MOM Maid Agency List & Ratings Singapore 2026 — How to Verify Any EA Licence

Before you wire a single dollar of deposit to a maid agency in Singapore, the most important box to tick is not the price or the promise — it is the MOM record. Every legitimate maid agency in Singapore is licensed by the Ministry of Manpower under the Employment Agencies Act, and every one of them is searchable, scored, and (where applicable) penalised on a public register: the MOM EA Directory. Skipping this five-minute check is how employers end up with an unlicensed introducer, a salesperson who isn't a registered EA Personnel, or an agency under surveillance for serious infringements.

This guide walks you through MOM's verification system the way an employer should actually use it in 2026 — the directory, the star rating, the demerit points system, the licence-number format, AEAS membership, and the red flags that mean a so-called "MOM-listed" agency is really nothing of the sort. It is written and reviewed by a registered EA Personnel under Upwill (EA Licence 24C2628), and it links you back to the official MOM source at every step.

Reviewed by Wendy Tan, Registered EA Personnel — Upwill (EA Licence 24C2628).

Step-by-step: how to use MOM's EA Directory

The EA Directory is MOM's official, free, public-facing register of every licensed employment agency in Singapore. It is the only authoritative source — third-party "top 10 maid agency" lists, Google review counts, and social-media testimonials are not substitutes. Here is the practical workflow:

1. Open the directory. Go to service2.mom.gov.sg/eadirectory. No login is required.
2. Search by agency name or EA Licence number. If you already have a licence number (e.g. 24C2628), search by that — it is unique. If you only have the trading name, search by name and confirm the registered legal entity.
3. Check the licence status. The directory shows whether the licence is Valid, Suspended, or Revoked, plus the validity period (start and expiry dates). A lapsed or suspended licence is an automatic disqualification.
4. Check the licence type. Only the Comprehensive Licence (All) class permits placement of foreign domestic workers (FDWs). An agency holding only a Comprehensive (non-FDW) or local-placement licence cannot legally place a helper for you.
5. Note the registered address and key appointment holders. The directory lists the registered business address and the Key Appointment Holders (KAHs) — owners, directors, partners. If the agency's shopfront address doesn't match, ask why.
6. Open the star rating and metrics. Scroll to the customer rating, the successful retention rate, and the total number of FDWs placed in the previous year.
7. Drill into EA Personnel. Click through to the list of registered personnel attached to that licence. The salesperson you are dealing with must appear here.

That entire workflow takes about five minutes. Do it before you sign anything — including the agency's job-order or service agreement.

MOM's EA rating system explained (current 2026 state)

MOM operates a customer-rating system for FDW-placing employment agencies. There is one important thing to know up front: there is no Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum tier system run by MOM in 2026. Anyone advertising those tier names is either describing an in-house marketing badge or quoting an out-of-date framework. The official system is a star rating out of 5, backed by two volume metrics.

1. The star rating (out of 5)

Roughly three months after an FDW is deployed, MOM sends the employer an SMS-linked survey covering whether the agency explained processes clearly, offered helpful advice, matched the FDW to the household, would be recommended, and encouraged use of the EA Directory.

The agency must have a minimum of three reviews before any rating is displayed publicly. That threshold stops a single complaint or a single five-star friend from skewing the public picture. New agencies will simply show no rating yet, which is not a red flag by itself.

2. Successful retention rate

This is the percentage of helpers placed by the agency who are still employed with the same employer after a fixed period (typically the first six months). A high retention rate suggests honest matching and decent post-placement support; a very low rate suggests over-promising at intake.

3. Total FDWs placed in the previous year

This is a scale indicator, not a quality one. A boutique agency placing 80 FDWs a year with a 4.8-star rating and a 92% retention rate is, on the evidence, a better choice than a 1,500-placement factory with a 3.1-star rating and a 60% retention rate. Read the three metrics together — never alone.

The Demerit Points System — what to look for

The Demerit Points System is MOM's administrative penalty regime. When an EA breaches the Employment Agencies Act, Rules, or its licence conditions, MOM issues a number of demerit points. The points stack, and the consequences escalate sharply:

For agencies below 12 points, each demerit stays "live" for 12 months from issuance. Severe breaches — illegal deployment of workers, abuse, kickbacks — can skip the points ladder entirely and trigger immediate revocation. The directory flags surveillance status and licence suspensions. If the agency shows any kind of MOM advisory, sanction, or recent name-change away from a sanctioned licence, treat it as a stop sign.

