Form ID 988A — Visa/Extension of Stay Application Form for Domestic Helper from Abroad (helper's part)

What is Form ID 988A (helper's visa application)?

Form ID 988A is the helper's half of a Hong Kong foreign domestic helper (FDH) application. The Immigration Department (ImmD) needs two forms for every application: ID 988A, completed and signed by the helper, and ID 988B, completed and signed by the employer. The two travel together with the standard Employment Contract (ID 407) and the supporting documents the employer gathers. This page is about the helper's part; the employer's part has its own page.

The form is bilingual (Chinese and English) and covers four situations: a new helper coming to Hong Kong from abroad, a contract renewal or change of employer with home leave taken first, the same with home leave deferred, and an extension of stay to complete the remaining or extended period of the current contract. The questions change with the type you choose, and some parts apply to only one or two types.

FileIt walks the helper (or the employer helping them) through each part in plain English, shows only the parts that apply to the chosen application type, pre-fills names, date of birth and e-mail from the People in your vault, splits the Hong Kong identity card number into the form's boxes, and lines up the work-experience table for you. The answers are printed into ImmD's own PDF, and the finished file is saved in the person's vault folder. FileIt does not send anything to ImmD: you print the form, the helper signs it by hand, and it goes in with the employer's application.

Who needs to fill out Form ID 988A (helper's visa application)?

• A foreign domestic helper coming to Hong Kong from abroad to start work with a Hong Kong employer (application type (a), entry visa).
• A helper already working in Hong Kong who is renewing a contract with the same employer, or changing employer, and taking home leave before the new contract starts (type (b)(i)).
• A helper renewing or changing employer who has agreed with the employer to defer home leave for not more than one year (type (b)(ii), entry visa and extension of stay).
• A helper who needs an extension of stay to complete the remaining or extended period of the current contract with the same employer (type (c)).
• Employers and family members helping a helper prepare the paperwork, since the employer usually assembles and submits the whole application.

When to use Form ID 988A (helper's visa application)

• As soon as the employer and helper have agreed to the job and completed the four copies of the standard Employment Contract (ID 407), because the D.H. contract number goes on page 4.
• Before a contract ends, when the helper is renewing with the same employer or moving to a new one and needs a new visa.
• When the current limit of stay does not cover the rest of the contract and the helper needs an extension of stay.
• Every time a new application is made: the form is completed afresh for each contract, not reused.

What you need before you start

• The helper's valid national passport: surname and given names exactly as printed, passport number, place and dates of issue and expiry, date and place of birth and nationality.
• The helper's Hong Kong identity card, if the helper has one (letter or letters, six digits and the check digit).
• The helper's present address and, if different, the home (domicile) address, plus any telephone, fax and e-mail contact.
• For a new helper (type (a)): the names, addresses and month-and-year dates of previous domestic helper jobs, and the total experience in years and months.
• For an extension (types (b)(ii) and (c)): the date the helper is currently permitted to remain in Hong Kong until, and the date the extension is wanted until.
• Any names used before, and dates and details of any past visa refusal, removal or conviction, if these apply.
• The D.H. contract number of the signed standard Employment Contract (ID 407).
• For type (a): one recent photograph, not smaller than 50 x 40 mm and not larger than 55 x 45 mm, to affix on page 2.

What’s on Form ID 988A (helper's visa application)

The 2024 edition has 5 pages. FileIt asks for it in 6 parts:

1. Part 1: Application typeHelper
2. Part 2: Personal particularsHelper
3. Part 3: Working experience as a domestic helperHelper
4. Part 4: Extension of stayHelper
5. Part 5: Declaration of applicantHelper
6. Part 6: Undertaking, and signingHelper

How to fill out Form ID 988A (helper's visa application), step by step

1 Part 1 — Application Type

Tick one of four boxes: (a) entry to Hong Kong to take up employment as a domestic helper from abroad (entry visa); (b)(i) contract renewal or change of employer, taking home leave immediately before the new contract (entry visa); (b)(ii) the same but deferring home leave (entry visa and extension of stay); or (c) completing the remaining or extended period of the current contract (extension of stay).

The choice matters for the rest of the form. Part 3 is only for type (a), Part 4 only for (b)(ii) and (c), and the photograph and the criminal-conviction declaration apply to type (a) only. FileIt uses your choice to show just the questions that apply.

2 Part 2 — Personal Particulars

Surname and given names in English go into letter boxes, in BLOCK capitals, exactly as in the passport. There are also boxes for a maiden surname, a name in Chinese (if applicable) and an alias, then sex, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, Hong Kong identity card (yes or no, and the number if yes), nationality, occupation and the travel document's type, number, place and dates of issue and expiry.

