Hiring a Migrant Domestic Worker in Singapore

Which section do I need?

Find your situation below and go straight to that section. You do not need to read the others.

A self-service guide for employers handling their own Work Permit paperwork.

Last researched: 11 August 2026. All Ministry of Manpower (MOM) links in this guide were checked on that date — see Appendix D: Link Verification Status for what was and was not confirmed.

---

Important: what this guide is, and is not

Rules change. Fees change. Source-country policies change with almost no notice. Always confirm the current position on the official MOM page linked at each step before you act. Where a requirement comes from a foreign government rather than Singapore, confirm it with that country's embassy or high commission in Singapore.

---

Read this before you plan a "fresh hire" from overseas

There is a widespread and expensive misunderstanding in Singapore about what "direct hire" means.

MOM lets you apply for a Work Permit yourself, without an employment agency, for any helper from any approved source country. That is the Singapore side, and it is genuinely open.

But your helper also has to be legally allowed to leave her own country for domestic work. Three of the five source countries in this guide — the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar — require that any first-time deployment goes through a licensed sending agency in that country, working with a Singapore counterpart. A Singapore employer cannot lodge those clearances personally. No MOM approval overrides that.

So:

• Genuinely self-service for a fresh hire: India, Sri Lanka.
• Genuinely self-service for a helper already in Singapore: every nationality (Part 1).
• Partly self-service: re-hiring a returning helper (Part 2) — you do the MOM side, but Filipino and Indonesian contract steps still run through their embassies and, for Filipinas, an accredited agency.
• Not self-service for a fresh hire: Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar. Parts 3A–3C explain what you can do yourself and where a licensed agency is unavoidable.

---

Glossary — every term defined once

MDW (Migrant Domestic Worker). MOM's current official term. Older documents say "FDW" (Foreign Domestic Worker) or "maid" — they mean the same thing. You will see both on MOM's own site.

Work Permit (WP). The pass that legally allows your helper to work and live in Singapore. Issued by MOM. Tied to you personally and to your registered home address.

In-Principle Approval (IPA). MOM's conditional "yes" letter, issued after your application is approved but before the permit exists. It lists the steps you must complete. Your helper needs a printed copy to board her flight and to clear Singapore immigration. Without it she will be turned away.

Temporary Work Permit. A printout you generate once the permit is issued. Valid one month. It lets her work and travel while the physical card is produced.

FDW eService. MOM's online system where you do everything: apply, check status, issue the permit, request transfer consent, extend an IPA. Login is by Singpass. This is the only route for most employers.

Security bond. A S$5,000 binding promise to the Singapore government that you and your helper will follow the Work Permit rules. You do not hand over S$5,000 — you buy a guarantee from a bank or insurer, who pays the government if the bond is forfeited and then pursues you. Required for every non-Malaysian helper. You cannot pass the cost to her.

Medical insurance (MI) and Personal accident insurance (PAI). Two separate policies you must buy for her before she arrives. Minimums are set by MOM. You cannot pass the cost to her.

Levy. A monthly government charge for employing a foreign worker. Paid by you, not deducted from her salary. Not the same as CPF — you do not pay CPF for a helper.

EOP (Employers' Orientation Programme). A one-time 3-hour course you must complete before your first-ever helper application.

SIP (Settling-in Programme). A one-day orientation your helper must attend after arrival, if she has never worked in Singapore before.

6ME (Six-monthly medical examination). A recurring health screening every six months throughout her employment, paid by you.

First-time helper. MOM's definition: a helper with no employment record as an MDW with MOM's Work Pass Division, or who has a record but never actually worked here. First-time status is what triggers the SIP requirement. MOM tells you in the IPA letter whether she needs it.

Sending agency / source-country agency. A recruitment company licensed by the helper's government to deploy its citizens abroad. Different from a Singapore employment agency. In the Philippines it is a PRA, in Indonesia a P3MI, in Myanmar an OEA.

---