Relocating to Hong Kong with a domestic helper: 2026 employer eligibility

Any Hong Kong resident who meets nine criteria set by the Hong Kong Immigration Department may employ a foreign domestic helper (FDH), and for a family arriving from abroad those criteria are the first compliance gate in a relocation plan — not a formality to clear after the lease is signed. This article follows the Immigration Department's official "Foreign Domestic Helpers" page, as of the October 2026 version, together with the Standard Employment Contract (ID407) and the Guidebook for the Employment of Domestic Helpers from Abroad (ID-E-969) it points to. Numbers and dates below are those published on those pages; the Department revises them periodically, so treat the official latest publication as controlling for your own filing, and read this as general reference rather than personalised advice on your circumstances.

Who can employ a helper when your family relocates?

The eligibility test attaches to the employer as a person resident in Hong Kong, not to the job you want done. The nine criteria fall into four decision buckets: money, household, your own standing, and the promises you make in the contract.

Bucket	Criterion
Financial capacity	You are financially capable of employing an FDH
Financial capacity	You will pay a salary no less than the prevailing minimum allowable wage
Household	You will let the helper work and reside at the contractual address only
Household	You will provide decent accommodation and suitable privacy
Household	The helper will perform domestic duties only
Your standing	You are a bona fide resident in Hong Kong, and the bona fides of you and the helper are not in doubt
Your standing	You have no adverse record in respect of employment of FDH
Contract promises	You have entered into a Standard Employment Contract (ID407) with the prospective helper
Contract promises	You will not allow or require the helper to take up employment with any other person during the contractual period

The Director of Immigration assesses eligibility against the criteria in the guidebook. If you are considered ineligible, the written notification sets out a channel to request reconsideration.

For a family that has not yet taken up residence, the binding items are usually the household ones. The Department treats "the employer's residence" as a single household in one location, so a contract cannot carry a second address, and the accommodation must meet the standard in the Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties attached to ID407. A serviced apartment booked for the first month, or a flat still under renovation, will not match the address you later register without a further filing.

Does the HK$15,000 income rule apply per helper?

Yes. Financial proof is not required where the employer's average household income remains no less than HK$15,000 for each domestic helper to be employed; the Department may still ask for further supporting documents in individual cases.

You declare this under "Household Information", Part 3 of application form ID988B. A household planning to employ two helpers needs to clear the threshold twice over, and any change of income goes through the same declaration rather than through a separate financial-vetting exercise.

What wage must the contract state in 2026?

The minimum allowable wage (MAW) for FDHs is HK$5,220 per month, effective from 3 October 2026, and that level applies to all FDH employment contracts signed on or after that date. Contracts signed on or before 2 October 2026 at a wage of not less than the then prevailing MAW of HK$5,100 per month are still processed on those terms, provided the applications reached the Immigration Department on or before 30 October 2026.

The wage is not negotiable downwards after signing. An employer who underpays is liable on conviction under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) to a maximum fine of HK$350,000 and three years' imprisonment, and may also be committing offences of making false representation to an immigration officer and conspiracy to defraud. The Labour Department's foreign domestic helper pages publish the prevailing MAW, which is reviewed periodically by the Labour and Welfare Bureau.

Where can the helper actually work and live?

At the contractual address, and only there. Clause 3 of ID407 requires the helper to work and reside in the employer's residence at the specified address, and Clause 4(a) limits duties to the household at that address.

Certain off-site errands are treated as incidental to household chores — going to the market, car washing, delivering food or personal items to family members living in the same residence. Long-term care of a household member in an elderly home is not, because it cannot be regarded as a genuine domestic duty. If your relocation involves a parent in a separate residence, note also that the Department may consider financial proof provided by an adult child in support of an application made by an aged parent, dealt with on individual merits.

Driving is excluded from domestic duties, and the condition of stay on an FDH visa does not permit driving. The Department can grant special permission where the driving is incidental to and arises from one of the five broad categories of domestic duties — household chores, cooking, baby-sitting, child-minding and looking after aged persons in the household. The helper must hold a valid Hong Kong driving licence at the time of application.

What keeps you eligible after you land?

Eligibility is maintained, not just obtained. Four obligations matter most to a newly arrived household:

Notify the Department of a change of contractual address on form ID407G. Proof of the new residential address is not required once ID407G is submitted, though further documents may be requested in individual cases. If the new address is a flat in a Housing Department or Hong Kong Housing Society estate, a consent letter from the authority and a copy of the tenancy agreement are required.
Do not deploy the helper at another address, including a second flat you own. Aiding and abetting a breach of a condition of stay carries a maximum penalty on conviction of a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for two years.
Settle any overdue Employees Retraining Levy. Collection of the levy was abolished after the expiry of its suspension on 1 August 2013, but outstanding amounts remain payable, and unpaid levy counts as an adverse record that can render an employer ineligible for a period.
Report early termination. Clause 12 of ID407 requires both parties to give the Director of Immigration written notice within seven days of termination, and the helper may remain in Hong Kong for not more than two weeks afterwards.

What does the filing involve, and how long does it take?

Both the application form for employing a domestic helper from abroad and the entry visa application must be completed and accompanied by all supporting documents, including a completed ID407 (notarised by the relevant consulate, except for countries that do not require notarisation). Incomplete filings are returned with no further action until re-submitted.

The Department's performance pledge is that 90% of FDH applications will be finalised within six weeks of receipt of all necessary documents. Applications can be submitted by drop-in, post or online through the dedicated Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers webpage; a helper who is not physically in Hong Kong can use the online service only for an entry visa as a new foreign domestic helper.

A relocation sequence that follows the rules

Confirm that the employing spouse or partner will be a bona fide Hong Kong resident.

Fix the single residential address before signing ID407.

Check average household income against HK$15,000 per helper.

Sign ID407 at a wage of no less than the prevailing MAW.

Have the contract notarised where the helper's country requires it.

File the employment and entry visa applications together with ID988B and supporting documents.

Wait for the visa before the helper starts work, unless her current limit of stay is still valid.

File ID407G if the contractual address changes after arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply before my family has a Hong Kong address?

The criteria require the helper to work and reside at a contractual address you already occupy, and only one address may appear in ID407. An address fixed for the arrival date is what the application needs; a placeholder address is not.

Is the HK$15,000 income test per household or per helper?

Per helper. Financial proof is not required where average household income is at least HK$15,000 for each domestic helper to be employed, declared in Part 3 of ID988B.

Can my helper care for my elderly parent who lives in a care home?

No. Deploying a helper to work in an elderly home is not regarded as a genuine domestic duty. Simple delivery of food or sundry items to a temporarily hospitalised household member is treated differently.

Can my helper drive the children to school?

Only with special permission from the Director of Immigration, and only where the driving is incidental to a domestic duty such as child-minding. She must hold a valid Hong Kong driving licence when you apply.

What happens if I move to a new flat after the contract starts?

Submit form ID407G to notify the Department of the new contractual address. No residential proof is needed once ID407G is filed, but estate flats require a consent letter and tenancy agreement, and further documents may be requested in individual cases.

Can I hand the helper's contract to a relative if I am posted out of Hong Kong?

Not by amending the address. Where the employer has relocated outside Hong Kong, the request to amend the contractual address cannot be granted; a new contract between the relative and the helper, plus a change-of-employer application, is the route.

Can the helper keep working while the new visa is pending?

If her current limit of stay has not expired, she may continue working until the new employment visa is issued. Once that limit has expired, she must not work while waiting.