Sarawak uses its own GENESIS/HAVEN system and the Sarawak Labour Department, under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance — separate from the Peninsular route, and the Employment Act 1955 does not extend here. Sarawak handles foreign domestic workers through its own GENESIS/HAVEN portal — check there directly instead of assuming the Peninsular steps.
At a glance
Region
SarawakSarawak uses its own GENESIS/HAVEN system and the Sarawak Labour Department, under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance — separate from the Peninsular route, and the Employment Act 1955 does not extend here.
Population (DOSM)
2.5 millionDepartment of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) estimate for Sarawak.
Agency check
Verify the licenceConfirm any agency against the JTKSM public register before you commit.
Hiring in Sarawak: the local picture
Sarawak is Malaysia’s largest state by area, on the island of Borneo, with Kuching as its capital. The Department of Statistics (DOSM) records a population of about 2.5 million for Sarawak.
Which process applies here
Sarawak uses its own GENESIS/HAVEN system and the Sarawak Labour Department, under the Sarawak Labour Ordinance — separate from the Peninsular route, and the Employment Act 1955 does not extend here.
Sarawak handles foreign domestic workers through its own GENESIS/HAVEN portal — check there directly instead of assuming the Peninsular steps.
Costs and checks that apply here
In Sarawak the statutory costs are the ones set nationally: the permit and visa fees — which Immigration's own guidance bundles with the annual foreign-worker levy at approval and at each PLKS extension — the FOMEMA medical and PERKESO cover. Use the first-year cost guide for the current figures rather than an agency estimate.
There is no official cap on the service fee an agency charges a household in Sarawak, so compare written, itemised quotes and verify the licence on the JTKSM register before paying — a licence confirms legitimacy, not price.
What to do next
Write a short household brief for Sarawak — who needs support, the main duties, timing and budget — then use it in every agency conversation.
Ask any agency serving Sarawak for its legal name and licence number, and verify both before paying anything.
No — Sarawak does not follow the Peninsular federal route. It has its own regulator and legal framework, so confirm the Sarawak process directly rather than assuming Peninsular steps and timelines apply.
How do I verify an agency here?
Confirm any agency you contact for Sarawak against the JTKSM public register before you commit.
HAVEN is Sarawak’s own real, distinct system for hiring a domestic helper — with its own income thresholds, its own medical scheme, and a genuine 2025 rest-day parallel to Peninsular Malaysia.
The Employment Act 1955 shapes a domestic worker’s rights — but only in some regions, and with specific exclusions written into it. Knowing its reach prevents applying a rule where it does not hold.
A practical method for shortlisting and comparing more than one licensed agency side by side — what to check on each, and in what order — rather than judging the first conversation on its own.
Hiring a Maid in Sarawak
Prepare a useful first enquiry
Add a few key facts about your household and the question you want answered, so the reply is useful.
State or territory
Household address type
Who needs support
Main duties
Preferred timing
This opens a WhatsApp draft to the DomesticHelper enquiry team, who help connect you with a maid-hiring service. Nothing is sent until you press send, and you can edit it first.
DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 22 September 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
