Hiring a Domestic Helper Without an Agency: A Complete Guide

Updated 06 February 2026

In today’s fast-paced world, more families are looking for autonomy and transparency when it comes to bringing someone into their home. The traditional model of using a recruitment agency is no longer the only path. In fact, many employers are discovering that hiring a domestic helper directly is not only more cost-effective but leads to a stronger, more personal connection.

At HelperChoice, we’ve pioneered the digital shift that makes direct hiring safe, legal, and simple. Here is everything you need to know about skipping the middleman and taking control of your recruitment process.

What does hiring without an agency mean?

Hiring without an agency means that an employer will be responsible for selecting and hiring a domestic helper candidate. Depending on the candidates’ contract status, they can either apply directly for the helper’s visa or use an employment agency to process for them.

The employer’s responsibilities include finding, screening and interviewing candidates, selecting the suitable applicant, applying for the domestic helper’s visa and paying for the relevant fees usually paid for in advance by the helper to process her papers.

Why Choose Direct Hiring Over a Recruitment Agency?

While a recruitment agency offers a “full-service” package, it often comes with high markups, hidden fees, and a lack of direct communication. Choosing the direct route via HelperChoice offers several distinct advantages:

1. Significant Cost Savings

Agency fees can be a major financial burden. By managing the search yourself, you eliminate the heavy commissions typically charged to employers. Even more importantly, you ensure that the domestic worker is not charged illegal placement fees, which is a cornerstone of domestic worker welfare.

2. Direct Communication from Day One

When you use a platform like HelperChoice, you speak directly to the candidates. You can screen for personality, specific skill sets (like specialized cooking or elderly care), and cultural fit without your messages being filtered through an agent.

3. Transparency and Ethics

Direct hiring promotes ethical recruitment. You know exactly where your money is going, and you can be certain that your future employee is starting their contract debt-free, leading to higher job satisfaction and loyalty.

What is the process of hiring a helper without an agency?

1. Finding a candidate – can be done through recommendations from family, friends or your existing helper. One of the most efficient options is to find applicants through online service platforms like HelperChoice where you can directly contact applicants that match your needs and preferences.
2. Screening / Matching – before screening and selecting a helper, it is important that you first identify your needs and set specific requirements in order to simplify the screening process and get suitable candidates.

   For more tips on how to find the helper that matches your requirements, read more here.

3. Interviewing & Selecting –
   For tips on how to interview to conduct a domestic helper interview, please check out this article: Tips for Conducting a Domestic Helper Interview.
4. Applying for a domestic worker visa
   Once you have found a suitable helper and you have both agreed to process the paperwork processing, you can either process the papers personally or through an employment agency. You can find HelperChoice’s visa service here.

When can I process my helper’s visa without an employment agency?

• the helper has finished her contract
• the applicant is currently located in Hong Kong and originally from the Philippines
• you are renewing your Filipino helper’s contract
• the helper was terminated due to special cases: the employer has deceased, relocated, has financial difficulty, or has been proven to experience abuse or exploitation.

Learn more: Essential Steps to Domestic Helper Visa Processing

When do I need an employment agency to process my helper’s visa?

You MUST use an agency to process the hiring for you if you are in any one the following cases:

• the applicant is a first-timer
• the applicant is outside of Hong Kong
• helper has been terminated or has broken contract

What are the requirements to process my helper’s visa without an agency?

Once you have found the perfect candidate to join your family, you and the helper must sign 4 original copies of the Standard Employment Contract (SEC) for foreign domestic helpers which is governed by the Immigration Ordinance and the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance in Hong Kong. You can download the SEC form here.

The signed employment contract must be submitted to the Immigration department together with the Domestic helper work Visa application. Once the visa is approved, you will need to pay HKD$230 upon collection and the visa processing usually takes 4-6 weeks. You can inquire about your application status online here or through the 24-hour hotline at +852 3160 8663.

The next step is to have the contract notarized at the Consulate along with the required documents, which usually takes 6 working days to be completed.

How can I process the visa of helper who has a terminated or broken contract, a first timer and currently outside of Hong Kong?

The visa of an applicant under these conditions will be have to processed by an employment agency because both the Philippine & Indonesian Consulate only accept contracts submitted by an accredited agency for notarization unless the applicant is a finished contract domestic helper (or terminated due to relocation / finance reasons).

For detailed information on the steps to process a domestic worker’s visa please check out this article: Essential Steps to Domestic Helper Visa Processing in Hong Kong

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