Lawful hiring · fair work · safer childcare
Domestic help and nannies in Southeast Asia
Domestic support can make family life easier, but the arrangement needs to be lawful, fair and safe. This guide explains the differences between cleaning services, household employment, migrant-worker sponsorship and specialist childcare, with links to the current rules for each destination.
Last verified 29 August 2026
The short answer
Where is domestic help easiest for an expat family?
Malaysia publishes the clearest specific route for an Employment Pass principal to employ a foreign domestic helper. The Philippines has the most explicit household-employer framework. Vietnam requires a written domestic-worker contract, Thailand strengthened working-time and maternity protections in 2024, and Indonesia introduced a major national domestic-worker law in April 2026. Ease of finding a person is not the same as ease of employing lawfully.
Be clear about the help you need
“A helper” can mean four different jobs
Combining several jobs without enough time, experience or pay can create unfair expectations and safeguarding risks.
Cleaner
Defined cleaning tasks, visits, products, access and damage process. Usually the narrowest role.
Housekeeper
Recurring cleaning, laundry, cooking, errands or home organisation under household direction.
Nanny / yaya
Childcare is the core competence: development, routines, safety, transport and emergency judgement.
Family assistant
Higher-autonomy administration, scheduling, driving or household management; it needs its own lawful scope.
Set realistic priorities: childcare and full-house cleaning cannot both come first at the same moment. During sole-charge care, be clear about which domestic tasks should wait while the children need attention.
The rules differ in each country
What families need to check before employing someone
The final column summarises one important right to research, not the complete entitlement. Swipe on smaller screens.
| Destination | Most likely arrangement | Main rules | What to confirm before work | Important worker rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇹🇭Thailand | Agency service, local household hire or authorised migrant domestic worker | 2024 household-worker regulation | Employer + occupation + current work authorisation | 8-hour day; 1-hour break |
| 🇲🇾Malaysia | Service company or formal foreign domestic-helper route | ESD/Immigration FDH system + contract | Household eligibility and worker's named pass | Route and source-country terms matter |
| 🇻🇳Vietnam | Service company or written household employment | 2019 Labour Code + Decree 145 | Written contract and local employer process | Contract must state time, pay and accommodation |
| 🇮🇩Bali / Indonesia | Direct hire, service company or licensed P3RT placement | Law No. 2 of 2026 | Defined relationship + current implementation | New rights framework in force from 30 April 2026 |
| 🇵🇭Philippines | Direct kasambahay/yaya hire or licensed agency | Batas Kasambahay (RA 10361) | Contract, regional wage, barangay + unified benefits | Rest, leave, 13th month and social protection |
Open the country employer guide
How hiring domestic help differs across five countries
Each guide covers service and employment arrangements, the current law, city differences, full costs, safeguarding, research steps and FAQs.
Thailand
2024 household-worker regulation
Open the employer guide 02🇲🇾Domestic help inMalaysia
ESD/Immigration FDH system + contract
Open the employer guide 03🇻🇳Domestic help inVietnam
2019 Labour Code + Decree 145
Open the employer guide 04🇮🇩Domestic help inBali / Indonesia
Law No. 2 of 2026
Open the employer guide 05🇵🇭Domestic help inPhilippines
Batas Kasambahay (RA 10361)
Open the employer guideMake two separate sets of checks
Confirm lawful employment and safe childcare
Can this work happen lawfully and fairly?
- Household eligibility and legal employer
- Worker identity and occupational permission
- Agency licence and fee allocation
- Contract, pay, time, leave and benefits
- Accommodation, privacy and exit route
Can this person safely care for this child?
- Direct references and role history
- Age-specific childcare competence
- First aid, allergies and medicines
- Transport, pool and emergency judgement
- Observed handover and clear boundaries
Compare the full annual cost
Five costs to include in the household budget
A low salary quote can be misleading when it leaves out required benefits, fees and cover.
