Having a maid in Malaysia comes with a handful of responsibilities. As an employer to a foreign domestic helper, you are expected to renew your maid’s work permit yearly on her behalf. This ensures the continuation of her rights to remain in Malaysia as a housemaid. In most cases, your maid agency will cover this process for you. However, if you are looking to look after this process on your own, we break down everything you need to know about renewing a maid’s work permit in this article.

A Maid Work Permit is a legal document issued by the Immigration Department of Malaysia to permit a Foreign Domestic Helper to carry out her designated task in Malaysia for a certain period.

Who Must Renew A Maid’s Work Permit?

A housemaid’s employer is typically in charge of renewing their maid’s work permit in Malaysia. However, depending on the circumstances, this process can differ quite a little.

For example, if you’re a Malaysian citizen and have a valid NRIC, you may complete the renewal process online rather quickly. However, most foreign nationals (expatriates) who have domestic helpers from abroad living with them, are typically unable to do so. Usually, using a third-party organisation to execute the permit renewal process is the most straightforward choice. For convenience, the maid agency that first set up the work visa will frequently provide this service.

For Malaysian Employers

With a valid NRIC, employers can use MYEG to renew their maid’s work permit online conveniently and quickly. This also means that this method is unavailable to expats and foreigners as they do not hold valid NRICs.

A brief summary of how to use the MYEG system to renew your maid’s permit:

1. Create a MYEG account and log into your account.
2. Choose ‘Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia‘, then click on ‘Maid Permit Renewal‘.
3. Key in all relevant information according to the fields. Once done, a summary of the details of you and your maid will be shown.
4. You can then choose the preferred method of how you want your maid’s new work permit to be received: Self-pickup or Delivery.
5. Complete delivery address if applicable.
6. Make your payment using various methods available.
7. You can check the status of your application by choosing the ‘Immigration (Maid)‘ section. Just fill in your ID number and your maid’s passport number.
8. You will need to have your original MyKad upon collection of the work permit for biometric thumbprint verification purposes.

Using MYEG is presumably one of the easiest way employers can renew their maid’s work permit as this process is easy to navigate.

For Expatriate Employers

For those who hold an Employment Pass residing in Malaysia, he/she will have to renew the maid’s new work permit over the counter at Malaysia’s Expatriate Service Division at Putrajaya, or at the Immigration Unit that is responsible for your work visa. It is advisable for the legal employer to make a call and perhaps make an appointment before heading there. The legal employer must be present as having someone apply for the renewed work permit on behalf of someone else is not permitted.

Document Checklist for Maid Work Permit Renewal for Expatriates

• Application Letter by the Employer expressing an intention to renew the maid’s work permit
• Certified and Passed FOMEMA results of the maid
• DP11a form
• Copy of the Maid’s Passport
• Copy of the Maid’s latest visa
• Copy of the Employer’s Passpor
• Copy of the Employer’s latest visa

The application approval usually takes around 7 days and employers will be notified when it’s ready for collection.

The Cost of Renewing Your Maid’s Work Permit

Depending on the number of domestic workers you employ and the nationality of the maid, you will have to pay a charge to renew a maid work permit, as stipulated by the Malaysian government. Read more here.

The whole cost of renewal is comprised of the following charges:

• Employer Levy
• Visit Pass
• Processing Fee
• Visa Fee

This is the total combined charge for the first maid you hire. If you hire two or more maids, the total renewal fee will increase due to an increase in the employer levy.

What about the cost of renewal of a work permit through a maid agency?

At Innovedge Maid Agency, our agency fees for renewal of work permit would typically range around RM1000. This service of ours ensures a hassle-free renewing process for you as an employer as we look after everything for you!

When Should I Start The Renewal Application?

It is a requirement for employers to start the application process for their maid’s work permit renewal 3 months before the current work permit expires.

Depending on when your assistant originally entered Malaysia, the validity period of her first work permit with you will always be the guideline for her annual permission.

Consequently, the next validity period of your helper’s permit is unaffected by the submission or issuance dates of the permission renewal. Therefore, three (3) months prior to the expiration of the helper’s current work permit, Immigration urges all employers to begin the process of renewing the helper’s permit.