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The contract you sign with the recruitment office defines your rights: when the worker arrives, the replacement terms, and how you get your money back if there is a delay or a mismatch. When the office is unlicensed or does not honor its obligations, those rights turn into verbal promises that are hard to prove later.
Oversight of this sector is also ongoing, not theoretical. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced that its inspections in the second quarter of 2026 led to the immediate suspension of 5 recruitment offices and the license withdrawal of 7 others. The violations ranged from breaking the rules of the recruitment activity, to delays in refunding customers, to failing to handle beneficiaries' complaints.
The lesson is that the risk is not limited to a "fake office"; it also includes an office that has fallen short on its obligations. So verification is not a one-time step you complete and forget. It is a set of checks before and after payment.
These steps run from the easiest to the deepest. Do not move on to payment until you have completed all of them.
The official recruitment platform is the gateway through which regulated domestic-worker recruitment contracts pass, and it lets you confirm that an office is among the licensed providers. Search using the office name exactly as written on its license, not as it appears in an ad or a social media account. If you cannot find the office, or you find it with a status that differs from what you were told, that alone is reason enough to pause and ask for a written explanation. Since the platform's interface may change, always follow the path it shows at the time you check.
A serious recruitment office will not hesitate to give you its license number and commercial registration number. Match the trade name, activity, and city against the commercial registry data through the Ministry of Commerce's e-services, and watch for any mismatch between the name in the contract, the name on the license, and the name on the account you are asked to transfer money to.
A licensed office has a clear address, a published contact number, and an official website or page you can refer back to. Beware of impersonation: some accounts use a name similar to a well-known office or a number close to theirs. Match the contact number against what is published on the office's official channel, not against what arrived in a message.
A regulated recruitment contract is concluded electronically on the official platform and appears in your account with all its terms. Do not settle for a file sent over WhatsApp or an undocumented sheet of paper. When you read the contract, focus on three things: the arrival period (which, under the official rules, typically runs up to 90 days from paying the cost and signing the contract), the replacement and guarantee terms, and the refund mechanism in case of delay.
Any office that asks for a transfer to a personal account, a cash amount "to secure the booking," or a payment outside the official platform should make you stop immediately. Paying through official channels leaves a documented trail you can rely on if you need a refund or want to file a complaint.
Recruitment cost ceilings are set by the official authorities, vary by the worker's nationality, are reviewed periodically, and exclude VAT. A price far below the market is not necessarily a bargain; it may mean fees that show up later or a commitment that will not be fulfilled. A price above the announced ceiling deserves a check with the official authority before you pay.
Ask the office directly: how do you handle delays? How long does a refund take? How do I track my request? An office that answers clearly and puts its answer in writing is better than one that offers only reassuring phrases. And remember that the violations the Ministry announced specifically included delayed refunds and unhandled complaints, so these are the most important things to ask about.
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📋 After verifying, compare the listed offices and choose the right recruitment office for your city and budget. |
If any of the following appears, stop and ask for a written explanation before making any payment:
It avoids giving you the license or commercial registration number, or says it will "send it later" with no date.
It asks for cash, a personal-account transfer, or payment outside official channels.
It offers terms or guarantees that differ from what is written in the official electronic contract.
It promises an arrival time much shorter than the official procedures allow.
It pressures you with phrases like "the offer ends today" to make you pay before verifying.
It has no address you can confirm and avoids any contact other than written messages.
It uses a name, logo, or number that resembles a well-known office without being that office.
Even among licensed recruitment offices, you may see differences in the advertised price. Reasons include the worker's nationality and occupation, extra services, the expected recruitment period, and the replacement and after-arrival follow-up policy. Do not treat price alone as proof of trust or of the lack of it; what matters most is that every item is written in the contract and that you understand exactly what you are paying for.
An office's license is a first requirement, but it is not a guarantee of every experience. A licensed office can still run late or slip on follow-up, which is what the announced violations about refund delays reflect. The answer is not to distrust every office, but to combine license verification with protecting yourself through documents.
How do you protect yourself in practice? Keep a copy of the contract, the payment receipts, and all correspondence. Track your request from your account on the official platform as it progresses. And if the office stalls, file a complaint through official channels: the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's e-complaint service, or the unified number 19911 as announced by the official authorities. The more complete your documents, the easier it is to prove your case.
Once the license is confirmed, compare at least two or three offices on the advertised price, arrival time, replacement terms, and availability of the nationality you want. Ayady lists licensed offices such as Hudood Al-Afkar Recruitment, Al-Da'era Recruitment Company, Smart Resources Recruitment Office, and Tawassut Recruitment, each with a different address and price range. The list changes over time, so review it when you decide.