Page 2 continues with the present address, a domicile address if different, telephone, fax and e-mail, and the name and address of the current employer if the helper is working now. The Chinese-name box is optional; FileIt cannot print Chinese characters, so leave it blank in FileIt and write it by hand if the helper has a Chinese name.

3 Part 3 — Working Experience as a Domestic Helper

Only for a new helper coming from abroad. List previous domestic helper jobs in date order: the employer's name, the address, and the period from and to as month and year (mm/yy). Finish with the total experience in years and months.

FileIt takes up to five jobs and prints them as a neat table with each row lined up across the columns; attach a separate sheet if there are more. ImmD's guidance asks for a testimonial that shows at least two years' experience as a domestic helper, with the writer's name and address, so the jobs listed here should match the testimonials sent in.

4 Part 4 — Extension of Stay

Only for types (b)(ii) and (c). State the current status in Hong Kong (employment, or another status you specify) and the date the helper is currently permitted to remain until.

For deferred home leave, the helper states that, by mutual agreement with the employer, home leave will be deferred for not more than one year, and gives the date the stay should be extended to. For completing the remaining or extended period of the current contract, the helper gives that date and ImmD asks for the employer's supporting letter confirming continuous employment. FileIt ticks the matching purpose box for you and prints the date in both the Chinese and the English sentence.

5 Part 5 — Declaration of Applicant

Three yes-or-no style declarations: whether the helper has ever changed name (and the previous names if so); whether the helper has ever been refused a visa or entry permit, refused entry, deported, removed or required to leave Hong Kong (with dates and details if so); and, for type (a) only, whether the helper has ever been convicted of a crime or offence in Hong Kong or elsewhere.

The helper also confirms understanding that knowingly and wilfully giving false information is an offence under Hong Kong law, may lead to prosecution and removal, and that any visa or extension granted may become null and void.

6 Part 6 — Undertaking

The helper undertakes not to accept a wage below the minimum allowable wage stated in the contract (the D.H. contract number is written in here), to reside in the employer's residence in Clause 3 of the contract, to do only the domestic duties in the contract's schedule, not to take other employment, to return home after the contract, to leave Hong Kong on completion or within two weeks of termination (whichever is earlier), and to obey Hong Kong law.

Item (ii), living in the employer's home, is deleted only where the Note applies: employers who obtained approval before 1 April 2003 to let their helpers live out can continue, provided they keep employing helpers without a break of more than six months. FileIt strikes the item through if you tick that option. The page ends with the helper's declaration that everything in the form is correct, complete and true, the date and the signature.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Ticking the wrong application type, which leaves out parts ImmD needs (or fills in parts it does not). Check the type against the helper's situation before anything else.
• Spelling names differently from the passport. Copy the surname and given names exactly, in capitals, including middle names.
• Forgetting to sign every page. On a downloaded copy, pages 1, 2 and 3 each have a date and signature box as well as the main signature on page 4.
• Signing differently from the passport. ImmD asks for the helper's signature to match the signature in the passport.
• Leaving Part 3 half done for a new helper, or giving months and years in the wrong format. Use mm/yy and list jobs oldest first.
• Omitting the photograph for a type (a) application, or using one outside the 50 x 40 mm to 55 x 45 mm size range.
• Leaving the D.H. contract number blank when the ID 407 contract has already been signed.
• Answering 'never' to a refusal or conviction question when there is a record. False statements are an offence and can void any visa granted.

After you fill it out

Print the form from FileIt, check every page, and have the helper sign by hand in black or blue ink. Because the printed form is a downloaded copy, the helper dates and signs the box at the foot of pages 1, 2 and 3 as well as the declaration on page 4. For a new helper coming from abroad, affix the photograph on page 2.

The helper's form goes to the employer, who sends it with form ID 988B, an original of the ID 407 contract and the supporting documents listed on ImmD's page and in its Guidebook for the Employment of Domestic Helpers from Abroad [ID(E) 969]. ImmD's page says the documents can be sent by post or delivered in person to the Immigration Department; applications can also be made online via GovHK. FileIt does not submit anything for you.

A copy of the filled form stays in the helper's folder in your FileIt vault, which is handy when the contract comes up for renewal and a fresh ID 988A is needed. Keep track of the passport's expiry too: ImmD notes that permission to stay will not go beyond one month before the passport expires.

Form ID 988A (helper's visa application): frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Blank form (PDF), published by Immigration Department, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (ImmD): https://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/id988a.pdf
• Official instructions and guidance: https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/foreign_domestic_helpers.html
• Edition shown on this page: ID 988A (06/2024) (checked 2026-09-26).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Immigration Department, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (ImmD) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-26.

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