Families in Oman take on domestic workers in two lawful ways: through a licensed recruitment office, or directly with their own Ministry of Labour licence. Neither is right for everyone. Each trades money against time and support.
This guide sets out what offices do, what each route costs, what the law says about who pays, and what you take on if you go direct. It also covers the route this site is built around: hiring someone who already lives and works in Oman.
Two lawful routes, one employer: you
The starting point is MD 574/2025 Article 8: an employer may not recruit a worker "unless licensed to do so by the Ministry" (translation ours). That licence sits with the household, not with an office. So whichever route you choose:
- the Ministry of Labour work licence is issued to you;
- you sign the written contract and register it with the ministry (Art. 19);
- the duties to the worker are yours. They include the wage, food and accommodation, health insurance, a weekly rest day, sick and annual leave, and end-of-service pay.
The real choice is who does the searching and the paperwork, and where the worker is when you start:
- Through a recruitment office. The office usually brings a worker from abroad and handles much of the process for you, for a fee.
- Directly, bringing someone from abroad. You apply through the Ministry of Labour and the Royal Oman Police yourself. The steps are in our step-by-step hiring guide.
- Directly, with someone already in Oman. You apply to transfer the worker's services to you. The steps are in our change-of-employer guide.
What a recruitment office does
Recruiting non-Omani workers is a licensed activity. The Labour Law bars anyone from carrying it on without a Ministry of Labour licence (Royal Decree 53/2023, Art. 31). In February 2023 the ministry reported 391 licensed recruitment offices (Oman Daily, 11 Feb 2023).
What families typically get from an office:
- A pool of candidates. Usually these are workers abroad, whom you can often interview by video before deciding.
- The paperwork. The office handles the steps with the ministry, the police visa, the medical and the worker's travel, and deals with the worker's home-country requirements where they apply.
- A replacement period. In the 2023 Oman Daily report, one family said offices offered a six-month period. One office owner described a two-year contract with six months' cover if the worker fell ill or habitually neglected their duties. Terms vary, so read the contract.
- A contact point. The office that recruited a worker can notify the ministry on the worker's behalf if the employer breaches their rights (MD 574/2025, Art. 38).
Check the licence first. Ask for the office's Ministry of Labour licence details and its commercial registration before you pay anything. The ministry has said it takes action against individuals who carry on recruitment without a licence (Oman Daily, 2023). If in doubt, call the ministry on 80077000.
Get the terms in writing. Before signing, ask the office to set out:
- the total fee, and what it includes (government fees, medical, visa, flights);
- when payment is due;
- how long the replacement period lasts and what it covers;
- what is refunded if the visa is refused or the worker fails the medical;
- who pays if the worker leaves during probation.
If there's a dispute with an office. In 2023 the Ministry of Labour told Oman Daily that when families complain about a licensed office, it calls both sides in to settle the complaint. If that fails, the dispute goes to court.
What each route costs
Government fees are the same on every route. They're set by MD 602/2025, in force since early 2026:
| Ministry of Labour fee | Amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Work licence and worker registration: housemaid, nanny, private driver, gardener, home health assistant or private nurse (1 to 3 workers) | OMR 101 per worker | MD 602/2025, Annex 2 |
| The same, from the 4th worker | OMR 141 per worker | MD 602/2025, Annex 2 |
| Registering or amending the employment contract | OMR 1 | MD 602/2025, Annex 3 |
| Transferring a worker who is already in Oman to you | OMR 5 | MD 602/2025, Annex 3 |
The licence fee is paid only after the ministry approves your application (MoL e-service 290). It isn't refundable except in listed cases (MD 602/2025, Arts 9 and 13), for example:
- the worker fails the medical;
- the Royal Oman Police refuses the visa;
- the worker's services are transferred within 90 days of arriving with you (once only).
Bringing a worker from abroad also involves medical, visa and resident-card costs; see the hiring guide.
Office fees come on top. We found no official schedule of recruitment-office fees. In the 2023 Oman Daily investigation, office representatives quoted costs of about OMR 1,200 to OMR 1,500 per worker (down from about OMR 1,800 during the pandemic), and fees vary from office to office.
Put the two side by side and the gap is large. That doesn't settle the choice, though: the office fee buys time, paperwork and a replacement period, and some families value those more than the saving.
Wages are a separate question from either fee. What to pay, and what the law fixes around pay, is covered in our salary guide.
