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Nanny visa renewal in the UAE: a checklist for families
29 September 2026 · 5 min read · by the MamaMind team
If you sponsor a nanny, housekeeper or driver, their residence visa needs renewing - usually every year. Starting late risks fines and a stressful scramble. Here's a practical checklist.
When to start
Start at least a month before the visa expires. Medical tests, insurance and the Emirates ID all take time, and fines apply once a visa has expired.
Documents you'll usually need
From you (the sponsor):
- Your passport, residence visa and Emirates ID
- Proof you meet the income and housing requirements for sponsoring a domestic worker - the rules differ by emirate and change from time to time, so check the current requirements with MOHRE, your emirate's residency authority (GDRFA in Dubai) or a Tadbeer centre
- Your tenancy contract (Ejari in Dubai)
For your nanny:
- Her passport (with enough validity left), current visa and Emirates ID
- A passport-style photo
- Health insurance - this is mandatory for domestic workers
The usual steps
- Renew the employment contract through MOHRE (domestic workers are covered by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation).
- Medical fitness test at an approved health centre.
- Health insurance renewed or bought.
- Residence visa and Emirates ID renewal - through the official smart services, an Amer centre, or a Tadbeer centre, which specialises in domestic worker services.
The exact order and fees depend on your emirate and circumstances - a Tadbeer or Amer centre can check your file and tell you the total before you start.
Don't forget
- Salary: domestic workers' salaries should be paid on time as set out in their contract.
- Days off and leave are set by the UAE domestic workers law and the contract.
- Keep copies of everything - contract, visa, Emirates ID, insurance.
How MamaMind helps
Tell MamaMind about your nanny once - her salary day, her day off and when her visa expires - and it reminds you on salary day, gives you a heads-up the evening before her day off, reminds you 3 months, 1 month and 1 week before the visa expires, and keeps her task list.
💗 Let MamaMind handle it for you
Try saying: "Janat is our nanny - salary on the 28th, day off Friday, visa expires 1 June 2027" - MamaMind handles the rest.
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