical option for single professionals, expats new to the UAE, or families who simply want to trial in-house help before committing to sponsorship.
Who this fits
Three audiences in particular: families who only need help for a few months (a new baby, summer at home, a temporary work assignment); single professionals and bachelor households who don't meet the 2-year eligibility checks; and any family that wants to try in-house help with low commitment before going through full sponsorship. The downside is the per-month price — over a full two years it adds up to materially more than the 2-year package or private sponsorship.
Route 3 — Private sponsorship
The DIY route. You sponsor the worker in your own name from day one. The recruitment can still come through a licensed channel (an agency, the worker's previous employer for a transfer, or a candidate you found through your network), but the MOHRE filings, government fees, medical, Emirates ID, and ongoing renewal are all on you.
The process in broad strokes
Eligibility check → MOHRE work permit → entry visa from outside the UAE → arrival and status change inside the UAE → medical fitness → biometrics and Emirates ID → residence visa stamp → activate insurance and a Qatari-resident salary account. Each step has its own fee and processing window; the full UAE Tadbeer guide walks through the same private-sponsorship steps in more detail.
What it costs in 2026
Recruitment fees through a licensed agency: typically AED 5,000–15,000 depending on nationality and how senior the candidate's experience is. Add government fees of roughly AED 2,000–5,000 across entry permit, status change, residence visa, Emirates ID, medical, and insurance. Then the worker's monthly salary on top — paid by you, typically AED 1,800–2,500.
Who this fits
Families who have already identified the specific worker they want — for example a candidate recommended by friends or a worker the family has known abroad. It also fits families with experience running the MOHRE process and a comfort level with handling paperwork directly. For everyone else, the time, risk, and administrative load usually outweigh the small cost savings versus the 2-year Tadbeer package.
Over two years, which route is actually cheapest?
Sticker prices can mislead. The Tadbeer monthly package looks cheaper in any given month because there's no upfront fee — but it bundles the salary, which you'd pay separately on the other two routes. The fair comparison is total cost across a typical 2-year cycle. Assuming a mid-range monthly salary of AED 1,800 for the worker (where you're paying it directly), the picture sharpens:
| Cost component | Tadbeer 2-year | Tadbeer monthly | Private sponsorship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront / setup | AED 8,500–11,000 | AED 0 | AED 7,000–20,000 |
| Monthly fee to centre | ~AED 150 × 24 = ~AED 3,600 | AED 3,500–4,500 × 24 ≈ AED 84,000–108,000 (salary included) | — |
| Worker salary paid directly | AED 2,500 × 24 = AED 60,000 | Included in the monthly fee above | AED 2,500 × 24 = AED 60,000 |
| Estimated 2-year total | ~AED 72,000–75,000 | ~AED 84,000–108,000 | ~AED 67,000–80,000 |
The headline: over two years the monthly route runs roughly 20–45% more expensive than the 2-year package, mostly because you're paying for the centre's salary handling and full flexibility every single month. Private sponsorship sits in the middle, with the spread depending on whether you found a low-fee agency or a high-fee one. For a precise number against your own scenario, use the maid cost calculator or nanny cost calculator — both let you set nationality, salary, and route specifics.
Common scenarios and what each route does for them
Rather than abstract trade-offs, here's how the routes match the situations families actually arrive with:
- "First baby, settling in, 3–5 year UAE plan." Tadbeer 2-year. Lowest overall cost, full sponsorship after transfer, worker chosen for your family.
- "Visiting parents coming for 2 months, need a maid by next weekend." Tadbeer monthly. Days, not weeks, to start. No commitment beyond the months you actually need.
- "Single professional, want a driver and an occasional housekeeper." Tadbeer monthly is usually the only practical fit — the 2-year and private routes lean on family-household eligibility.
- "My cousin's family has had the same nanny for 8 years; she's free to switch to us." Private sponsorship via a kafala transfer — fastest and cheapest path when there's an existing in-country candidate.
- "We tried a maid through a friend's agency and it didn't work out — want a system that protects us." Tadbeer monthly first as a trial (free replacements, no lock-in), with the option to convert to 2-year once you find the right person.
- "Need help only 2 mornings a week." Hourly/part-time service through a Tadbeer-affiliated cleaning company, billed by visit at AED 120–200/day. None of the three sponsorship routes apply because nobody's living in your home.
What the comparison tables don't show
A few practical realities you'll only hear about once you're inside the process:
- Centre quality varies a lot. MOHRE licenses each Tadbeer centre, but service quality, candidate pool depth, replacement responsiveness, and back-office competence all differ. Ask families in your building or compound for references before you sign anywhere, and check Google reviews for the specific centre — not just the brand.
- You don't really set the salary on the monthly route. The centre pays the worker, so the worker's salary is whatever the centre negotiated with them — not a direct decision of yours. On the 2-year and private routes, you set the salary in the contract.
- Converting between routes is doable but not seamless. Monthly → 2-year is common (you pay the one-time package fee at conversion, visa transfers to your name). Private ↔ Tadbeer is rarer and usually involves cancelling and re-issuing a visa. Build flexibility into your initial choice rather than counting on switching.
- The hidden cost of private is your time. On paper private sponsorship can come out cheapest, but a 4–8 week MOHRE-and-MOI gauntlet you run yourself — across three or four separate appointments — is its own form of cost. Most families who try it once choose Tadbeer for the next hire.
- Insurance and end-of-service add up. Whichever route you take, the worker is entitled to medical insurance (mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi), 30 days of paid annual leave per year of service, and end-of-service gratuity (21 days' wage per year for the first 5 years, 30 days thereafter, capped at 2 years' total wage). Tadbeer packages bundle these obligations. On private sponsorship, you carry them directly.
Conclusion
Tadbeer 2-year, Tadbeer monthly, and private sponsorship aren't really competing offers — they're three different products for three different situations. If you want the lowest total cost over a multi-year commitment and you're a family who clears the eligibility checks, the 2-year package is hard to beat. If you need help fast, want flexibility, or don't fit the family-household profile, the monthly package was built for you. And if you've already found the specific person you want to hire, private sponsorship is the route that gives you the most direct control — at the cost of your time.
If you want a personalized recommendation based on your specific household, budget, and timeline, our Hiring Route Finder walks you through the decision in a few minutes. To price your scenario before committing, the maid cost calculator gives you a real number. When you're ready to look at actual candidates, browse verified profiles on Rufy and start a conversation.