THOSE who wish to employ Indonesian domestic workers are required to use the services of private employment agencies and go through the Indonesian Embassy, the Human Resources Ministry said today.

This process has been outlined under the memorandum of understanding between the two governments and the process involves the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia, the Indonesian Embassy and the Immigration Department, the ministry added.

The new application process needs to be done through the Maid Online System and SIPERMIT owned by the Indonesian Embassy, with a maximum cost of RM15,000.

“The payment for domestic workers from other countries are subject to the employment agency and the potential employer,” the ministry announced in a statement today.

The permit renewal process for Indonesian domestic workers do not require confirmation from the Department of Labour and employers can do so at the Immigration Department without an employment agency.

“If the Indonesian worker’s passport has expired, the employer needs to go through a similar process to that of a new application,” the ministry said, adding employers can directly submit the application to the Immigration Department for workers from other countries.

Every employment agency is required to have a valid licence issued by the Department of Labour, and under the Private Employment Agency Act 1981, the agencies can charge not more than the worker’s monthly salary. – Bernama, November 14, 2023.