Domestic Helper Agency in Sarawak
There is now one way to hire a foreign domestic helper in Sarawak, and it runs online through HAVEN. The Immigration counters no longer take manual maid submissions — not for a new helper, not for a renewal. A family who last hired in 2023 will recognise almost nothing about the process.
Citra Excel places Indonesian helpers (pembantu rumah) with Sarawak households, and files the whole chain: the Approval Letter, the Labour Licence, the eVDR, the medical bookings, the pass, and the renewal a year later.
Application route
HAVEN (online)
Helpers we place
Indonesian
Medical after arrival
Within 30 days
Everything Now Runs Through HAVEN
HAVEN — the Household and Assistance Vetting & Employment Network — is the Sarawak government portal for household employers. It sits under GENESIS and you log into it through ALIANCE, the same single sign-on used for Sarawak's other foreign-worker systems. If you had an MSEN account under the old system, the same email still works.
One portal now carries the entire journey: the Approval Letter, the Labour Licence, the SAFHIS medical bookings, the PLKS work pass, and the helper's identity card. The steps feed each other in a fixed order, and the order is not negotiable — the eVDR cannot be applied for until the Labour Licence is approved, and the Labour Licence does not exist until the Approval Letter does.
Quick rule: if the last time you hired a helper the paperwork started at an Immigration counter, none of that flow exists any more. The file starts in HAVEN or it does not start.
Who Can Hire, and Who Can Be Hired
Both sides are screened. Most applications that go nowhere fail here, before a single document is uploaded.
The Employer
You, the household
- Status:
- Malaysian citizen, Sarawak Employment Pass 1 (EP1) holder, or S-MM2H visa holder
- Household income:
- A minimum of RM36,000 a year to employ an Indonesian helper, or RM60,000 a year for a helper from any other approved country. Above RM120,000 a year, a second helper may be approved
- Marriage:
- Male applicants must be married, and the marriage certificate goes into the document pack
- Home:
- You do not need to own it. Renting is fine — but the address on the helper's pass must be where she actually works
The Helper
Foreign domestic helper
- Profile:
- Female, aged 21 to 45 at the time of application
- Location:
- Living in her home country when the application is made. Someone already in Malaysia on another pass cannot simply be converted
- Nationality:
- One of nine approved source countries — Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal
- Passport:
- Valid for at least 1 year
- Health:
- Must return a 'Fit' result — once at home, once again in Sarawak
The Nine Steps, In Order
Each step has its own clock. Miss one and the step before it can expire.
Approval Letter
Applied in HAVEN and downloaded from HAVEN. Valid 6 months
Labour Licence
Applied automatically once the Approval Letter clears. Valid 1 year
Medical at Home
The helper is screened in her own country and must come back 'Fit'
eVDR
Visa with reference, using the approved Labour Licence. Valid 4 months, renewable twice
Entry
The helper travels to Sarawak on the electronic visa and eVDR
SAFHIS Medical
Booked via HAVEN at a panel clinic — within 30 days of arrival
PLKS
The work pass itself, collected at Immigration for a new hire. Valid 1 year
NSIC
The helper's Non-Sarawakian Identity Card, by appointment. Valid 1 year
Renewal
Opens 90 days before the pass expires. Medical repeats only in odd years
The renewal PLKS downloads from HAVEN. Only a new hire needs the counter.
Where an Agency Is Not Optional
HAVEN is built around the employer's own ALIANCE account, which makes the whole thing look self-serve. For most of the chain, it nearly is. Then you reach the eVDR.
The visa-with-reference is applied for through a licensed agency — whatever the source country, and including the case that surprises people most: you already found the helper yourself. A relative's helper whose contract ended. A neighbour's recommendation. A helper who worked for your sister and wants to come back. None of that removes the eVDR step, and the eVDR step is not something a household files alone.
Indonesian placements carry a second chain on the sending side. The helper must be released through a licensed P3MI company in Indonesia, and the receiving agency must be registered with the Indonesian Consulate (KJRI) in Kuching through SIPERMIT. Two governments, two sets of paperwork, one helper.
