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Emergency Help for Domestic Workers in the Gulf

If you are a domestic worker in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, or Qatar and you need urgent help — passport held, wages unpaid, confined in the house, abuse, medical emergency — this page is for you. Free. No signup. The hotlines and embassy contacts below are official and operate in your language.

If you are in immediate physical danger, dial the local police number first: UAE 999, Saudi 911 or 999, Qatar 999, Oman 9999, Bahrain 999, Kuwait 112.

Government labour hotlines by country

Every Gulf country has a free, official complaint channel for domestic workers. The numbers below are verified May 2026. You can call from any phone — yours, a neighbour's, a hospital's, a mosque's, a supermarket payphone.

United Arab Emirates

Labour authority: MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation)
Hotline: 800-60 (toll-free) or 600-590000
24-hour multilingual; ask for domestic-worker protection unit
Online / app: mohre.gov.ae (MOHRE app on Android/iOS)
SMS / app channel: MOHRE app — anonymous complaint allowed
Domestic-worker law: Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 (Domestic Workers Law, in force 15 December 2022). Tadbeer centres handle authorised hiring.
Passport rule: FDL 9/2022 and FDL 33/2021 Article 13 bar the employer from retaining your passport or personal identity documents.

Saudi Arabia

Labour authority: MHRSD (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development)
Hotline: 19911
24/7 multilingual: English, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Tagalog (confirm available languages on the call)
Online / app: hrsd.gov.sa (Wadi / Amicable Settlement portal); Musaned.com.sa for domestic-worker contracts
SMS / app channel: Musaned platform supports complaints in the worker's name
Domestic-worker law: Ministerial Decision No. 310 of 1434H (Domestic Workers Regulation). From 1 January 2026, ALL domestic-worker salaries must be paid electronically via Musaned (no more cash). If your salary is still paid in cash or not at all after January 2026, that is a separate violation you can report on 19911.
Passport rule: Council of Ministers Resolution No. 166 of 1421H bars the employer from retaining your passport or iqama.

Qatar

Labour authority: Ministry of Labour
Hotline: 16008 (or 16505)
24/7 multilingual: Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tagalog, and other South-Asian languages
Online / app: mol.gov.qa — Unified Platform for Complaints and Whistleblowers
SMS / app channel: SMS to 92727; email [email protected]
Domestic-worker law: Law No. 15 of 2017 (Domestic Workers Law). The No-Objection Certificate requirement was abolished by Decree-Law 19/2020 — you have the right to change employer.
Passport rule: Law 21/2015 Article 8 bars the employer from retaining your passport. Any prior written 'consent' can be revoked at any time on demand — fine of up to QAR 25,000 per worker for violations.

Oman

Labour authority: Ministry of Labour
Hotline: 80077000
Multilingual; ask for domestic-worker protection
Online / app: Ministry of Labour online complaint portal; physical branch offices in every governorate
Domestic-worker law: Ministerial Decision No. 574 of 2025 (Domestic Workers Governance Regulation, in force 2025; replaces Min. Decree 189/2004). Caps daily working hours at 12 with at least 8 hours of consecutive rest; requires the employer to provide housing, food, healthcare, and transportation; expressly prohibits forced labour and passport retention without written consent.
Passport rule: Min. Decision 574/2025 prohibits passport retention; the written-consent exception is narrow and revocable at any time.

Bahrain

Labour authority: LMRA (Labour Market Regulatory Authority)
Hotline: 80008001 (LMRA hotline) — also Ministry of Labour 17873388
Multilingual
Online / app: lmra.gov.bh — online complaint portal; LMRA Expatriate Management System
Domestic-worker law: LMRA Tripartite Domestic Contract regime under Law 19/2006 and Decree-Law 36/2012. Bahrain's domestic-worker contract is filed with LMRA and any change requires the worker's consent.
Passport rule: LMRA's longstanding 2009 directive and successive guidance prohibit employer retention of your passport.

Kuwait

Labour authority: PAM (Public Authority for Manpower)
Hotline: Sahel app + PAM branches; new digital complaint system rolled out 2025
Domestic Workers Department of PAM handles domestic-worker complaints specifically
Online / app: PAM website (manpower.gov.kw); Sahel app
SMS / app channel: Sahel app (Kuwait government services). Kuwait opened a dedicated migrant-worker shelter in March 2025 offering legal, medical, and repatriation services.
Domestic-worker law: Law No. 68 of 2015 (Domestic Workers Law). Caps daily hours and prohibits employer retention of the worker's passport.
Passport rule: Law 68/2015 prohibits employer retention of your passport. PAM directives extend the prohibition across the wider workforce.

