Security Bond for FDW Singapore: Complete Employer Guide (2026)
TL;DR: The FDW security bond in Singapore is a S$5,000 banker's or insurer's guarantee that MOM holds, not a cash deposit. Every helper except Malaysians needs one, it must be in effect before she arrives, and MOM usually discharges it about one week after she has left Singapore.
The S$5,000 security bond for FDW is one of the most misunderstood line items in hiring a helper in Singapore. Employers often confuse it with maid insurance, assume it is a cash deposit, or worry that S$5,000 will be debited from their bank account. In reality, the bond is a guarantee the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) holds against your obligations as an employer, and most employers arrange it through an insurer at the same time as the compulsory maid insurance.
This guide explains what the bond actually is, who must furnish one (Malaysian helpers are the exception), how it differs from maid insurance and the Indonesian Embassy performance bond, when MOM forfeits it, and how the discharge process works after your helper departs Singapore.
Written by Yvonne, EA Personnel, Upwill Employment (EA Licence 24C2628). Last updated 22 September 2026. About the reviewer.
What is the FDW Security Bond?
MOM requires you to buy a S$5,000 security bond for each migrant domestic worker (MDW) you employ, except Malaysian helpers. According to MOM's security bond page, the bond is in the form of a banker's or insurer's guarantee. It is not a cash payment, and no S$5,000 is taken from your account at the point of hire.
What it really is: a binding pledge to pay the government up to S$5,000 if you or your helper breach the Work Permit or security bond conditions. If everything goes to plan (salary paid on time, helper sent home when the permit ends, no breaches), MOM discharges the bond and no money changes hands.
Timing matters. You must buy the bond before your helper arrives, and your bank or insurer sends the details to MOM, which can take up to 3 working days. MOM warns that if the bond is not in effect when your helper arrives, the immigration officer will not allow her to enter Singapore.
Which helpers require a bond, which are exempt
MOM requires a security bond for every MDW except Malaysian nationals.
| Helper nationality | S$5,000 bond required? |
|---|---|
| Indonesian | Yes |
| Filipino | Yes |
| Myanmar | Yes |
| Any other non-Malaysian nationality | Yes |
| Malaysian | No, exempt |
Practical implication: if you are hiring an Indonesian, Filipino or Myanmar helper, you will need the bond in place before she flies in. See our nationality-specific guides for Filipino helpers, Indonesian helpers, and Myanmar helpers. Every employer, including those of Malaysian helpers, still needs the compulsory medical and personal accident insurance.
How much is the bond, who pays, how it's funded
The bond amount is fixed by MOM at S$5,000 per helper. It is the employer's responsibility, and MOM does not allow deductions from your helper's salary. MOM says you can buy the bond at any bank or insurance company, so there are two routes:
- Banker's guarantee. You ask a Singapore bank to issue a S$5,000 guarantee in MOM's favour. Terms, fees and any collateral are set by the bank, so ask before you apply.
- Insurer's guarantee. An insurance company issues the S$5,000 guarantee in MOM's favour. Many insurers offer it alongside maid insurance, but what is included and what it costs differs by insurer, so check the policy schedule before you buy.
Either way, you are not paying S$5,000 upfront. You pay whatever the bank or insurer charges for standing behind the guarantee. To compare what insurers include, see our 2026 maid insurance comparison.
Security Bond vs Maid Insurance vs Indonesian Embassy performance bond
These three are often mixed up. Here is the cleanest comparison.
| Feature | MOM Security Bond | Maid Insurance | Indonesian Embassy performance bond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who requires it | MOM | MOM | The Indonesian Embassy, not the Singapore government |
| Who it applies to | All helpers except Malaysians | All helpers | New Indonesian helpers |
| Amount | S$5,000 guarantee | Medical: at least S$60,000 a year. Personal accident: at least S$60,000 | Set by the Indonesian Embassy; confirm with your agency |
| What it does | Pays MOM up to S$5,000 if bond conditions are breached | Pays for inpatient and day-surgery bills, and accident compensation to the helper or her beneficiaries | An embassy requirement; not a condition of the Singapore Work Permit |
| Who pays | Employer | Employer (MOM does not allow you to pass the cost to your helper) | Check with your agency |
Key point: the security bond protects the government's interest; maid insurance covers your helper's medical and accident risks. On the Indonesian bond, MOM confirms that it is imposed by the Indonesian Embassy, not by the Singapore government, and a helper with a valid Work Permit can work in Singapore without it.
