Employer Responsibilities

• Foreign domestic helper insurance

  According to Hong Kong government regulations, employers are required to purchase labor insurance for foreign domestic helpers on the day they arrive in Hong Kong. It is also recommended that employers purchase medical insurance for their foreign domestic helpers, so that the foreign domestic helpers are required to provide free medical care during their employment period, including paying for outpatient, hospitalization, dental and other medical expenses to ensure peace of mind.

• Work place

  The working location is limited to the address specified in the contract between the employer and the foreign domestic helper.

• Holidays for foreign domestic helpers

  Employers are required to arrange at least one rest day per week. In addition, foreign domestic helpers who have worked for three months are entitled to 12 days of statutory holidays every year (New Year's Day, Qingming Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc.). If the statutory holidays fall on the foreign domestic helpers' rest days, the employer must make a substitute for the foreign domestic helpers. When a foreign domestic helper has worked continuously for the employer for one year, she can enjoy paid annual leave.

• Termination of contract

  The employment contract lasts for two years. When the contract is about to expire, the employer needs to discuss contract renewal with the foreign domestic helper in advance and calculate the paid holidays that the foreign domestic helper should take. If both parties choose to renew the contract, the employer needs to pay for the foreign helper's round-trip air ticket. If the contract is not renewed, the employer must notify the foreign helper one month in advance and pay for the one-way air ticket for the foreign helper to return to her place of origin.

  According to labor laws, if the employer or the foreign domestic helper wants to terminate the employment contract, they must give the other party one month's notice period or one month's payment in lieu of notice. In addition, employers are required to provide one-way air tickets for foreign domestic helpers to return to their place of origin.

• Return fight ticket

  In any case, the employer is required to purchase a return ticket for the domestic helper to return to the local area, including overseas hiring/local hiring/optional hiring/contract termination/contract completion. For domestic helpers whose contract is renewed, the employer needs to provide the domestic helper with a round-trip air ticket (departure + arrival). In addition, the employer is required to provide the domestic helper with a daily allowance of HK$100 as a departure fare and meal allowance, which is of the same nature as if the domestic helper arrives in Hong Kong from the place of origin on the same day.

  If a domestic helper unfortunately dies in Hong Kong, the employer will be responsible for all costs of transporting the remains and belongings back to the country.

• Severance pay and long service payment

  The employer is required to pay severance pay if the domestic helper worked for the employer for not less than 24 months before being dismissed; and if she was dismissed due to redundancy, or after the expiration of the employment contract, the contract was not renewed due to redundancy. Long-term service payment means that if a foreign domestic helper has served the same employer for five consecutive years or more, the employer needs to pay long-term service payment when the employer terminates the contract or does not renew the contract with the foreign domestic helper.

Application instructions

Application conditions

Hong Kong permanent residents or hold an employment contract with a company to prove that the employer is employed in Hong Kong.

Needed document

1. Copy of employer's ID card
2. Proof of income, please choose one of the following：
   • Monthly salary HK$15,000 or above (must have bank transfer records for 3 consecutive months)
   • Copy of latest tax return (annual salary HK$180,000 or above)
   • Copies of time/current deposits in the last 6 months (HK$360,000 or above)
   • Original bank letter stating the applicant’s annual salary.

         If the employer cannot provide proof of income, other family members can provide it

   • Copy of marriage certificate (relationship between husband and wife: if the marriage certificate is lost, the birth certificate of the child can be used to prove the relationship between husband and wife)
   • Copy of birth certificate (relationship between parents and children)
   • Copy of birth certificate (brother relationship)
3. Proof of address
   • Rates, water bills, electricity bills, gas bills, landline phone bills, cable TV, and home broadband in the past three months (spouse’s name can be used, but marriage certificate is required)
   • If you live in public housing, please provide supporting documents from the Housing Department (a letter and photos from the Housing Department are also required)
4. Family member information
   • Full name in English, date of birth and ID number (passport number or birth certificate number is also acceptable)
5. Letter of Guarantee
   • If the applicant wants to hire a foreign domestic helper for his or her parents or family members, he/she needs to present a certificate of family relationship and attach a letter of guarantee that the relevant expenses will be paid on his or her behalf.
6. If there is already a hired worker at home
   • Photocopy the domestic helper’s ID card, contract and passport

Practical Guide to Employing Foreign Domestic Helpers – Information for Foreign Domestic Helpers and Their Employers (Information provided by Labor Department)
For further enquiries, please refer to www.labour.gov.hk