Cash compensation
Regular pay, extra hours, holiday work, 13th month or THR where required.
Employer protection
Social contributions, insurance, medical obligations and payroll/records.
Recruitment + permission
Licensed agency, visa/pass, medical, levy, bond and renewals where relevant.
Live-in provision
Private room, meals, utilities, communications and respectful facilities.
Continuity
Rest-day, leave and illness cover, training, transport and lawful ending costs.
Interactive + downloadable
Check the arrangement before you recruit
Use this checklist from home to decide whether an arrangement looks lawful, fair and credible before paying, travelling or offering work.
Research from home
Domestic worker and nanny employer research checklist
Use this before recruiting to identify the lawful route, price fair employment and build a child-safe household arrangement from home.
How to use it: read the section above first, then tick an item when you have captured the answer or evidence in your own move folder. The PDF is the offline quick-reference version.
1Define the relationship
2Verify the person and childcare evidence
3Build fair written terms
4Price and maintain the employer file
5Make the pre-move decision
Common questions
Questions about domestic help and nannies in Southeast Asia
Can expat families hire a maid or nanny in Southeast Asia?
Often, but the lawful route is country- and status-specific. A cleaning company, locally hired domestic worker, live-in foreign domestic helper and specialist nanny are not interchangeable. Confirm whether the household may employ, whether the worker may perform this role for this employer and which contract, registration and social-protection rules apply.
What is the respectful term: maid, helper or domestic worker?
Domestic worker is the clearest rights-based term; nanny or childcarer describes a childcare role. 'Maid' and 'helper' remain common search and official immigration terms in parts of the region, so this guide uses them only where needed to explain a route or answer that search intent.
Is it better to use an agency?
An agency can provide recruitment structure, replacement support and documented checks, but quality and legal role vary. Establish whether it employs the worker, merely places them or supplies temporary services; verify its current licence and ask who carries wages, benefits, insurance, immigration and supervision obligations.
Can we bring our existing nanny from another country?
Do not assume so. The nanny would need a destination work route for that occupation and employer as well as lawful entry and stay. Malaysia publishes a specific Employment Pass principal route for a foreign domestic helper; other destinations may not offer an equivalent household-sponsorship route. Obtain formal confirmation before travel or work.
How much does domestic help cost in Southeast Asia?
There is no reliable regional figure. City, hours, duties, live-in status, childcare experience, language and hiring arrangement all matter. Compare the full annual cost: wages, mandatory benefits or contributions, agency and permit costs, medical care or insurance, room and food, travel, leave cover, renewals and lawful ending costs.
What checks should parents make before hiring a nanny?
Verify identity, current work status and at least two references directly. Test experience with the child's actual age and needs, first aid, allergies, medicines, sleep, transport, pools and emergency judgement. Use a paid observed handover and written family rules before sole-charge care.
Should a live-in nanny be available whenever the family is home?
No. Living at the workplace does not erase working time, breaks, weekly rest, leave or privacy. Write an ordinary roster, define on-call or overnight responsibility, provide private accommodation and make off-duty time genuinely usable under local law.
Can we keep a worker's passport for safekeeping?
Do not retain identity or travel documents as a means of control. If the worker voluntarily asks for secure storage, document free access and provide a receipt/copy process, but first check local rules. Each person should be able to access their own original documents.
Can we rely on a home-country background check?
A background check from one country is not a universal or portable regional solution. Use the destination's available police, agency or identity processes where lawful, but do not treat one certificate as proof of safety. Direct references, scenario interviews, observed care, clear boundaries and continuing supervision remain essential.
What should be in a nanny contract?
At minimum: parties, workplace, start and duration, duties and exclusions, hours, breaks, on-call/overnight time, pay, lawful deductions, leave and holidays, benefits/contributions, accommodation and food, privacy, notice and final pay. Add a child-safeguarding schedule for medicine, allergies, discipline, photos, transport, visitors, emergency authority and incident reporting.