Tadbeer

Tadbeer (Arabic for 'arrangement') is the network of licensed service centres through which domestic workers — housemaids, nannies, drivers, cooks — are recruited and sponsored in the UAE. The centres operate under government supervision and handle recruitment from abroad, contracts, work permits, medical checks and, in some packages, act as the worker's sponsor while the family pays a service fee. Tadbeer replaced the older, loosely regulated maid-recruitment agencies after the UAE introduced a dedicated domestic workers law granting rights such as a weekly rest day and paid leave. Families meet Tadbeer when hiring household staff; domestic workers' contracts and complaints run through the same framework. Lawyers see Tadbeer in disputes over recruitment fees, contract termination, refund claims when a worker leaves early, and allegations of mistreatment.