Workers never pay, on any route
This is the clearest rule in the whole market:
- The Labour Law bars taking any money from a worker who is licensed to be recruited, in return for their employment (Royal Decree 53/2023, Art. 31).
- MD 574/2025 Article 7 bars the employer from taking any money from the worker for recruiting them, employing them or transferring their services to another employer.
So a quote that seems low because "the worker covers part of it" is not a deal to accept. A worker who starts a job owing money to get it is at risk, and the arrangement breaks the rules above. Don't deduct hiring costs from wages either: deductions are limited to the cases in Article 29, and never more than a quarter of the wage.
Two related protections apply whoever brought the worker to you:
- Documents: the employer may not keep the worker's passport or personal documents without their written consent (Art. 5).
- Age: no one under 21 may be employed (Art. 6).
Hiring directly: what you take on
Going direct saves the office fee. In exchange, three jobs move to you.
1. The search. Write a clear job description: the duties, the hours, the rest day, live-in or live-out, and the monthly wage. Then speak to candidates yourself. On OmanHousemaids you can post a job free or browse housemaid profiles, and contact helpers directly.
2. The checks. With no office in between, the checks are yours:
- Age: the worker must be 21 or over (Art. 6).
- Lawful status: you may not employ a worker who isn't licensed to work for you, or who is living in Oman unlawfully (Art. 9). For someone already in Oman, the lawful route is a transfer of services to you, not starting work first.
- References: speak to previous employers yourself where you can.
- Home-country rules: some apply even to workers already in Oman. For example, the Embassy of India's housemaid rules say that when a housemaid moves to another employer, "the new employer will have to complete the eMigrate procedures".
3. The paperwork. For a worker coming from abroad, you apply for the work licence through MoL e-service 290, online or at a Sanad office. The ministry's service page gives examples of supporting documents: a salary certificate, a bank statement and proof of home ownership. Approval takes from one day to a maximum of ten days once the requirements are met. You then pay the fee and take the preliminary approval to the Royal Oman Police for the visa. The rest of the steps (medical, contract registration, resident card) are in the hiring guide.
If it doesn't work out. There's no office replacement period on the direct route. The legal safety valve is probation: up to 15 days, once per employer. Either side can end the contract during it with at least 7 days' notice (Art. 20).
Hiring someone already in Oman
This is the route OmanHousemaids is built for. Helpers on this site are workers who already live in Oman and create their own free profiles. When you take one on, you don't bring anyone into the country. You apply to have the worker's services transferred to you.
- The application: the new employer submits the request through MoL e-service 286. The request goes to the worker's current employer "for approval or rejection" (translation ours).
- The cost: the ministry's transfer fee is OMR 5, paid by the new employer. Other government costs may also apply: gov.om says the new employer needs a vacant licence, and lists a separate OMR 20 Royal Oman Police change-of-employer fee. Our change-of-employer guide sets these out.
- The worker's dues: when a move to a new employer is agreed, the current employer must pay all the worker's dues within 5 days of their last working day (MD 574/2025, Art. 32).
- No one charges the worker: government fees for a transfer are the employer's, and no employer may take money from the worker for it (Art. 7).
When a transfer can go ahead, the Royal Oman Police rules and the ministry's approval step are explained in our change-of-employer guide. Read that guide before you agree a start date.
Office or direct: side by side
| Recruitment office | Direct: worker from abroad | Direct: worker already in Oman | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who holds the MoL licence | You | You | You |
| Government fees | MoL OMR 101 per worker, plus medical, visa and resident card | Same | MoL transfer OMR 5 and OMR 1 contract registration, plus any permit or ROP fee that applies (see the change-of-employer guide) |
| Office fee | Yes; quoted by the office | None | None |
| Who searches | The office puts forward candidates | You | You |
| Who does the paperwork | Mostly the office | You (online or at a Sanad office) | You and the current employer (MoL e-service 286) |
| Meeting the worker first | Often a video interview | Usually remote | In person is usually possible |
| If it doesn't work out | The office's replacement terms, per contract | 15-day probation (Art. 20) | 15-day probation (Art. 20) |
| Worker pays anything? | Never | Never | Never |
A recruitment office often suits families who want the paperwork handled, are bringing in a first worker from abroad, or value a replacement period. Going direct often suits families who are comfortable with the ministry's online services, have time to speak to candidates, or want to meet someone already in Oman before deciding.
If you'd like to start direct, post a job free with the hours, duties and wage attached. Helpers who are interested get in touch, and you decide who to contact.