Tadbeer Maid Visa Cost in Dubai: 2026 Price Breakdown

Tadbeer & Visa Guides

Last updated: July 2026

Tadbeer maid visa cost in Dubai is the first number most sponsoring families want pinned down before they commit to hiring. The job listing quotes a salary, but the visa itself carries its own set of fees that alter the total first-year investment.

Short answer

The Tadbeer maid visa cost in Dubai typically runs AED 10,000 to 15,000 for the first year. This covers the Tadbeer service fee, the two-year employment visa, the medical fitness test, Emirates ID, and mandatory health insurance.

This is completely separate from the worker's monthly salary. Keep in mind that direct sponsorship requires an AED 25,000 combined monthly household income for expats, or AED 10,000 for UAE nationals, according to MOHRE and GDRFA regulations.

What Does Tadbeer Maid Visa Cost Cover?

A domestic worker is anyone employed to help run a household in the UAE, including maids, nannies, cooks, and drivers, covered by Federal Decree Law No. 9 of 2022. Hiring one legally means going through a Tadbeer center—a MOHRE-licensed service center that processes domestic worker visas, contracts, and sponsorships.

MOHRE (the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation) sets the rules that every Tadbeer center follows, including which fees are mandatory. When people ask about the "Tadbeer visa cost," they are referring to everything that happens before the worker's first salary payment: the paperwork, the medical clearance, the ID, and the insurance.

That distinction matters. Salary is negotiated between the employer and the worker, but the visa side of the bill is set by MOHRE and Tadbeer, with only minor variations between individual centers.

Full Tadbeer Maid Visa Cost Breakdown for 2026

Here is what the standard package typically includes, based on Tadbeer's published fee categories and current GDRFA visa charges. Treat these as planning ranges and confirm the exact figure with your chosen Tadbeer center before signing.

Line Item	Typical Cost (AED)	Paid To
Tadbeer service and typing fee	200–500	Tadbeer center
Two-year employment visa fee	5,000–7,000	GDRFA, via Tadbeer
Medical fitness test	700–900	Approved medical center
Emirates ID issuance	300–400	ICP
Mandatory health insurance	600–1,200	Approved insurer (annual)
Refundable security deposit	3,000–5,000	GDRFA (returned on cancellation)

First-year visa costs total AED 10,000–15,000 before paying salary. Visa fees do not vary by nationality.

The AED 25,000 Income Rule for Sponsorship

Residence visa sponsorship is the legal arrangement where an employer (or a Tadbeer center on their behalf) sponsors a domestic worker's UAE residence visa. If you want to sponsor directly, you need an AED 25,000 combined monthly household income for expats, or AED 10,000 for UAE nationals.

This is checked before the visa is issued. GDRFA typically asks for a recent salary certificate or bank statement showing the household clears the threshold consistently, not just in the month of application.

Families below that line are not automatically shut out. A Tadbeer center can sponsor the worker on the family's behalf, shifting part of the compliance burden away from the individual employer. This option usually carries a service premium, altering the total bill even if the core visa items stay the same.

Tadbeer Cost vs Direct Employer Sponsorship

Families often assume direct sponsorship is automatically cheaper than going through Tadbeer. It isn't that simple. Tadbeer centers handle the legal processing either way. What actually changes the cost is how the worker was sourced and who holds the legal compliance.

Tadbeer Sponsorship

Tadbeer files & sponsors

Tadbeer manages the contract, WPS setup, and legal compliance on your behalf. Best for families new to sponsoring or those seeking lower legal compliance risks. The AED 25,000 rule may still apply for certain structures.

Direct Employer

You sponsor via GDRFA

You file directly and handle WPS tracking and renewals. While the line-item costs are identical, the legal compliance risk is higher. Best for families who already sponsor a worker and are comfortable with the process.

Online Platform

e.g., ChooseMaid

You find verified candidates directly for a 195 AED unlock fee, skipping massive agency commissions. Once selected, you move into the standard Tadbeer visa process without the bloated markup.

How Long Does the Tadbeer Visa Process Take?

Timeline affects cost indirectly, since delays often mean paying for temporary accommodation or extended agency holding fees while the paperwork clears.

In-country transfer: For a domestic worker already inside the UAE simply changing sponsors, the process runs 2 to 4 weeks from medical test to Emirates ID collection.
Overseas recruitment: For a worker recruited from outside the UAE, add another 4 to 6 weeks for attestation, travel, and home-country clearance (like the DMW for Filipino workers), pushing the total to 8 to 10 weeks.
Common delays: Missing documents—most commonly an outdated passport copy or an incomplete salary certificate—are the single most frequent cause of delay families face at Tadbeer centers.

Where Families Actually Save Money: Most of what inflates a family's total spend happens before Tadbeer is even involved: agency placement fees and recruitment commissions. Because the visa side of the bill stays fixed regardless of platform, the real savings come from using a direct-hire platform to cut out recruitment markup entirely before starting the visa process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Tadbeer maid visa cost the same as the maid's salary?

No. It covers processing, medical, ID, and insurance fees, typically AED 10,000 to 15,000 for the first year. Salary is separate and depends on the worker's nationality and experience.

Who has to meet the AED 25,000 income rule?

Expats sponsoring a domestic worker directly need AED 25,000 combined monthly household income, per MOHRE and GDRFA rules. UAE nationals need AED 10,000.

Does the visa cost change by nationality?

No. The Tadbeer visa fees are set by MOHRE and GDRFA regardless of the worker's nationality. Only the negotiated salary varies by nationality and experience level.

Is the security deposit refundable?

Yes. The refundable security deposit, typically AED 3,000 to 5,000, is returned to the sponsor when the visa is cancelled, provided there are no outstanding violations or abscondment reports.

Can a Tadbeer center sponsor instead of the employer directly?

Yes, in some specific structures a Tadbeer center can sponsor on the family's behalf, which can help families near the income threshold. This usually requires an added service fee.

How much does hiring through ChooseMaid add to the total cost?

ChooseMaid charges a one-time 195 AED contact unlock fee with no ongoing agency commission, which is added before the Tadbeer visa process, not instead of it.