Understanding the EA Licence number format

The EA Licence number tells you, at a glance, when the licence was first issued and what class it sits in. The format is YY + Class Letter + Serial. For example:

• 24C2628 — issued in 2024, Comprehensive (C) class, serial 2628. This is Upwill's licence.
• 23C1234 — issued in 2023, Comprehensive class, serial 1234.
• 19C9999 — issued in 2019, Comprehensive class, serial 9999.

The class letter is the critical bit. Only the Comprehensive Licence (All) permits FDW placement. A newer year prefix is not automatically worse, and an older year prefix is not automatically better — check the demerit history, the star rating, and the retention rate before treating year-of-licence as a proxy for trust.

Verifying EA Personnel (not just the agency)

An agency licence is necessary but not sufficient. Every individual selling, matching, and contracting on behalf of the agency must be a registered EA Personnel under that licence. Two practical checks:

1. Ask to see their EA Personnel registration card. MOM requires all EA personnel to show this to clients on request.
2. Cross-check the name and registration number in the EA Directory. The salesperson must be listed and active under that licence — not under a previous employer's.

Within the personnel registry, MOM distinguishes Key Appointment Holders (KAH) from other EA Personnel. KAHs of Comprehensive-licence agencies must hold the Certificate of Employment Intermediaries — Key Appointment Holder (CEI-KAH) qualification before registration. If a salesperson cannot produce a registration card and cannot be found in the directory, walk away — you are dealing with an unregistered introducer, not a regulated agent.

AEAS membership and other quality signals

The Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) — AEAS is the industry body for Singapore EAs, with roughly 400 licensed-EA members. AEAS membership is voluntary, but useful as a supplementary signal: members access the EAPD course, feed into AEAS's dispute-resolution channels, and the membership list is published publicly.

AEAS membership is not a substitute for the MOM licence. It is a credibility cherry on top — useful when comparing two otherwise-similar agencies, but never a reason to skip the EA Directory check.

Red flags — when "MOM-listed" doesn't mean MOM-verified

The phrase "MOM-listed" is misused all over the internet. Red flags that a self-described "MOM-listed maid agency" is actually unlicensed, mis-licensed, or operating outside its permitted scope:

• No EA Licence number on the website. Legitimate agencies print their licence number in the footer, on contracts, on Facebook, and on their MOM Personnel cards.
• EA Licence number is non-"C" class but the agency offers maid placement. Only Comprehensive (C) class licences cover FDW placement.
• Licence shows Suspended, Revoked, or under surveillance.
• Salesperson refuses to show an EA Personnel registration card. Or the card belongs to a different agency than the one taking your money.
• Cash-only deposit, no receipt, no service agreement.
• Pressure to pay before the FDW interview.
• "We are MOM-approved." MOM does not "approve" or "endorse" specific agencies. MOM licenses them.
• No published address or a residential address only.

Upwill's MOM credentials (EA Licence 24C2628)

For full transparency, here is the verifiable trail for Upwill itself:

• EA Licence number: 24C2628 — Comprehensive (All) class, covering FDW placement.
• Verification: Searchable directly on the MOM EA Directory.
• Registered EA Personnel: Every Upwill salesperson is registered under licence 24C2628 and carries a current EA Personnel registration card.
• Service standards: Itemised pricing, MOM-template service agreements, no cash-only deposits, no pressure to sign before interview.
• Where to verify: see our maid placement service, our maid agency comparison framework, and the About Upwill page.

Pre-engagement verification checklist

1. Get the EA Licence number from the agency website, signage, or salesperson's card.
2. Search the licence on the MOM EA Directory and confirm it is Valid and Comprehensive (All).
3. Confirm the legal entity name matches the contracting party on your service agreement.
4. Read the star rating, retention rate, and previous-year placement volume.
5. Confirm the agency is not under surveillance or showing any MOM advisory.
6. Get the salesperson's EA Personnel registration number and verify under the same licence.
7. Ask whether the agency is an AEAS member; verify on the AEAS members list.
8. Get the itemised fee schedule in writing before paying any deposit.
9. Get the MOM-template service agreement before paying any deposit.
10. Cross-read the true cost of hiring a maid in 2026 and the FDW security bond rules.

If you're weighing a transfer rather than a fresh hire, our maid transfer guide covers the MOM-side paperwork; if you're ending a current placement, see how to cancel a maid work permit. Considering a specific source country? Start with our Myanmar maid agency guide.

This article was reviewed by Wendy Tan, Registered EA Personnel under Upwill — EA Licence 24C2628. Last reviewed: May 2026.