Your country's embassy labour attaché

Every embassy in the Gulf has a labour attaché whose job is exactly this — to help nationals of their country who are in distress. Calling your embassy is FREE and you do not need permission from your employer.

Philippines

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) / Migrant Workers Office (MWO)

Every Philippine embassy in the Gulf has a Migrant Workers Office. MWO Dubai, MWO Riyadh, MWO Doha, MWO Manama, MWO Kuwait, MWO Muscat. Ask for the labour attaché.

Indonesia

Indonesian Embassy / Consulate — Pelindungan WNI hotline

Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs Safe Travel + Pelindungan WNI hotline 24/7. WhatsApp 0811-1500-700 reaches the Crisis Response Centre.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) — Embassy labour section

SLBFE runs a 24-hour migrant worker hotline reachable from the Gulf: dial Sri Lanka country code +94 followed by 1989.

Bangladesh

BMET (Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training) + Embassy labour wing

Bangladeshi missions in the Gulf have a labour counsellor; BMET runs a Probashi Kallyan Bank for migrant-worker assistance.

Nepal

DoFE (Department of Foreign Employment) — Embassy labour attaché

Nepal Embassy / Consulate in Riyadh, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Muscat, Manama. Helpline 1529 inside Nepal; +977-1-5970027 from abroad.

India

MEA eMigrate + Embassy labour wing + Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK)

MADAD portal (madad.gov.in) accepts complaints from anywhere. Indian missions in Riyadh, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Muscat, Manama have labour wings.

Ethiopia / Kenya / Uganda / Tanzania

Embassy / Consulate labour attaché (where present)

East-African origin countries' coverage in the Gulf is uneven — supplement with Migrant-Rights.org's referral directory (migrant-rights.org) which lists active NGOs in each Gulf country.

Don't see your country? Migrant-Rights.org maintains a directory of active NGOs in each Gulf country: migrant-rights.org

Copy-paste SOS message

This message fits into one WhatsApp / SMS / email. Fill in the bracketed parts and send it to the labour hotline OR your embassy OR a trusted contact at home. Keep it short — your safety is more important than the message being perfect.

I am [your name], [nationality] domestic worker in [city, country].
I work for [employer name]. Their phone is [employer phone if known].
I need urgent help. The situation is:
  • Passport held by employer: [YES / NO]
  • Wages unpaid: [number of months]
  • Confined / cannot leave the house: [YES / NO]
  • Physical abuse / threats: [YES / NO]
  • Medical emergency: [YES / NO]
I have evidence: [photos / messages / contract / payslips — list what you have]
Please file a complaint with the labour authority and the embassy on my behalf, or call me back on this number.
My residence card / iqama / civil ID number is [last 4 digits only].

If the hotline does not answer in a language you speak, hang up and send the message in your own language by SMS or WhatsApp — every hotline above has multilingual staff to translate.

Right now — what to do

If you are in immediate physical danger: call the local police (UAE 999, Saudi 911/999, Qatar 999, Oman 9999, Bahrain 999, Kuwait 112). The police can come to the house.
If you can leave the house: go to a police station, a hospital, your embassy, or a mosque — anywhere you can ask for help. None of these can be lawfully closed to you because of your employment.
If you cannot leave the house but have a phone: call or message a hotline from the list above. If you cannot speak freely, send a written message instead — every hotline accepts SMS, WhatsApp, or app messages.
If you do not have your own phone: ask any other person you can reach (neighbour, supermarket, hospital, mosque, visitor) for theirs for one call or one message. You do not have to explain. The SOS message above fits into one WhatsApp.
Take a screenshot of this page or save the hotline numbers in your contacts under a discreet name (e.g. "Maria") before the page is closed.

After the emergency call

Once you have made contact with a hotline or your embassy, you will want to put your demands in writing. Three Commoner Law letters are specifically designed for the situations domestic workers most often face — they are paid letters ($5 each), but the hotlines and embassy contacts above are always free and should always come first.

Gulf Passport Return Demand Letter — formal demand that the employer return your passport.
Gulf WPS Unpaid Wages Demand Letter — for unpaid wages (with multi-country statutes).
Gulf False Absconding (Huroob) Rebuttal Letter — if the employer has filed or threatens to file a false absconding report against you.

About this page

This page is provided free of charge by Commoner Law. It is informational and self-help — not legal advice. Hotlines and laws can change; we last verified the information on this page on 12 May 2026. If a number does not work, please tell us via the contact form and try the country's online portal instead.

This page is intentionally free. If you found it useful and you can afford to, you can donate to help keep Commoner Law's resources free for everyone — but it is never required.