On insurance, MOM's insurance requirements set medical cover of at least S$60,000 a year for inpatient care and day surgery (for policies starting on or after 1 July 2023), with insurers paying 75% and employers 25% of claim amounts above S$15,000. From 1 July 2025, further changes standardised exclusion clauses, introduced two age bands for premiums (50 and under, and above 50), and required insurers to pay hospitals directly for admissible claims.
Choosing an insurer for the bond
Because MOM lets you buy the bond from any bank or insurer, many employers arrange it with the same insurer as the compulsory maid insurance. Do not choose on the bond alone. Compare the medical limit, co-payment, outpatient benefits and repatriation cover, and confirm in the policy schedule that the S$5,000 bond is included. Our reviews cover the main plans:
Prices change often, so always check the insurer's own page for the current premium. Our pillar comparison ranks plans on coverage, or see our helper insurance page.
Bond discharge: timeline and process
MOM releases you from the bond liability when all of these are true:
- The helper's Work Permit has been cancelled.
- The helper has returned home.
- Neither you nor your helper breached the bond conditions.
MOM says the bond will usually be discharged one week after your helper has left Singapore, and you are notified by post. When cancelling, the Work Permit cancellation rules require you to cancel within 1 week after the last day of work, buy her air ticket with check-in luggage, and make sure she departs within 2 weeks of the cancellation. If she had already left Singapore before you cancelled, MOM says to expect discharge within 2 weeks after it verifies her departure.
If you have not received the discharge letter 1 week after she left, MOM's FAQ says you can submit a request online through its update departure record service, logging in with Singpass. MOM will reply by email or phone with the outcome in about a week. See our Work Permit cancellation walkthrough for the detailed flow.
When MOM forfeits the bond (and how to avoid it)
MOM lists these situations in which the bond may be forfeited:
- You or your helper break the Work Permit or security bond conditions. MOM's employer guide adds that the bond will be forfeited if you know of her wrongdoing and fail to report it.
- You fail to pay her salary on time.
- You do not send her home when the Work Permit expires or is revoked.
- Your helper goes missing.
If your helper goes missing, MOM's employer guide says you must file a missing person police report and cancel her Work Permit within 1 week of realising she is missing. After cancellation you are given 1 month to find her; if she is not found, the bond is forfeited, but only part of it is forfeited if you made a reasonable effort to locate her and filed a police report. The guide also says you can apply for a refund of a forfeited amount if you later find her or help the police find her for repatriation, within 3 months of the demand letter.
MOM's employer guide also notes the bond is not forfeited if your helper becomes pregnant, although she will need to return home and you must inform MOM.
How to avoid forfeiture in practice: pay salary within 7 days after each salary period, send her for her six-monthly medical examinations, cancel the permit within 1 week after the last working day, buy her ticket home, keep proof of departure, and act within a week if she goes missing.
Does a new employer need a new bond?
Yes. The bond is tied to the employer, not the helper. MOM's FAQ says that when someone takes over the employment of a helper, even a family member at the same address, the incoming employer must get a new security bond, and the original employer's liability ends. If you are handing over employment within your family, arrange the new bond before the switch.
Employer bond checklist
- Confirm helper nationality. Malaysian helpers do not need a bond.
- Buy the S$5,000 bond from a bank or insurer before she arrives, allowing up to 3 working days for the details to reach MOM.
- Keep the policy schedule and bond reference with your hiring documents.
- Buy compulsory medical (at least S$60,000 a year) and personal accident (at least S$60,000) insurance.
- Pay salary on time and send her for six-monthly medical examinations.
- On contract end: cancel the Work Permit within 1 week after her last day of work and buy her ticket home.
- Make sure she departs within 2 weeks of the cancellation.
- Wait for MOM's discharge letter, usually about a week after departure.
- No letter after 1 week? Submit MOM's online departure record request.
About the reviewer: Yvonne is an EA Personnel with Upwill Employment (EA Licence 24C2628). Source documents reviewed: MOM Security Bond rules, MOM insurance requirements and MOM Work Permit cancellation, checked 22 September 2026.