Almost every family that brings a domestic worker to Saudi Arabia from abroad does it through a recruitment office (maktab istiqdam). The office you choose shapes the whole experience: how quickly the worker arrives, how much you pay, and what happens if the match does not work out. Choosing well is worth a little homework up front.
This guide explains what a recruitment office actually is and how it fits with Musaned, how to tell a good office from a risky one, what recruitment really costs (including the official fee ceilings by nationality), and the replacement guarantee you are entitled to. Where a figure is official we say so; where it comes from the market we flag it.
What a recruitment office is, and how it works with Musaned
A recruitment office is a private company, licensed by the Ministry of Human Resources, that sources a domestic worker from her home country and handles the recruitment on your behalf. Every licensed office is listed on Musaned, the ministry’s official platform, and recruiting a domestic worker outside Musaned is not lawful for either side. The contract itself is generated by Musaned, which is what protects both you and the worker.
You do not always need to pick an office blindly. On the Musaned marketplace you can browse licensed offices, compare them, and for some nationalities use the fixed-fee "Maarofa" track where the price is set in advance. If you are still deciding between an office, the platform and a kafala transfer, our guide comparing agencies, platforms and transfer lays out the trade-offs, and the full hiring sequence is in our step-by-step Musaned guide.
How to choose a good recruitment office
Offices vary a lot in speed, price and reliability. Musaned gives every office a star rating and reviews, which is the single most useful signal, but it pays to check a few things yourself before you commit:
- A valid licence. The office should be active on the Musaned marketplace with a licence number that matches its commercial registration. You can verify standing with the ministry on 19911.
- The Musaned star rating and written reviews. Prefer offices rated four stars and up with consistent, recent feedback. The star rating is official; be wary of "gold/silver/bronze" badges an office awards itself, which are marketing, not a ministry classification.
- Transparent, written pricing. A real office quotes the fee in writing, itemised, with the 15% VAT shown separately, and issues a proper VAT invoice. A quote above the official ceiling for that nationality (see below) is a red flag.
- Clear contract terms and guarantees. The recruitment contract is Musaned-generated; make sure the office’s replacement and refund policy is spelled out before you pay.
- No pressure and no personal accounts. Demanding the full amount up front to a personal account or wallet, refusing to share a licence or contract, having no physical office, or pushing a "today only" deal are classic warning signs.
What recruitment costs: the official fee ceilings
The office fee is only part of the total, and it is capped. The Ministry of Human Resources sets a maximum recruitment fee per nationality (excluding VAT). These ceilings, set in January 2024, are the ones to measure any quote against.
| Nationality | Fee ceiling (SAR) |
|---|---|
| Philippines | Up to 14,700 |
| Sri Lanka | Up to 13,800 |
| Bangladesh | Up to 11,750 |
| Thailand | Up to 10,000 |
| Kenya | Up to 9,000 |
| Uganda | Up to 8,300 |
| Sierra Leone / Burundi | Up to 7,500 |
| Ethiopia | Up to 5,900 |
A few things to keep in mind. These are ceilings, not fixed prices, and 15% VAT is added on top of the office fee. They were last revised in January 2024, so confirm the current figure on Musaned or with the ministry before you sign. The office fee covers the recruitment itself: sourcing the worker, her one-way flight, delivery and usually the pre-departure medical. Paid separately are the government visa fee, the Iqama, insurance, the post-arrival medical and the salary. Our real cost of hiring a domestic worker breakdown adds it all up.
The replacement guarantee and probation
One of the main reasons to go through a licensed office is the guarantee. Two protections work together here:
- A probation period of up to 90 days, agreed in writing, during which either side may end the contract (this is set by the regulation).
- The office remains responsible for the worker for at least the first 90 days from her arrival, which is the practical "three-month guarantee" families rely on.
What replacement looks like in practice, how many times you can request it and whether any refund is full or partial, depends on the specific office’s Musaned contract, so read that clause before you pay. If the match is not working, understand your options before acting: our guide to transferring or cancelling a sponsorship covers the lawful routes, and if a worker leaves without notice, our absence-report guide explains what to do.
Finding an office in your city
Most searches for a recruitment office are local, and the biggest hubs are Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Dammam and Khamis Mushait. Rather than judge an office by a flashy advert, start from the licensed list and its ratings. Our directory of Musaned-licensed recruitment offices lets you browse them by city, and our hiring route finder helps you decide whether an office, the platform or a transfer is right for your situation.
When you are ready to formalise the arrangement, the contract runs through Musaned, and you can prepare a bilingual draft with our contract generator so you know exactly what you are agreeing to before you sign.
