In short: start by choosing a licensed office and verifying it in the Ministry of Labour registry, then define your need and nationality, agree the cost in writing, and the case then passes through Ministry approvals, the visa, the medical examination and source-country procedures before arrival, handover and permit follow-up.

Recruitment is not a single transaction. It is a sequence of them across different authorities: the Ministry of Labour for the work permit, the Ministry of Interior for the visa and residency, the Ministry of Health for the medical examination, plus procedures in the worker’s own country. Understanding that split alone removes much of the confusion, because each authority has its own requirements and its own timescale.

Step one: confirm the office is licensed

Before anything else, check that the office you are dealing with is registered with the Ministry of Labour. The Ministry publishes a public registry of offices licensed to recruit non-Jordanian domestic workers, showing the establishment name, owner, address, national establishment number and licence status.

Status matters as much as the name: the registry distinguishes an active office from one suspended for an expired licence or other reasons. See how to verify a recruitment office.

Step two: define the need before choosing a nationality

The natural order is to start from the work required and the household’s circumstances, then look at available options — not the reverse.

Official costs differ between nationalities by ministerial decision, not by a price the office sets. See costs and nationalities.

Step three: agree the cost in writing before paying

The recruitment cost is fixed by ministerial decision for each nationality. The decision states that the amount covers a two-year contract and includes fees, taxes and expenses, among them the insurance policy premium, residence permit issuance fees and any other costs.

That wording is practically useful to you: if an additional amount is requested, you are entitled to ask on what basis, because the decision itself treats those items as included.

The amounts in the decisions are the recruitment cost. The work permit fee is a separate amount issued under its own regulation, which is why official tables show two columns: one for a household paying the permit fee, and one for a household lawfully exempt from it.

Step four: the government transactions

After the agreement comes the sequence: approvals and the work permit at the Ministry of Labour, the visa at the Ministry of Interior, the medical examination under Ministry of Health requirements, then travel, arrival and residency.

The documents required for each transaction are published by the Ministry of Labour in its service guide, which is the reference to use because the Ministry keeps it current. We do not copy those lists here, so that they cannot go stale on our site after the Ministry updates them.

Step five: after arrival

Arrival is not the end of the process. A contract begins, wages must be paid and documented, residency has a duration and the work permit needs renewal.

Worth asking before you sign

  • What is the total, and what does it include under the ministerial decision?
  • What happens if the transaction is not completed?
  • What are my rights if the worker does not continue during the early months?
  • Who do I contact, and how will I know what stage my application is at?
  • Is the office in the Ministry registry, and what is its status today?