Dubai Police has issued a clear message to every household: when you hire a temporary, daily or hourly domestic worker, deal only with licensed entities. As part of an ongoing public-safety campaign, the force urged residents to verify a worker’s identity before they begin work, to allow only authorised individuals into the home, and to keep documents, cash and jewellery secured and out of sight. The guidance is aimed at the UAE, but the principle protects families in every GCC country.
The danger here is not the workers themselves. Hundreds of thousands of honest, professional domestic workers keep Gulf homes running every day. The real risk is the illegal, unlicensed channel — the unknown social-media account, the cheap unverified office, the stranger who enters your home with no contract, no background check and no accountability. That is where families get hurt.
Why illegal hiring is the real threat
When you hire outside official channels, you give up every protection the law provides:
- No identity verification. A licensed office confirms who the worker is. An illegal channel lets an unverified stranger into your home, near your valuables, your privacy and your family.
- No contract, no recourse. If something goes wrong — theft, a dispute, a worker who disappears — there is no registered agreement and no authority to turn to.
- Recruitment scams. Dubai Police reported that one resident lost Dh10,000 to a fake recruitment office advertised on social media. Such scams begin with attractive offers, then escalate, leaving victims unable to reach the perpetrators.
- It is being shut down. In a single recent month, MoHRE closed 12 unlicensed agencies and referred the cases to the Public Prosecution, after detecting 300 violations across 57 recruitment offices in 2025. Dealing with an illegal office can leave you on the wrong side of the law.
Dubai Police safety checklist for every household
Whether you are in Dubai, Riyadh, Kuwait City, Doha, Manama or Muscat, these precautions apply:
- Hire only through licensed entities. This is the single most important step.
- Verify identity first. Confirm the worker’s identity and permit before they begin, and let only authorised individuals enter your home.
- Secure your valuables. Keep important documents, cash, jewellery and other valuables in a safe place and out of sight.
- Protect the vulnerable. Supervise children and elderly relatives, and avoid leaving them alone with untrusted individuals.
- Report anything suspicious. In the UAE, use the Dubai Police smart app “Police Eye” service or call 901 for non-emergency cases. Home security is a shared responsibility.
What “licensed” means in each GCC country
Every Gulf state runs an official, regulated channel for domestic-worker hiring. Use it:
- UAE — Tadbeer service centres regulated by MoHRE. See our UAE hiring guide.
- Saudi Arabia — the Musaned platform under the Ministry of Human Resources. See our Saudi Arabia hiring guide.
- Kuwait — PAM-licensed domestic labour offices. See our Kuwait hiring guide.
- Qatar — recruitment offices licensed by the Ministry of Labour. See our Qatar hiring guide.
- Bahrain — offices regulated by the LMRA. See our Bahrain hiring guide.
- Oman — offices licensed by the Ministry of Labour. See our Oman hiring guide.
How to confirm an office is genuinely licensed
Before you pay anyone or let a worker into your home, run these checks: ask for the official licence number and verify it on the relevant government platform; refuse to deal with social-media-only accounts; insist on a registered contract; and never pay large sums to an unverified individual. We cover this step by step in our guide on how to verify a licensed maid agency in the GCC.
Protection works both ways
Licensed hiring does not only protect families — it protects workers too, guaranteeing them a legal contract, fair treatment and proper documentation. Understanding this balance matters: read domestic worker rights in the GCC to see how the system is designed to be fair on both sides.
How GCC Domestic keeps your home safe
GCC Domestic connects families only with licensed, verified recruitment agencies across all six Gulf states. Every placement runs through registered channels with documented contracts and identity-verified workers — exactly what Dubai Police is asking residents to insist on. Our AI assistant Nadia helps families hire safely, while Leyla works only with properly licensed agency partners.
Hiring help for your home should make life easier, not put it at risk. Talk to us to hire the safe, legal way.
Useful links
- How to verify a licensed maid agency in the GCC
- Domestic worker rights in the GCC
- How to hire a housekeeper in the UAE
- Hire safely with GCC Domestic
Source: Dubai Police domestic-worker safety guidelines and MoHRE enforcement actions, as reported by Khaleej Times (June 2026). This article is general guidance; always verify licences with the relevant authority in your country.