Nanny Visa in Dubai 2026: Cost, Requirements, and Full Process

What Is a Nanny Visa in Dubai?

The UAE does not issue a stand-alone "nanny visa." A nanny visa in Dubai is a domestic worker residence visa sponsored by the household, under the federal Domestic Workers Law (Federal Law No. 10 of 2017, as amended by Federal Decree Law No. 9 of 2022) and regulated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Nanny is one of 19 domestic worker occupations MOHRE recognizes, sitting alongside housemaid, cook, house nurse, driver, gardener, and others.

A nanny visa uses the same forms, the same sponsor eligibility rules, the same medical fitness test, and the same residence permit stamping process as a maid visa. What changes is the job title on the attested employment contract, and sometimes the salary band the family agrees with the worker. A nanny contract typically pays AED 1,800 to AED 3,500 per month for live-in and AED 2,500 to AED 4,500 for live-out, depending on nationality, experience, and specialty (newborn care and twins carry a premium).

If you were told you need a "special nanny visa," that is a misunderstanding of the category. The correct term inside the government system is domestic worker visa; the shorter phrase is just the everyday name families use.

Nanny Visa Cost in Dubai 2026: Full Fee Breakdown

The table below itemizes what you should expect to pay in 2026 for a standard 2-year nanny visa in Dubai for a worker sponsored directly by a household.

Tadbeer full-service packages that bundle recruitment plus visa processing typically run AED 3,500 to AED 5,500 on top of the individual visa fees. If you already have a nanny identified, direct sponsorship is materially cheaper. Our full maid visa cost breakdown walks through the equivalent fee stack in more depth.

Who Can Sponsor a Nanny Visa in Dubai?

• Minimum monthly salary. MOHRE requires a sponsor income of at least AED 25,000 per month, verified through a salary certificate. If your salary is below AED 25,000, you cannot sponsor directly and will need alternatives like hiring a domestic worker who has their own visa.
• Suitable accommodation. The sponsor must have a valid Ejari tenancy contract or title deed. A studio is typically not accepted; MOHRE looks for enough room to house a live-in domestic worker separately.
• Marital status. Historically only married residents could sponsor. Cabinet decisions from 2022 onward widened access to single, widowed, divorced sponsors, and Golden Visa holders with sufficient income. Confirm your specific case with MOHRE or Tadbeer.
• Age and legal capacity. The sponsor must be a UAE resident with a valid Emirates ID, at least 21 years old in most contexts, free of any legal restriction that would bar sponsorship.

Nanny sponsorship UAE rules apply to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah with minor emirate-level variations. Nanny sponsorship UAE eligibility does not automatically transfer between emirates without a new sponsor confirmation, though the domestic worker's visa is federal.

Nanny Visa Requirements and Documents Checklist

From the sponsor (the household)

• Passport copy (valid 6+ months)
• Emirates ID (both sides)
• Ejari tenancy contract or title deed
• Salary certificate on company letterhead, dated within the last 30 days, showing minimum AED 25,000
• Marriage certificate (attested and translated to Arabic if abroad-issued), where applicable
• Recent utility bill in the sponsor's name (some centres request this)

From the nanny

• Passport (valid at least 6 months, ideally 12+ months)
• Passport-sized photographs on white background (typically 6 to 8 copies)
• Educational and experience certificates (varies by nationality)
• Home country clearance / good conduct certificate for certain nationalities
• Medical fitness test results (conducted in the UAE after arrival on entry permit)

Contract paperwork

• Attested employment contract stating salary, hours, leave, ticket entitlement, and duties
• Insurance policy document for the mandatory health cover

How to Apply for a Nanny Visa in Dubai: Step by Step

1. Confirm sponsor eligibility. Verify salary, accommodation, and marital status meet MOHRE requirements before you spend anything.
2. Identify the nanny and negotiate terms. Agree salary, hours, live-in or live-out, leave, and ticket entitlement. Draft the offer letter. ChooseMaid connects families to verified nannies in Dubai available for direct hire without an agency margin.
3. Submit the entry permit application to MOHRE. Through a typing centre or the MOHRE portal. Includes sponsor documents, worker's passport copy, and the draft contract. Fee AED 1,150 to AED 1,400.
4. MOHRE approval and entry permit issuance. Standard processing 3 to 5 business days. Once approved, the entry permit is valid for 60 days.
5. Nanny travels to Dubai. The entry permit allows entry through standard immigration.
6. Medical fitness test. At an approved centre after arrival. Standard AED 300, VIP fast-track up to AED 750. Results in 24 to 48 hours.
7. Emirates ID biometrics and application. Fingerprints, photo, application. AED 270 for a 2-year card, delivered by Emirates Post 5 to 7 business days after biometrics.
8. Residence visa stamping. Passport submitted to GDRFA for the residence stamp. AED 500 to AED 700, turnaround 3 to 5 business days.
9. Contract attestation and health insurance activation. Final steps to complete the file. The nanny can then legally start work.

