Hiring a Maid, Cook or Nanny in India: A Safe Hiring Checklist

Picture a working couple in Gurugram looking for a full-time nanny for their one-year-old, while the husband's mother, who lives with them, needs help with meals and medicines. A neighbour's maid suggests a relative who is 'very good with children', and she can start tomorrow. A person who works inside your home sees your routine, your cupboards and your children every day, so a few careful steps before that first day matter more than any lock. This guide covers where to find help safely, what documents to collect, how domestic help police verification works, the warning signs to watch in the first weeks, and how to set fair written terms.

The short version

• Agencies and personal references both work if you verify them. Speak to a previous employer yourself.
• Collect copies of identity and address proof, current and native, plus a family contact. Never keep originals.
• Apply for police verification through your city police website or local station; many cities offer it for domestic help.
• Run an online check of public court records alongside police verification.
• Use the first few weeks as a supervised trial, and watch patterns rather than single incidents.
• Write down the terms: pay, hours, weekly off, leave and notice. Fair treatment is also good safety.

Where to find help: agencies or references

Through a placement agency

• Ask whether the agency is registered with the local authorities where your state requires it, and get its full office address.
• Ask exactly what verification it has done on the worker, and ask to see it. 'Verified' should mean a document you can read, not a word on a brochure.
• Get the fee, the replacement policy and the trial period in writing before you pay.
• Ask how the worker is paid. Be careful with arrangements where the agency collects her salary and pays her a part of it.

Through personal references

• References from neighbours, relatives or building staff are common and often work well, but a recommendation is not the same as a previous employer.
• Ask for at least one household she has actually worked in and call them yourself.
• Useful questions: How long did she work with you? What were her duties? Why did she leave? Did anything go missing? Would you take her back?
• For a nanny or elderly-care attendant, ask specifically how she handled a sick child, a fall or a medical emergency.

Documents to collect before the first day

• Photo identity proof, such as Aadhaar. You can confirm a card is genuine by scanning its secure QR code with UIDAI's Aadhaar QR scanner app; the data in the code is digitally signed by UIDAI.
• Current address in the city and permanent or native address.
• Two recent photographs.
• A family or emergency contact whose number you have called once.
• Previous employer names and numbers.
• For nannies and attendants, any training or nursing certificate, and a call to the institute that issued it.

Keep photocopies, never the original Aadhaar card or other documents; she needs them for her own life. Store the copies somewhere private, not on a family WhatsApp group. Also confirm her age: the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 prohibits employing children below 14 in any occupation, including as domestic help.

Police verification for domestic help

Many city police departments run a verification process for domestic help. Delhi Police, for example, lets employers register domestic help through its citizen services portal, and its forms can also be downloaded and submitted at police stations. The process differs from city to city, so check your city police website or ask at the local station.

• Typical details asked for: the worker's name, father's or husband's name, current and native address, photographs and identity proof, and your own details as the employer.
• Submit the form before or within the first days of employment, and keep the acknowledgement or application number.
• Tell the worker you are doing it. Most honest workers are used to it and it sets a clear tone.
• Verification can take time; meanwhile keep the trial period supervised.

An online check of public court records complements this. It shows whether her name, matched with her father's or husband's name and city, appears in court cases anywhere in India. A match is a reason to ask questions, not a reason to assume the worst.

Red flags in the first weeks

Most domestic workers are honest and work hard for little money, so judge patterns, not single moments. These are worth noticing:

• Stories about past jobs, her family or her native place that keep changing.
• Reluctance to share an address or a contact number that works.
• Requests for a large advance within days of joining.
• Unexplained visitors at the gate, or people calling her about money during work.
• Interest in where cash, jewellery or cards are kept.
• With children: your child becomes unusually withdrawn, fearful or clingy around her, or comes back with injuries nobody explains.
• With elderly parents: she discourages calls with family, handles their phone or bank cards, or medicines go missing.

If something worries you, write down dates and facts, speak to her calmly, and involve the agency if there is one. If you suspect a crime or a child is at risk, contact the local police; for disputes, take legal advice rather than acting on your own.

Protecting valuables, children and elders

• Lock away cash, jewellery and documents before the first day, not after something goes missing.
• Never share OTPs, PINs or card details with any staff, and teach elderly parents the same.
• Run a supervised trial: for the first few weeks, a family member is home or close by for part of each day.
• If you use CCTV, tell her openly, and never place cameras in a bathroom or the space where she changes or rests.
• Give a nanny written rules: who may collect the child, no visitors, no outings without telling you, and a list of emergency numbers including the paediatrician.
• For elder care, keep bank and money matters with the family, and check in with your parent privately every few days.

Fair treatment and written terms

Clear, fair terms reduce misunderstandings and turnover, and a worker who feels respected is more likely to tell you when something is wrong. Put these on one page, in a language she reads, and give her a signed copy:

• Monthly pay and the payment date; pay by bank transfer or UPI so both of you have a record.
• Working hours, weekly off and paid leave.
• Duties, so 'nanny' does not quietly become 'nanny, cook and cleaner'.
• Food, accommodation and phone use, for live-in help.
• Notice period on both sides, and how an advance is repaid.

You can also help her register on e-Shram, the Ministry of Labour and Employment's national database of unorganised workers, which covers domestic workers aged 16 to 59 and is used to deliver welfare schemes. And give her a private space, regular breaks and respect; safety at home works best when it runs both ways.

What a fraudcheck.ai report checks (and what it doesn't)

A fraudcheck.ai report costs ₹99 and is ready in about 5 minutes. You need the worker's full name, her father's name (or husband's name if she is married) and the city she lives in. No ID numbers, documents or OTP are needed, and she is never contacted or told.

• Court cases across India from public court records, pending and disposed, matched on name, father's or husband's name and city.
• News mentions: published news stories that name her.
• Public social media presence: public profiles found for her.

Matching on three details removes most namesakes, but results come from public sources and can still need judgement. It is not police verification, an identity or Aadhaar check, employment verification or a guarantee of character. It complements police verification; it does not replace it. You can run a maid background check or see a sample report first.

Frequently asked questions

Is police verification compulsory for a maid in India?

It depends on your city. Many city police departments, such as Delhi Police, run a domestic help verification process and encourage employers to use it. Check your city police website or ask at the local police station for the rules and form that apply to you.

What documents should I take from a maid before hiring?

Take copies of a photo identity proof such as Aadhaar, proof of current and native address, two photographs, a family contact number and details of previous employers. For nannies and attendants, also ask for any training certificates. Keep copies only, never originals.

Should I keep my domestic help's original Aadhaar card?

No. Keep a photocopy for your records and police verification, and let her keep the original. You can confirm the card is genuine by scanning its secure QR code with UIDAI's Aadhaar QR scanner app.

How do I check a maid's background online?

There is no public database of police records in India, but court records are public. An online background check searches court cases across India using her name, father's or husband's name and city, along with news mentions and public social media. Use it together with references and police verification.

What should I do if I suspect my domestic help of theft?

Do not accuse or search her on your own. Write down what is missing and when, check carefully that it has not been misplaced, and if you still suspect theft, report it to the local police and let them investigate. If an agency placed her, inform the agency too.

Before she starts, add one more check to your list: run a maid background check on fraudcheck.ai in about 5 minutes.