Steps to hire a maid in Malaysia: your questions answered

The Immigration Department's (JIM) Malay page lists approval under section 60K of the Employment Act 1955 as the first step. JIM then sets these steps: the Visa With Reference (VDR) application, her visa at the Malaysian mission abroad, the FOMEMA medical within 30 days of her arrival, then her PLKS. The Act says an employer of a foreign domestic employee must tell the Director General within 30 days of employing her. Whether this applies to a household employer is being checked.

Our step-by-step guide to hiring a maid walks through each official step.

Sources: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Pembantu Rumah Asing page, Malay; Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English; Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), Labour Department (JTKSM) copy. Last checked 5 November 2026.

Section 60K of the Employment Act 1955 says an employer must have the Director General's prior approval before employing a foreign employee. JIM's Malay page lists this approval as the first step, applied for online through the Labour Department portal. How the application works in practice for a household is being checked, so we do not describe the form here yet.

Sources: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Pembantu Rumah Asing page, Malay; Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), Labour Department (JTKSM) copy. Last checked 5 November 2026.

VDR stands for Visa With Reference. A foreign domestic helper enters Malaysia on a VDR. JIM says to apply for the VDR at the immigration office in your state.

More in our guide: What are a VDR, FOMEMA and the 30-day Special Pass?

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

Yes, unless the helper is from Indonesia or the Philippines. JIM's Malay page says an employer can apply at the Immigration counter for a foreign domestic helper themselves, except for helpers from those two countries. For a helper from Indonesia, see the next question.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Pembantu Rumah Asing page, Malay. Last checked 5 November 2026.

Yes. JIM says applications to hire an Indonesian domestic helper must be made through a Malaysian private employment agency and an Indonesian placement agency only. JIM's page also says her contract must be certified by the Indonesian Embassy, and her duties are limited to housekeeping and family cooking, child care or elderly care. The other rules for a helper from Indonesia are in our eligibility and rules FAQ.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

After approval. JIM says that after approval the employer makes the levy, PLKS, visa and processing payments. We are checking the current amounts against the official sources, so we do not give them here yet. Our Rules and fees page shows each payment, the step where it is paid and the date we last checked it.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

Her visa is applied for through MyVISA before she enters Malaysia. JIM lists the visa as the step after the VDR application, with the visa at the Malaysian mission abroad. She then enters Malaysia on her VDR.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

On arrival she is given a 30-day Special Pass. She must have the FOMEMA medical within 30 days of arrival. If she is fit, JIM says her PLKS is endorsed for 12 months.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

Within 30 days of her arrival. Under the work pass, a helper must be certified healthy by FOMEMA. JIM says that if she fails the examination, she must be sent back to her home country.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

JIM's name for it is the Visitor's Pass Sticker (Temporary Employment), PL(KS). It is the last of JIM's hiring steps, after the FOMEMA medical. If she is fit, JIM says her PLKS is endorsed for 12 months.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

JIM says the pass is extended online through FWCMS within 90 days before it expires. In the second and third years the pass is extended, each time with a FOMEMA check.

Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English. Last checked 5 November 2026.

The Employment Act 1955 says an employer must tell the Director General within 30 days of employing a foreign domestic employee (section 57A). The Act also says an employer must tell the Director General within 30 days of her service ending (section 57B). The Act says the fine for each failure to notify is up to RM50,000. Whether these sections apply to a household employer is being checked. How these notices are filed is being checked, so we do not name a form or portal here yet.

Source: Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), Labour Department (JTKSM) copy. Last checked 5 November 2026.

JIM says that when employment ends, the employer applies for a Check Out Memo (eCOM) through MyPASS@JIM. The Act says an employer must tell the Director General within 30 days of a foreign domestic employee's service ending, and that absconding from her place of employment counts as the helper terminating her service (section 57B). Whether this applies to a household employer is being checked.

Sources: Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM), Foreign Domestic Helper (FDH) page, English; Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), Labour Department (JTKSM) copy. Last checked 5 November 2026.

Yes. PERKESO says an employer must register with PERKESO and contribute for a foreign domestic worker. The contribution rates, with their source, are on our Rules and fees page.

Source: PERKESO, Domestic workers page. Last checked 5 November 2026.