Requirements to Hire a Domestic Helper in Hong Kong – Your FAQs Guide

(Updated on 14 February 2026)

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Navigating the rules to hire a domestic helper can feel overwhelming, especially with the updates to residency and income requirements. To help you prepare your home and your application, we’ve answered the most common questions employers ask.

The Hong Kong Labour and Immigration Department have set eligibility requirements for employers based on the employment situation and income. If they cannot fulfil any one of the criteria, their helpers’ visa applications wouldn’t be approved. Other than legal requirements, to be understanding and kind is also an integral quality of a good employer.

Conditions to be an employer

Residency

Anyone who wants to hire a domestic helper needs to be a Hong Kong resident (having an HKID), meaning that if you are in Hong Kong on a tourist visa, you will not be able to hire a helper.

This can be frustrating when you are relocating to Hong Kong and want to be well prepared. Therefore, you can find the right candidate through direct hire, sign the contract and have the visa application ready before you come to Hong Kong, so that she should be able to start working with you within a month or two.

Income

A second requirement for the employment of a domestic helper is that the household income per month should be more than HK$15,000 or that you have comparable assets in order to support your domestic worker through the entire contract period of 2 years.

Also, the Immigration Department states that the “bona fides” of the employer must not be in question, that means you must not have been previously blacklisted from employing a domestic worker, from issues such as living out, abuse and underpaying etc.

As an employer, before hiring a domestic worker, familiarize yourself with all your responsibilities and all the rights a domestic worker is entitled to, and learn to apply sensitivity when it comes to the worker’s culture and religion.

Conditions of employment

When you and your family are hiring a foreign helper, you will have to fill out the Standard Employment Contract. The employment contract states that domestic helpers can only work for the employer who has signed the contract and that they can only live and work at the contractual address. This means that employers cannot request their domestic helpers to also prepare dinner in the apartment of their mother-in-law or to work at an office or market, even if it is just for a day.

However, they can still go to the market to buy food for the day, wash their employers’ car or deliver food or personal items to their employers, their employer’s children or other direct family members that live at the same address.

As stipulated by the Standard Employment Contract, you must also provide the helper with suitable accommodation and with reasonable privacy, that means the helper cannot sleep in the toilet, kitchen and living room, and cannot sleep with an adolescent or adult of the opposite gender.

In the employment contract, you must also indicate that you can provide your helper with free access to light and water, toilet and sanitary facilities, a bed, bed sheets and blankets, pillows, a wardrobe, access to a refrigerator and a desk. If you cannot provide any of these, your helper’s visa will likely be denied.

Therefore, if you think the space in your house is limited, you might not be able to give your helper “suitable accommodation with reasonable privacy” with all of the amenities. If you are uncertain about the exact conditions, you can check the contract or contact the Labour Department for more information.

Eligibility Of Hiring A Domestic Helper In Hong Kong | HelperChoice | #1 Domestic Helpers Platform

Other non-legal requirements of being an employer of a domestic worker

A good employer also needs to be understanding and tolerant. These domestic workers travel across seas to work for you, leaving behind their loved ones, missing many important moments of their children to take care of your children. Where they come from, might not have a refrigerator, washing machine or air conditioner. Therefore, remember to be patient during the onboarding period.

Also, these workers come from a very different culture and speak a different language. Do not expect them to fully understand you all the time, especially in the first few months. It might even be a bonus if you can learn to speak a few words in their language (usually Tagalog if from the Philippines or Bahasa Indonesia if from Indonesia), it can make their day!

At last, please respect their culture and religion, especially for Indonesian, who are predominantly Muslims and might have their own habits. If you think you or anyone in your family cannot stand a person with very different habits in the house, it would be pointless to hire a domestic worker.

The Way Forward

Understanding the legal conditions of employment is about more than just checking boxes—it is about building a secure foundation for your home. When you are clear on your responsibilities as an employer, you eliminate the stress of the unknown and ensure a smooth, professional start for your household. Being well-informed isn’t just a requirement; it is your first step in creating a partnership where both you and your helper feel protected and respected.

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