Total end-to-end: roughly 3 to 5 weeks from entry permit application to Emirates ID in hand.

How Long Does a Nanny Visa Take?

VIP fast-track add-ons compress medical fitness and Emirates ID by a few days. Delays are most commonly caused by incomplete documents, sponsor income verification issues, or the nanny's home-country clearance not being ready before the entry permit is issued.

Nanny Visa vs Maid Visa: Is There a Difference?

Legally, no. A nanny visa in Dubai and a maid visa are the same domestic worker residence visa, sponsored by the household, subject to the same law, and processed through the same MOHRE / Tadbeer / typing centre pipeline. The distinction is the job title on the attested employment contract.

Three things can differ practically:

• The occupation code. MOHRE recognizes 19 domestic worker occupations. Nanny and housemaid are separate codes but share the same visa category and process.
• The salary band. Nanny contracts often carry a slightly higher wage because the childcare responsibility commands a premium, particularly for newborn specialists and twins care.
• Duty expectations. A "nanny" occupation sets childcare as the primary duty and light housework as secondary. A "housemaid" occupation sets housework as primary. This matters for the working relationship, not for the visa itself.

If you already have maid visa services set up for a different domestic worker, extending the same route for a nanny is straightforward.

1-Year vs 2-Year Nanny Visa: Which Should You Choose?

2-year visa (standard). Higher upfront cost bundled across the fee stack. One renewal cycle every two years. Total effective annual cost lower than the 1-year equivalent because you pay the entry permit, medical, Emirates ID, and stamping fees once rather than twice.

1-year visa (short-term). Lower upfront cost but you repeat the renewal fees at the 12-month mark. Suitable if you are on a defined 12-month posting yourself, or if you are testing the relationship with a new nanny and want the flexibility of a shorter commitment before renewing.

For families settled in Dubai with a stable household, the 2-year term is the default. For expat families whose own residence visa is on a shorter cycle, matching the nanny's visa term to yours simplifies renewal timing.

Tadbeer or Direct Sponsorship: Which Route for a Nanny Visa?

• Direct sponsorship through a typing centre and MOHRE. The family identifies the nanny, gathers documents, and processes the entry permit and residence visa directly. Costs the AED 5,000 to 8,000 fee stack in the table above, plus salary. Total control, no agency margin. Best for families who already know the nanny they want.
• Tadbeer full-service package. A licensed Tadbeer centre bundles recruitment plus visa processing plus post-arrival support. Costs AED 3,500 to 5,500 as a Tadbeer package fee on top of the standard visa fees, so AED 8,500 to 13,500 all-in. Best for families starting from scratch who want dispute mediation and replacement guarantees. Read what Tadbeer is for the full breakdown.
• Direct hire via ChooseMaid platform. For AED 195 per month, the ChooseMaid subscription gives 30 days of contact access to verified nanny profiles. Once you identify the nanny, you process her visa through direct sponsorship or a Tadbeer package. ChooseMaid is the direct-hire alternative to a full agency, saving the AED 3,000 to 5,000 traditional agency placement fee. The AED 195 is the ChooseMaid subscription only, not a visa fee, salary, or placement commission.

For most first-time sponsors, the practical answer is direct hire via the ChooseMaid subscription to find the nanny, then direct sponsorship through a typing centre to process the visa. That combination captures the recruitment advantage of a platform with the cost advantage of direct sponsorship.

Common Nanny Visa Mistakes Dubai Families Make

• Applying before verifying the AED 25,000 income threshold. Families submit the entry permit application, pay the fee, and get rejected because the salary certificate does not clear the threshold. Confirm eligibility first.
• Missing home-country clearance for the nanny. Philippines, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Kenya (among others) require a good-conduct certificate or overseas employment clearance before the UAE entry permit issues. Single most common stall.
• Not budgeting for the AED 2,000 refundable deposit. The bank guarantee is refunded on visa cancellation but families need the cash flow at the sponsorship start.
• Underestimating annual insurance renewal. Health insurance renews every 12 months at AED 700 to 1,200. Families budgeting only for one-time fees miss this recurring cost.
• Assuming a nanny visa is different from a maid visa. They are the same visa category. The distinction is the job title on the contract, not the permit type.
• Trying to sponsor without registered accommodation. MOHRE wants to see an Ejari or title deed with enough space for a live-in domestic worker. Sponsoring while between tenancies stalls the file.

Bringing It Together

A nanny visa in Dubai is the same domestic worker residence visa as a maid visa, priced at AED 5,000 to 8,000 for direct sponsorship of a 2-year term, subject to a sponsor income threshold of AED 25,000 per month and a suitable accommodation requirement. Once you have identified the nanny, the visa itself runs 3 to 5 weeks end to end. Choose direct sponsorship if you already know who you want to hire, or a full Tadbeer package for a managed recruitment plus visa experience.

Browse Verified Nannies on ChooseMaid

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