To look at the best recruitment offices by the criteria that matter to you, such as city, price, and nationality, use the licensed offices page and compare for yourself, then re-check the license as in the steps above before you sign.
Prepare one standard list of questions for every office: license number, arrival time, replacement policy, refund terms, and accepted payment methods. Record the answers in a simple table so comparing is easy. Set your priorities (nationality, arrival city, budget) before you start so you are not swept along by a flashy offer. The time you spend at this stage is far less than the time lost in a dispute after payment.
Now that you know how to verify, the next stage is organized comparison. Ayady is a Saudi digital platform that brings licensed recruitment offices together in one place, helps you compare offices and workers by city, nationality, price, and payment options, and gives you a clearer view that makes choosing easier. You can start from recruiting domestic workers and browse the options that fit your family's needs.
"Ayady operates as a technical and marketing intermediary, not a recruitment office or a financing entity. Recruitment services are provided through licensed service providers, while financing approval, terms, and decisions remain subject to the relevant financing entity."
And to be clear: Ayady does not issue licenses and does not replace the official check. We recommend combining a look at the listed offices with license verification through official channels before you pay, because that is what gives you a decision you can feel confident about.
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💳 Is the upfront cost delaying your decision? Explore domestic worker recruitment on installments — approval is subject to the financing entity. |
The upfront cost is one of the most common reasons families postpone recruitment. Ayady provides access to payment and financing options through licensed financing companies, and installment options appear on the profiles of eligible workers. An important note: approval, terms, duration, and the final decision rest with the financing entity alone, not with Ayady or the office.
Installments do not replace verification. An untrustworthy office stays untrustworthy whether you pay at once or in installments. Verify the license and the contract first, then look at the payment option that suits your family's budget.
Relying on an ad or a social media post without an official check on the office.
Paying to secure the booking before reading the whole electronic contract.
Treating the lowest price as the best deal without understanding what it includes.
Ignoring replacement and refund terms because "it will all work out."
Relying on verbal promises or chat messages instead of the contract clauses.
Not keeping payment receipts and correspondence.
Delaying a complaint after a problem appears until the claim becomes hard to prove.
Check the office officially before the first serious conversation about price.
Ask for the license and commercial registration numbers and write them down.
Pay only through official channels, and never transfer to a personal account.
Read the electronic contract clause by clause, especially replacement, refund, and arrival time.
Compare at least two or three offices instead of settling for the first offer.
Keep a copy of every document and message.
Track the request from your account on the official platform, and do not wait until the period runs out.
Check the office name on the official recruitment platform, then ask for its license and commercial registration numbers and match them against official data. If you are comparing offices through Ayady, treat it as a starting point for comparison, then complete the official verification before paying.
No. The advertised number must match the office's data with the official authorities and agree with the name in the contract and on the payment account. An ad alone is not proof.
Key signs include requests for payment outside official channels, avoiding the license number, an undocumented contract, an address you cannot confirm, and pressure to pay quickly.
The principle is that payment goes through the official channels of the electronic contract. Any request for a personal transfer or cash payment calls for stopping and asking questions before any step.
Under the official rules, the recruitment period typically runs up to 90 days from paying the cost and signing the contract, and it may vary with nationality and procedures. Check the period clause in your contract.
Document the correspondence and file a complaint through official channels, such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's e-complaint service or the unified number 19911 as announced by the official authorities, attaching the contract and receipts.
Ayady brings together licensed recruitment offices and helps you compare them, but it is a technical and marketing intermediary, not a recruitment office, and it does not replace official verification. Review any office's details before paying, as in the steps above.
Ayady provides access to payment and financing options through licensed financing companies, and approval and terms are subject to the financing entity's decision. You can browse installment-eligible workers, then verify the office as described.
Not necessarily. Compare what the price includes, the arrival time, and the replacement and refund terms, and make sure every item is written in the contract.
You can browse licensed recruitment offices on Ayady and compare them by city, price, and nationality.
For more answers, see the frequently asked questions about domestic worker recruitment.
Making sure a recruitment office is licensed and trustworthy is not a luxury or needless complication; it is the step that protects your money, your time, and your family's peace of mind. Check officially, ask for the license and commercial registration, confirm the electronic contract, pay only through official channels, and compare before you decide. When you deal with any of the recruitment offices for household staff using these steps, you get closer to a domestic worker recruitment experience that is clear and reassuring.
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Start now: browse domestic worker recruitment, compare licensed recruitment offices, and begin your recruitment journey with clear steps. |
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