What We Handle
- •The HAVEN application — eligibility check first, then the Approval Letter and the full document pack
- •The eVDR — including when you have already chosen the helper yourself
- •The Indonesian side — P3MI release and our KJRI Kuching registration
- •The SAFHIS booking — inside the 30-day window, which is the deadline families most often miss
- •PLKS and NSIC — the Immigration collection and the identity-card appointment
- •The renewal calendar — so the 90-day window opens with you already in it, not past it
- •Replacement support — if the placement does not settle within the first 3 months
The Document Pack
Employer and spouse
- •NRIC, both of you
- •Marriage certificate
- •Birth certificates for children under 15
- •Latest utility bill
- •e-Filing, if working
- •SSM, if you own a company
- •Three months of payslips or bank statements
- •The employment contract between you and the helper
The helper
- •Passport copy
- •Source-country medical report, for a new application
- •Sarawak medical report, for a renewal
Preferred, though not required: basic caregiving or nursing experience, first-aid training, or an elderly-care certificate.
Rules That Bite
- •One helper per application. Two helpers means two separate files, not one bigger one
- •The address must match. The pass names where the helper works. Move house within Sarawak and the pass is shortened at Immigration and reissued for the new address
- •An Unfit medical ends it. There is no appeal — the employer obtains a Check-Out Memo and arranges repatriation
- •The 30-day medical window is real. It starts the day she lands, not the day you get around to booking
- •Using an unlicensed operator is an offence under the Private Employment Agencies Act 1981 — and the fallout lands on the household, not only the operator
Why the Licence Matters Here
Citra Excel holds a current JTKSWK Licence (No: JTKSWK0006-C/25), SSM Registration (No: 953273-P), and a KJRI Kuching Registration Certificate for Indonesian migrant worker placement. That last one is what makes an Indonesian helper placement legal on the Indonesian side, not just the Malaysian one.
Verification details are on our licences and compliance page. If you are weighing up any agency, including us, our guide to what a licensed agent in Sarawak can and cannot legally do is the place to start.
Related Guides
Hire an Indonesian Maid in Sarawak: Complete Guide
A practical guide for Sarawak families on hiring an Indonesian domestic helper, covering eligibility, source-side (BP2MI / P3MI) requirements, the recruitment process, and how Indonesian placements differ from Filipino ones.
Sarawak Work Permit (PLKS) Renewal and Extension: An Employer's Guide
How Sarawak employers renew or extend a foreign worker's PLKS (Pas Lawatan Kerja Sementara). A practical guide to timing, documents, medical clearance, and the most common pitfalls that cause rejections.
Maid Agency Kuching: How to Choose
How to find a licensed maid agency in Kuching, Sarawak. What to look for, the hiring process for Indonesian and Filipino helpers, and why use an agency.
Hire a Domestic Helper Sarawak (2026)
A complete guide for Sarawak families on hiring a foreign domestic helper, including eligibility, documents needed, and the application process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still submit a maid application at the Immigration counter?
No. Manual submissions have ended for both new applications and renewals — everything runs through the HAVEN portal. A few physical steps remain, such as collecting the PLKS for a first-time hire, but the file itself is lodged online.
Do I still need an agency if I already found the helper myself?
For the immigration side, yes. The eVDR is applied for through a licensed agency whatever the source country, including when the family has chosen the helper themselves. Indonesian placements also need the sending-side chain — a licensed P3MI company and the receiving agency's SIPERMIT registration with KJRI Kuching.
What household income do I need to hire a domestic helper in Sarawak?
A minimum household income of RM36,000 a year to employ an Indonesian helper, or RM60,000 a year for a helper from another approved country. Above RM120,000 a year, a second helper may be approved. Lower incomes are assessed case by case.
When can I renew my helper's pass?
The renewal can be submitted up to 90 days before the PLKS expires. The medical screening is only repeated in odd-year renewals — in even years the application goes straight to PLKS issuance, and the renewed pass downloads from HAVEN with no counter visit.
What happens if my helper fails the medical screening?
An 'Unfit' result in SAFHIS ends the placement. There is no appeal. The employer must obtain a Check-Out Memo from Immigration and arrange repatriation. This is why the source-country screening matters — it is the cheaper place to find a problem.
Can I apply for two helpers at once?
No — one helper per application. A second helper, where your income qualifies, means a second separate application.
Hiring a Helper Under the New System?
Talk to us before you start the HAVEN application, not after it stalls.
Dzilwana Binti Redzuan
Operations Manager
Talk to Zill about domestic helper placement.
Prefer email or a form? Contact us here.