Employer overseas travel: care arrangements when you are away

By APEX Maids Agency Pte. Ltd. · MOM EA Licence 25C3180 · UEN 202547196H. Based in Jurong West and serving households across Singapore. Our website is apexmaids.sg and our phone is 8405 6661.

MOM’s rules for temporary accommodation

If you travel overseas and your helper stays at a friend’s, relative’s or employment agency’s premises, MOM’s notification requirements state:

• Notify MOM at least 7 days before the arrangement starts.
• The arrangement is limited to one month.
• Your helper must not work at the temporary premises.
• You must continue to pay her salary, levy and upkeep, and remain contactable.

This is different from the separate notified arrangement where your helper cares for your child or parent at a relative’s home under MOM’s employment-rules conditions. Do not mix the two.

If she stays at your registered address

If your helper remains at your registered home while you travel, the temporary-premises notification rules above do not apply. However, you should still prepare:

• ☐ Emergency contacts. Your phone abroad, a trusted family contact in Singapore, police (999), ambulance (995), nearest clinic.
• ☐ Care authority. If she is the primary carer for children or elderly, agree who makes decisions in your absence and discuss this with the designated person.
• ☐ Duties within her experience. Do not leave her responsible for clinical care, complex medical decisions or tasks beyond what she has done before.
• ☐ Communication plan. Agree how often you will check in and how she can reach you or the designated contact.

Plan these arrangements when hiring, not at the last minute. If your household routinely needs independent care coverage while you travel, discuss it with Apex during the interview preparation.

If you are planning to take your helper with you on a family trip abroad, that is a different situation with its own visa and document requirements. See the guide to travelling with your helper.

Related planning guides

For ordinary employment rules outside the temporary arrangement, use the separate employer guide.

• Review employment and rest-day rules