Hiring process

Documents Needed to Hire a Maid

Two document lists run in parallel when you apply, one from your household and one from the worker's side, and knowing which is yours saves you chasing paperwork that was never your job to collect.

The short answer

Your side typically supplies identity documents (you and your spouse's IC or passport copies), proof of income, and a marriage certificate if the application asks for a spouse's details. The worker's side, usually handled through the source-country process, supplies her passport, medical clearance, and the paperwork tied to her own government's exit procedures. The exact checklist is set by Immigration and can be updated, so confirm the current list with Immigration or a licensed agency before you start collecting anything.

At a glance

Household side
Identity + incomeIC or passport copies for you and your spouse, proof of income, and a marriage certificate where the application calls for it.
Worker's side
Source-country processHer passport, medical clearance, and exit paperwork are handled through that country's own process, not by your household.
Where this sits
Inside the wider sequenceDocument collection is one input into the staged process covered in the application-stages guide: approval, source-country process, FOMEMA, visa/pass, permit.
The authority
Immigration DepartmentConfirm the exact current list with Immigration or a licensed agency; requirements are not fixed and can change.

What your household typically prepares

Most of what lands on your side of the table is proof of who you are and that the household can support the arrangement: copies of your IC or passport (and your spouse's, where relevant), and documentation of income. If the application asks about marital status, a marriage certificate usually needs to accompany it.

None of this is complicated paperwork to gather, but it needs to match what the application form actually asks for at the time you apply, since forms and supporting-document requirements do get revised.

  • You and your spouse's IC or passport copies
  • Proof of income
  • Marriage certificate, where the application requires spousal details

What runs through the worker's side instead

Her passport, the medical screening result, and the exit documentation required by her own country's authorities move through the source-country process, the stage the application-stages guide describes as running in parallel with the approval stage on your end. This is not paperwork your household collects or submits.

Where an agency is involved, it typically coordinates this side and tells you what, if anything, it needs from you to support it. A direct-hire household will still find this side of the process runs through the source country's own system rather than through anything you can supply from home.

Confirm the list before you start collecting

Sabah runs hiring through its own eNORES licensing system and Sarawak through its own HAVEN process, each with a separately published document list on its own portal (genesis.sarawak.gov.my for Sarawak). Don't assume a Peninsular checklist applies in either state; check the dedicated state guide instead.

Because the exact list, and any acceptable substitute document, can be updated by Immigration or by the relevant state authority, treat this page as an orientation to the two sides of the paperwork rather than a final checklist. Confirm the current requirements with Immigration or a licensed agency before you gather documents.

Questions this page answers

Do I need to supply my spouse's documents too?

If the application asks about marital status, yes, a marriage certificate and often the spouse's identity documents typically go in alongside your own. Confirm this with Immigration or your agency for your specific route.

Who handles the worker's passport and medical clearance?

That moves through the source-country process, not through your household. See the application-stages guide for how this stage fits into the wider sequence.

Is there a set list I can just follow?

Not one this page states as final. Requirements are set by Immigration (or, in Sabah and Sarawak, by the state's own system) and can change, so confirm the current list directly before collecting documents.

Does this document list apply the same way in Sabah and Sarawak?

No. Sabah licenses through eNORES and Sarawak through HAVEN, each with its own published requirements. Check the dedicated state guide rather than assuming the Peninsular list applies.

Where does document collection fit in the overall process?

It sits alongside the approval and source-country stages described in the application-stages guide. Getting documents ready early keeps those stages from stalling.

Documents Needed to Hire a Maid

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DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 14 August 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
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