If you are hiring a maid, nanny or cook in the UAE, you will quickly run into two names that sound like they do the same job: Tadbeer and Tasheel. Both sit under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). Both are places you walk into with paperwork. They are not interchangeable.
Going to the wrong one is the single most common reason families lose a morning and get told to "come back with a different file". This guide explains the split in plain terms, and gives you a routing table so you know exactly where your transaction belongs.
The short answer
Tadbeer centres handle domestic workers. Maids, nannies, cooks, drivers, gardeners, carers — the people employed inside a private household. If your worker lives and works in your home, Tadbeer is your channel.
Tasheel centres handle company employees. Work permits, labour contracts, establishment cards and quota files for businesses in the private sector. If you are an employer hiring staff for a company, Tasheel is your channel.
One household, one domestic worker, one Tadbeer centre. One company, many staff, one Tasheel centre. That is the cleanest way to hold it in your head.
What Tadbeer actually does
Tadbeer centres are MOHRE-authorised service centres created specifically for the domestic worker sector. They were set up so that families deal with a supervised, licensed channel instead of informal brokers.
A Tadbeer centre can typically help you with recruitment and matching, the standard domestic worker employment contract, work permit applications, medical testing coordination, orientation and training, and visa renewal or cancellation. Many also offer temporary or monthly placement packages alongside full sponsorship.
The sector is governed by the UAE's dedicated domestic workers law — Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on Domestic Workers, as amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023. This is a separate legal track from the law covering ordinary company employment, which is exactly why a separate centre network exists.
For the full picture of what these centres cover, see our complete guide to Tadbeer domestic worker service centres, and what Tadbeer is if you are starting from zero.
Who Tadbeer is for
- Families sponsoring a live-in or live-out domestic worker
- Employers renewing or cancelling a maid or nanny visa
- Households wanting a short-term or monthly worker instead of full sponsorship
- Anyone who wants the recruitment file handled through a supervised channel
What Tasheel actually does
Tasheel is MOHRE's service-centre network for mainstream private-sector labour transactions. Think of it as the front desk for companies rather than for homes.
Typical Tasheel work includes establishment registration, labour quota applications, corporate work permits and employment contracts, e-signature cards, and amendments to a company's labour file. The staff there are processing business employment files, not household ones.
This is why a Tasheel counter will usually redirect a family asking about a maid visa. It is not obstruction — the domestic worker file genuinely lives in a different system, under a different law, with a different contract template.
Routing table: where does my task go?
Go to Tadbeer
- Hiring a maid, nanny, cook, driver or carer for your home
- Issuing a first-time domestic worker work permit (or do it online through MOHRE's Work in UAE platform, workinuae.ae)
- Signing or amending the standard domestic worker contract
- Renewing or cancelling a domestic worker's permit (also available online on Work in UAE)
- Arranging a replacement worker under a centre package
- Monthly or temporary household help
Go to Tasheel
- Registering a company with MOHRE
- Applying for corporate labour quota
- Issuing work permits for company employees
- Company labour contract signing and amendments
- Establishment card and e-signature card services
Go to GDRFA or ICP instead
Here is the third piece families miss. MOHRE handles the work permit and contract. Residency stamping and Emirates ID sit with the immigration authorities — GDRFA in Dubai, or ICP federally. Many Tadbeer centres will bundle these steps for you, but the authority behind them is different.
Dubai has been compressing this journey into fewer digital steps; our write-up on the new GDRFA digital service for domestic worker visas walks through the current flow. For the end-to-end application itself, see how to apply for a maid or nanny visa in the UAE.
Why the confusion happens
Three reasons, and they are all understandable.
First, both names are MOHRE-facing, so both feel like "the labour office". Second, both appear on the same search results and map listings, often on the same street. Third, some commercial operators advertise a mix of typing, visa and PRO services and use both words loosely in their signage — which blurs a line that is actually sharp in the official system.
There is also a fourth, more costly confusion: unlicensed offices that imply they are a Tadbeer centre when they are not. Verification is not optional here. Our checklist for verifying a Tadbeer centre is genuinely MOHRE-licensed is the step to take before you hand over a passport or pay anything.
How to choose and verify before you go
1. Name the transaction first
Write down what you actually need in one sentence — "renew my nanny's permit", not "sort out the maid paperwork". The transaction decides the channel.
2. Confirm the centre is licensed
Check the centre against MOHRE's official records before you travel. A licensed centre will have no problem showing you its permit. Cross-check locations using our guide to finding a MOHRE-licensed Tadbeer center near you, or browse vetted providers in the GCC Domestic licensed agency directory.
3. Ask for the fee breakdown in writing
Service charges vary by centre, emirate, package type and the worker's nationality, and they change over time. Published Tadbeer package prices typically cover recruitment, medical, permit and visa components bundled together, so a single headline number rarely tells the whole story. Ask for an itemised quote: compare the government-fee lines with the fees MOHRE and ICP publish, and remember the package price itself is set commercially by each centre.
If you are still weighing the channel itself, our comparison of Tadbeer versus a private recruitment agency covers the trade-offs in service and accountability.
4. Know your escalation route
If a centre overcharges, withholds documents or misrepresents its licence, you have a formal complaint path. See how to file a complaint against a Tadbeer center and the broader MOHRE complaint process for domestic workers and employers.
Across the GCC: the same split, different names
The channel logic repeats regionally. Saudi Arabia routes household recruitment through Musaned, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development platform, while corporate labour sits in Qiwa. Bahrain works through the LMRA. Qatar, Kuwait and Oman each run a domestic-worker track distinct from general employment.
The lesson transfers cleanly: in every GCC state, domestic work has its own legal track and its own official channel. Identify that channel first and the process gets much shorter.
Frequently asked questions
Can I process a maid visa at a Tasheel centre?
Generally no. Domestic worker permits and contracts are handled through the Tadbeer network, which was created specifically for household employment under the UAE's domestic workers law. A Tasheel counter handles company labour files and will normally direct you to a Tadbeer centre instead.
Is Tadbeer a government body or a private business?
Tadbeer centres are privately operated but authorised and supervised by MOHRE under the official Tadbeer framework. That is why licence verification matters — the brand signals government oversight, so an unlicensed office imitating it is misrepresenting real authority.
Do I need to visit GDRFA or ICP as well as Tadbeer?
Usually some immigration step is required, because MOHRE issues the work permit while residency and Emirates ID come from GDRFA or ICP. Many Tadbeer packages include these steps on your behalf. Confirm in writing which stages your centre is handling and which remain yours.
What does it cost, and why do quotes differ so much?
Costs vary considerably by emirate, package, worker nationality and whether recruitment from abroad is involved, and they are revised periodically. Treat any amount you are told as an estimate until you see it itemised, with the government fees matched against MOHRE and ICP published fees.
How do I check a centre is genuinely licensed?
Verify it against MOHRE's official listings before paying or handing over documents, and ask to see the centre's permit. Our verification checklist sets out exactly what to look for and the warning signs of an unlicensed operator.
Bottom line
Tadbeer is for your home. Tasheel is for your company. Residency stamping sits with GDRFA or ICP. Name your transaction, verify the licence, get the fees itemised — and you will walk into the right building with the right file the first time.