Transfer maid agencies in Singapore: who is on MOM's list
Checked 15 Oct 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Short answerMOM publishes a list of 487 employment agencies willing to take over responsibility for a helper and find her a new employer (as of 3 June 2025). 232 of them are in our directory, listed below by placements. Once an agency agrees and cancels her Work Permit, it must provide her accommodation, food, medical care and insurance until she starts a new job or goes home.
A transfer helper is already working in Singapore and wants to move to a new employer. Agencies help in two ways: by taking over a helper's care from her current employer while they find her a new one, and by helping new employers meet helpers who are ready to transfer. MOM keeps a list of agencies willing to do the first. This page shows which of them are in our directory, and what each side should expect.
About MOM's transfer list
What it is: MOM's list of "employment agencies willing to consider taking over the responsibilities for helpers to facilitate transfers".
How agencies get on it: they registered their interest with MOM. The list is as of 3 June 2025, and MOM says you can also ask agencies that are not listed.
Size: 487 agencies. 232 are in our directory, meaning they placed 55 or more helpers from 11 Oct 2025 to 11 Oct 2026. 14 recorded no placements in that period, and 77 licence numbers do not appear in the helper view of the directory extract we use.
How the lists are joined: by MOM licence number, against MOM Employment Agency Directory (FDW view), extracted 12 Oct 2026. Sorted by placements, highest first, ties in alphabetical order.
What it does not tell you: fees, how many transfer helpers an agency has now, or how well it will suit you. Placements show activity, not quality. Check any agency in MOM's EA Directory.
She agrees, the agency agrees in writing, the agency cancels her Work Permit, and from then on the agency looks after her until her new job starts.
By size: 22 with 600 or more placements, 29 with 300 to 599, 116 with 100 to 299 and 65 with 55 to 99. For the other listed agencies, see MOM's full list. To compare all licensed agencies, use our agency directory.
If you want an agency to take over your helper
Check that she agrees to be transferred to another employer.
Contact an agency on MOM's list, or ask one that is not listed.
Agree the handover in writing, for example by email, and keep a copy. MOM suggests this to protect both of you if there is a dispute.
With your authorisation, the agency cancels her Work Permit for the transfer.
Once the agency has cancelled her permit, it is responsible for her until she starts with a new employer or leaves Singapore. It must:
pay for her upkeep, with acceptable accommodation, adequate food and medical treatment;
buy and keep medical insurance for her with cover of at least SGD 60,000;
pay for her ticket home, to the airport or port nearest her hometown, if she has not found a new employer before her Special Pass ends (it is issued for up to 30 days).
MOM takes action, including demerit points, against agencies that do not meet these responsibilities. The levy stops when her Work Permit is cancelled. If her permit is not cancelled while she waits at an agency, you keep paying the levy until her new employer has her permit issued.
If no agency will take her on, you can transfer her directly to a new employer, or, if she no longer wants a transfer, cancel her Work Permit and send her home. You stay responsible for her accommodation, food and medical treatment until she leaves Singapore.
If you want to hire a transfer helper
MOM's Ask Jaya column notes that with a transfer helper you can interview her in person, she can visit your home first, and she is often available straight away. It may cost less, as you do not need to fly her in, though some transfer helpers prefer a shorter stay rather than a full two years. It also calls the idea that transfer helpers are harder to manage a myth: there are many reasons a helper moves on, such as her employer's needs changing or the family relocating.
MOM does not cap what agencies charge employers, so ask for an itemised quote and compare. What an agency can charge the helper is capped. See agency fees and the fee cap and refunds, and how to choose an agency for what to ask.
Once it cancels her permit, the agency provides a home, food and medical care, keeps SGD 60,000 medical insurance, and pays her ticket home if no new job is found within her Special Pass (up to 30 days).
MOM lists 487 agencies willing to take over a helper's care and find her a new employer (as of 3 June 2025). 232 of them are in our directory. You can also ask agencies that are not listed.
Can I transfer my maid to an agency?
Yes, if she agrees and the agency agrees to take over responsibility for her. Put the agreement in writing. With your authorisation, the agency cancels her Work Permit and becomes responsible for her.
Who pays for my helper while she waits at the agency?
Once the agency cancels her Work Permit for the transfer, it pays for her accommodation, food, medical treatment and medical insurance. If her permit is not cancelled, you keep paying the levy until her new employer has her permit issued.
What happens if she does not find a new employer?
Her Special Pass is issued for up to 30 days. If she has not found a new employer by then, the agency must pay for her ticket home.
Can I transfer a maid without an agency?
Yes. You can transfer her directly to a new employer through MOM's FDW eService. See our transfer guide for the steps.
How much do agencies charge for a transfer maid?
MOM does not cap the fees agencies charge employers, so ask each agency for an itemised quote. The fees an agency can charge the helper are capped.
Are transfer helpers harder to manage?
MOM's Ask Jaya column calls this a myth. Helpers transfer for many reasons, such as a change in the employer's needs or a family relocating. Check her employment history before you decide.